Break Stuff

I've mentioned before that I don't mind getting called in to front line duty for Wash Cycle every now and then. After all, I was a delivery cyclist for 2.5 years, and being outside on a bike...OK you've heard this story before. Anyway, that said, some days it's awesome and other days it's not all peaches & cream, just like any job.

Monday morning, I was scheduled for Center City commercial deliveries again. It seemed like a really beautiful morning at first, sunny with a light breeze and a high of 85 in the forecast. I actually got to the office ahead of schedule, and other than having to repair a flat tire on the trailer first thing, the morning went smoothly. So smoothly in fact that the barista at Grindcore House actually pointed out that I was smiling: 

I used to frequent their shop when I lived in Pennsport, and I have a few good memories from there. Add this one to the list.

Around this time, the humidity really started to pick up, and it wasn't long before I was sweating bullets even with a light load. BUT, I ran into my old boss (who's now the executive director of Theatre Philadelphia) at another coffee shop we service, so I paused to chat with her for a few minutes (and enjoy the air conditioning).

My workload also picked up. An hour later in Center City, this was the scene:

I wasn't dehydrated by any means, but I was sweating pretty profusely and it seemed like a lot, even considering the amount I was towing. That said, I've done this countless times before and I was doing just fine minus looking like I'd just got out of a swimming pool.

There's that old saying that you're only as strong as your weakest link, and I found mine on the ride back to the plant. That flat that I fixed earlier in the day was riding on a less-than-optimal wheel/rim and I thought I could nurse it throughout the day (actually, I had to - it was the only one available at the time). All things considered, I did pretty well to get 3+ hours out of it, but with 250ish pounds on its back, it eventually folded (almost literally):

It might be tough to see from this angle, but two of the spokes are completely "free" from the center hub. Even at slow speed, there was no way the tire would hold up to that kind of wobbling. I had to call our West Philly cyclist to offload some of my trailer to avoid any further damage, and I replaced the wheel. I couldn't really be upset about the whole thing - it was only a matter of time before this happened.

This considered, I still finished 30+ appointments in less than 4 hours:

The oddities really began after I got back to the plant. I unloaded the last drop off and noticed my front tire on my personal bike was flat. Apparently I'd picked up a shard of glass on the ride in, this after I'd JUST REPLACED the tire and tube on Sunday. Even worse, that wheel I'd replaced on the trailer was ALSO flat, likely meaning it had a slow leak even before I put it on. SO, I fixed those too, and mercifully headed home. Let's just say I've gotten my fill of flats these last few days for sure (pun intended).