Thursday, 27 December 2007

Holiday jobs


I always approach the Christmas holiday season with the intention of completing some of those long delayed jobs I've been meaning to do for a long time. The trouble is, time catches up and the regular jobs come round before I can make inroads into the to-do list. Vacation is an opportunity to put that right. One of the regular jobs as a cycling commuter is maintaining my bike. In the run up to Christmas the weather was very cold and the icy conditions meant more salt on the road, so as well as some lubrication, one of the needy jobs is cleaning all the salt off.

You can see why, when the local bike shop owner suggests trading up from my old ('beater') bike for a shiny new model, I'm not overly keen to take his advice and buy another bike, especially when it would end up looking like this one. Luckily a quick wash down with a brush and soapy water will get it looking respectable again. After that, I must see about replacing the tyres. Unfortunately, the constant battle against the elements and a degree of neglect, has also resulted in some of the steel frame rusting. That's a job for another day. Happy new year to you all.

2 comments:

Alex Martindale said...

Hi there. Found your blog while researching the Blakewater Culvert, and as a fellow cycle commuter (from Blackburn Town Centre to India Mill in Darwen) this is a fascinating read.

Thanks!

Psychalist said...

Thanks for the kind comments Alex. It's nice to know of other cycling commuters locally.