Old Rusty Decommissioned

Budget: -$8.61

I had really wanted to take Old Rusty. But something came up that was actually serious.

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I got up at 4:30 AM again this morning, and went back to Lynn to look for work. I wasn't really practicing this week, but I figured I could use some more cash. But with things heading towards Easter, everything was really slow, and it became clear that work was not to be had. No problem. I called and made an appointment with a client. It will pay off later, once I'm (hopefully) long out of here.

I headed over to the ocean


and took a walk up the coast.


Then I headed back to the bike shop.

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I'd intended to just buy some stuff, but Mark suggested we look at Old Rusty, if only to have another laugh. We went to the back and looked at it. It did look funny among the other bikes. We rolled it out.

And suddenly we weren't laughing. Mark pointed to the fork, to which the front wheel was attached. "That can't be normal."


The fork looked as if it might have been bent forward. I took a closer look at the paint and noticed not only normal, longitudinal scratches, but also a linear, lateral clumping. The fork had gotten bent, at some point after the bike had last been painted.

"What if that breaks?" said Mark. "That would be a horrible accident."

Yeah, it would be. We went down to the basement to look at some other old bikes, and picked one out that wouldn't attract attention but would be in good riding shape. I bought it. I plan to pick it up on Monday.

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I had a bit left in my budget, so I got some tools for the road.


On the left is the pump. I got a long one so I can pump faster. In the center is the lube, which I'll be using once a week or so on the chain. I'll need to stop once a month or so to lube up the derailleurs, for which I'll need a spray (which I opted not to carry, because aerosol cans are bulky). On the right is a set of tire irons and a patch kit. I'll need to get some spare tubes, too, once the budget is positive again.

I also got a pair of bike shorts.


They're a lot like boxer briefs, but the way this photo is taken, you can see the padding in them. It complements the padding of the seat.

Every now and then, you hear about someone becoming impotent from riding a bike with insufficient padding over a long period of time. That's some irreplaceable machinery down there. If you're riding a bike and start feeling numb there, definitely make sure you've got enough padding.