View Single Post
  #802  
Old May 6th 18, 04:22 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Joy Beeson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,638
Default AG: Back in the saddle again


On Mayday, I rode to the grocery and back, and on the Cinco de Mayo,
the farmers' markets were open for the first time this spring.

The craft fair and both farmer's markets were sort of disappointing,
more me than them, I think, and I forgot to check Central Park
Pavilion for activity, but I made the usual stops at Sherman & Lin's
and International Foods on the way home.

Bought a parsley plant at Sherman & Lin's, and planted it before I
unloaded my panniers. They also had basil, but I'm holding out for
cinnamon or purple or something. Still no sign of volunteer marigolds
in the elevated herb bed.

Had to empty my panniers because of a catch failure, and didn't put
anything back except the bag of bags. No need to insulate or carry
ice, I thought -- the chocolate-coated saltines I bought at the
downtown farmer's markets stuck together on the way home. When
planning my route back, I realized that I didn't have my map. And
when I bought a can of grapefruit juice, I realized that the only
bungees aboard were the one that is holding my broken pannier together
and the one that I wound around the top wire of the other pannier last
summer so it wouldn't scratch the polished marble of the city hall.
(The City Hall used to be a bank. Someday I'm going to go downtown
during business hours and ask what they did with the vault.)

The catch broke off the pannier so neatly that it took me quite a
while to figure out what had happened. I discussed possibilities with
my spouse, and have settled on sewing it back together with
stainless-steel wire. I have never folded the panniers, so it doesn't
matter that the attachment will be permanent. Indeed, I was surprised
that the reflector bolted through the joint didn't inhibit folding,
once I'd pulled all the insulation out. Since the insulation retained
the contents, it took me a while to notice that the bottom had fallen
out. Which led to a bungee-based repair in front of Kroger last
Tuesday.

My first thought was to wind the wire where the catch was, my second
thought was securing the full length of the side, then I thought it
would be a good idea to also wire both ends, now I'm thinking that
I'll cut the wire to the length I think I need and start with the
middle of the wire in the middle of the side. And then I'll also wire
the other pannier -- if the bottom fell out of that one, everything
*would* fall out.

It would be simpler to buy new panniers, but I'd have to go all the
way to Nappanee, and I'm not 100% sure the bike shop is still there,
let alone sure that it still sells wire panniers. And they had mesh
bottoms; I prefer wire.

Now that I'm riding again (knock wood), I may have something to say
next week.

(Feels like my fifteenth re-start of the season, but there hasn't been
time for that many: May is only the fifth month, and my first
re-start was in January.)

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

Ads
 

Home - Home - Home - Home - Home