first portland flat.

so, it happened. my first flat tire in portland. i was attempting to roll away from common grounds coffee shop only to hear a fwap, fwap noise emanating from my back tire. what a bummer! i was on my way across town for a juggling adventure, and really didn't want to mess with my day's flow so i hauled my bike up to the 'bicycle repair collective' on belmont. i told the dude i needed to repair a flat, and he just rolled my bike away. i asked if he could guide me through it, doubting my ability to work on my stead (unfortunate but true). but, he quickly caught on to the fact that i didn't need much direction. at one point he even called me 'mechanically inclined', which was pretty fun. one of my lofty portland goals has been to learn how to fix my bike, and eventually build my own bike. i am slowly moving towards that place. i think the summer will accelerate my motivation on that front. i am starting to get really good at adjusting my brakes, which feels good. for some reason brakes were always intimidating to me before. practice makes perfect!

i can't believe i made it 5 full months before i got a flat. that's pretty impressive. however, i've been told by everyone that bike flats come in waves. i feel like everyone i talk to about it warns me about the impending swarm of bike mishaps i've unknowingly freed from the floodgates. i've heard so much about this imminent bicycle doom that i've begun to have nightmares about getting flat tires in the middle of the freeway.

hopefully my luck continues to flourish, and i remain accident and flat tire free this summer. cross your fingers...