Yesterday I left my bike in the bike shop for a quick front rack fit whilst I looked around the shops. Then I needed to nip up town to collect contact lenses then, I would be ready.
What actually happened was several phone calls about not being able to fit the low rider rack I wanted, me stressing because I was supposed to be going today, me picking up a new rack from another branch and delivering it to the workshop. That being fitted. Me thinking oh goodness, that sits high and then heading up town to pick up said contact lenses.
After collecting said lenses I decided that goodness no, this was not going to work and so set off on a tour of Edinburgh’s larger bike shops eventually ending up at the bike co-op. With the help of several assistants and then a consultation with a mechanic we decided that yes, fitting the low rider was perfectly possible I’d just have to bodge it a bit.
Eventually at home (quick pause on the way for an emergency call to the police after seeing a man/man/dog altercation and follow up call to provide further details) and I set to this rack. I’m not going to lie, there was swearing. Quite a lot of swearing.
It wasn’t easy but that was largely because my kitchen isn’t a workshop, I don’t have a huge range of nuts and bolts, my tools are small - picked for portability and so job was more fiddly than it needed to be. At 8pm I had it. One front rack (the same one the first shop tried) fitted.
Things we have learned.
Most cyclists have never ridden a fully loaded bike. It’s gratifying when someone takes one look at your set up and laughs - they have ridden a fully loaded bike. There are these things called p-clips. P-clips are great. I should have done it myself in the first place.
Anyway, all in all I spent the day chasing my tail and eventually sat down for a takeaway tea at 9pm. I didn’t see my other half and I didn’t have my last minute equipment check/re-pack. I haven’t even made a playlist. I’m setting off tomorrow because yesterday was not casual.
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