Riding with 3 bikes in 1 day

Take careful note of the preposition, "with" not "on". Even after many years, I'm still pretty pleased every time I piggyback a bike with the front hub lashed to my rack, and that's not just because it likely means I'm toting a new bike home. I really like simple things that work reasonably well, and I enjoyed those moments of pleasure twice on Saturday.

A month ago, when the roads still held an unhealthy coating of salt, Hampshire Bicycle Exchange had offered me a donation for Bike Lab: Mixte frame, Sachs three speed hub, and while digital photo color rendering doesn't give it full representation, PINK! I was certainly game, but rather than subject the steel frame to corrosive chemicals, I waited to take it. Then I waited some more and exceeded the week window that I was told was best for collection, but it was waiting patiently as well, and with this Saturday's Bike Lab starting an hour and a half after the shop opened, it was perfect for pick up on my way!

Well, perfect is variable, and I was reminded that even in the days before large thru axles, there was variation in front axle size, which meant the bike's fork's dropouts didn't fully seat on the now-standard quick release hub on my rack. It was close, maybe 7/8ths of the way there, just sitting a little high, so I closed the skewer as tight as I could and gave the bike a test shake left to right. The lashing of the hub to my rack moved long before there was any sense of the fork unmounting, and, except for a half mile of road, my route to Bike Lab was extirely rail trail, so I decided to go for it. Heck, last year, Ben from Bike Lab ghost rode the same seven miles with another donation by holding onto the stem.

Photo from YouTube,

 but I'm sparing you a link to the video.

We made it! I even had time for a quick zip into town to grab a sandwich, after unhooking the pink wonder at Bike Lab, before returning to the start of bicycle repair festivities and the inundation of people who noticed their bikes weren't working right, now that the weather went warm. It was a busy day at Bike Lab, but busy is good. It means a lot of people riding bikes, and I was able to leave only twenty minutes after the official closing at 2:30. I left continuing west, away from home.

A few days earlier, someone had posted a free damaged bike which had fallen off a car bike rack. There wasn't much description in the ad, and bicycle companies periodically decide on the marketing tack of black decals over black paint, so I couldn't tell the make or model, but in addition to the tacoed front wheel, I could discern disc brakes, and it sure looked like a belt drive instead of a chain. The downtube was also suspiciously large, like it was designed to conceal an e-bike battery. I was intrigued.

When a free ad like that catches my eye, but doesn't quite make me swoon with lust, I've taken to waiting a day or two before sending a reply, figuring I'll let some who really, really wants it have first shot. Alexis, the bike donor, said she was inundated with responses, but apparently, my late reply went to the top of the list. It seems giving a concrete time for pickup, and using complete sentences, gave me and Bike Lab, where any parts I don't use will go, an advantage.

I think everybody one! Alexis, her partner, and I had a lot of fun chatting while I prepped the remains of the bike for towing, and they continued the project of converting their driveway to a patio! When Alexis commented, "We're a Priority [the bike's brand] family," they even appreciated my reply, "I'd say you have your Priorities straight, but..." and pointed at the battered remains of the bike. Anyone who likes a bad pun is good for me!

And the bike, it was a bit more battered than I could see in the ad's photo. Alexis had warned that the rear wheel did hit the fender, so I came with lots of padding and straps to lash it sideways, with the wheels off, atop my rack, but piggybacking is still the preferred, streamlined option. Still, even with fender removed, the wheel wobbled in contact with the frame, but as a mountain biker, I have some experience with strategically stepping on wheels until they fit in frames. By the time I was done jumping on it, there was at least a quarter inch of clearance all the way, err, round. They even cheered as I set off down the street! Bike people are good people.

There were a few extra miles of road on each end,

 but the trip home was again mostly rail trail.

I even had time to enjoy a second sandwich,

and while my intended backdrop for this photo 

was the 7 Sisters of the Holyoke Range, 

the transmission lines were even more fitting.

It is an e-bike.