Rider on the Storm

In case you've been living in a cave, we've experienced some crazy weather in and around the city of Philadelphia the last week or so. I personally made it through just fine, but I did suffer a bit of misfortune after the fact.

After a brutal windy, rainy and snowy Friday last week, we were pelted with several inches of thick, wet snow a few days ago on Wednesday. It actually forced me to use a car for my Wash Cycle Laundry route. Of course, I had to get to and from the car somehow, and the train wasn't really a viable option due to walking distance, so my bike was called into brief action that day:

I think the round trip was less than two miles, much lower than what I'm used to. They were an arduous windy, rainy, and snowy two miles. My bike worked just fine, so in hindsight, that day wasn't that bad though...

Things in the weather department settled down rather quickly, and we were greeted with a gorgeous day on Thursday:

That doesn't mean it was all peaches and cream. After storms, there's salty water and slush everywhere, which makes quite a mess:

It also creates unnoticeable hazards. I was riding to work that morning and hit a rather deep pot hole at nearly full speed. I couldn't see it because it was filled with slush that appeared to be just a small pile of snow I'd normally plow right through. The impact jarred me off my seat, forcing me to quickly dismount and reset my balance. I discovered after the fact that it also damaged several components of my rear wheel. Not the best visual, but you can see the wheel is very far off kilter:

I actually rode it home, assuming the wheel had been simply knocked out of true. As I was loosening the rear axle to work on it, I could see by the wobble that this wasn't the case. Realizing I didn't have the tools to fix it myself, I dropped it off at Bicycle Therapy yesterday. The verdict? I've broken a spoke and a rear axle, which is going to require a whole new rear wheel. Fun times.

It's a good thing I have my girlfriend's bike for backup. I've gotta get to work today. The moral of the story is, just because you survived the height of the storm doesn't mean its effects are through. Be aware out there, everyone.