Inspired by reading the first issue of CYCLE and by the glistening sunshine, the old steel-framed Lemond Tourmalet was taken off the wall, for a short, but stylish last spin of Fall. The classic RSX break shifters had just been cleansed and newly greased again, so it’s again a 3 x 7 gears bike (not the de facto single speed it had been for quite some time…). So, the perfect bike for a leisurely cruise in the hilly terrain the author lives in.
The nice-bike-in-nice-weather ride soon turned into a bit of a more stressful experience, announced by the infamous sound of „pfff….t!“.
Stylish steel bike in splendid fall-colored environment
Yes, that was the instant when it crossed the author’s mind that it may have been a smart idea to check not only the RSX parts, but also any other parts that may not necessarily have gotten better by very long non-use.Oh well, too late – and since „seat pouch“ or „pump“ don’t go well with „stylish“, there was no other option than accepting fate and starting the 7K march back, to the rhythm pounded the cleated biking shoes.
However, it was my lucky day today: After 1.5K of walking The Fairy of the Unprepared Riders came along, disguised as a real gentleman; who was not only helpful and good mannered, but also fully equipped, including with a 21mm inner tube (who would have thought that others out there are still riding these things?). Five minutes later, the temporary experience of a duathlete had come to an end and the happily restored stylish steel-frame rider vanished into the sinking November sun.
As the knight in shining armor would not let me know his name or address, this blog post is my Thank You to the anonymous help that came my way today, unexpectedly.
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