fuck my shitty, old ass, french road bike

ahem, let me rephrase that:

oh boy! i sure am glad that my bicycle has needed so many 'tune ups'! how else would i learn all this gosh darn interesting bike maintenance? plus, i learn things EXTRA well because it's a french frame and therefore has very specific needs and intricacies. it's funny idiosyncrasies mean i'm learning even MORE! i like to think of it as me becoming a more well-read 'bicycle investigator'. hooray for bike malfunction. what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger right?

seriously though. something new on my little jeunet seems to break every damn week! it was fun when i had a bunch of time to learn about fixing bikes, but right now all i do is science. i like riding my bike to work because it means i don't have to waste time waiting for a bus. plus, bombing down i even beat cars i go so fast (sorry dad, today it was raining and i went slow just for you!). it's a time saver, all this breaking down is a time sucker.

i don't want to say it, but if i continue to have so many problems with little jeunet i may have to retire her for a bit. i might need to buy a more reliable commuter bike. oh man. that would make me sad.

things i've replaced: derailer and brake cables and housing, the rear wheel, the rear derailleur, front and back brakes, and a rear spoke. i've overhauled the bottom bracket. i've trued the rear wheel, scraped off the rust from the old ass chain with a steel brush, messed with the front derailleur limit (only one and i couldn't make it work), and lubed the ENTIRE bike.

today my front wheel started making 'ping' sounds like the spokes are unhappy! how much more can go wrong!

on a lighter note, chemistry is wicked cool. i have to read 12 scientific articles for a GIANT scary cume exam this weekend (damn organic chemistry!!!), and i am actually sort of enjoying reading the papers for natural products. neat!

love,
kelly