May 29, 1999

BIKE REPAIR

I had a pretty good night at the Glassheim home in Grand Forks, ND. Since nobody else was up, I fixed myself some breakfast and left so that I could get to the local bike shop. I needed to have my bottom bracket checked out because the crank was wobbling.

The bike shop didn't officially open until 10 a.m. but the mechanic let me in at 9:30 a.m. I told the mechanic, Dan, the problem and mentioned him that I could not really afford a major repair. He said that I shouldn't worry.

It was a good thing that I had taken the time to have the bottom bracket checked out because it probably wouldn't have lasted for much longer. The cones of the bottom bracket showed signs of pitting and cracking. The right one in particular was the worst. It might have only lasted as far as Minot, N.D. which was where the next bike shop would have been along U.S. 2.

Dan rethreaded the bottom bracket and installed a sealed crank cassette. He also took the time to clean and lube the chain and adjust the rear derailleur. I was really concered how much the repairs were going to cost me because I didn't have much with me.

I was really shocked when Dan said that I only needed to pay him ten dollars. The parts and the repair time should have been over eighty dollars. It was around 10:30 a.m. when I left the bike shop and started my ride out of town.