i’ve never gone back by bike to minneapolis or did any long ride after the minnehaha falls, and this is because of loaded group activities during the weekends and my bike is constantly refusing to work on lower gears. as i’ve mentioned before, the twin cities are hilly, and during my last short rides, i’m insanely biking uphill on highest gear!! or just walking along with my bike…
so last sunday, i had a short trip (all in high gear, tiring) to have my bike checked. sibley bike depot is along university avenue, just next to shuang hur, an asian grocery store. this place is an intricate bike mechanic’s haven, bike shop’s rules posted on a wall, a note “ideals are possibilities” chalked on a board, gears scattered around efficiently, and a yellow-bike hanging on a wall (for yellow bike project). i spotted john, the kind guy who assisted me last month when i bought this, and after waiting for a while, we started figuring out what’s wrong. this is a full-volunteer, non-profit shop full of busy people customizing and fixing bikes, so i wanted at least to help in fixing my own bike. he figured out that the crank is a little bend so the chain keeps on getting off. after fixing the dent manually, still uncontended, he eventually decided to change the entire crank with a brand new, higher quality, thicker steel crank with side guides to prevent the chain from getting off. i did helped with scrubbing the rust, unscrewing bolts, greasing up the screws and chains, and after cleaning my dirty hands, did a test ride outside. with all gears now working flawlessly, i went back inside assuming i have to pay…but john told me it’s free..that’s nice!!
dropped by shuang hur to get a 25-lbs rice into my back pack, and pedalled all the way downtown saint paul back to the apartment…
