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Went on my first road ride of the year today..

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Went on my first road ride of the year today..

Old 03-06-12, 11:15 AM
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Went on my first road ride of the year today..

OK this actually happened just a little while back but its worth sharing i think.

It was indeed my first road ride in quite some time unfortunately.

I was driving home from a flea market saturday afternoon and my car made an AWFUL noise, lurched and bucked for a moment or two and then stopped and died. never to move again, My timing chain had snapped... engine toast.

i got towed to the nearest junkyard, collected a couple bucks and pulled out my trusty cell phone, which turned out not so trusty as it died after reaching two of my friends answering machines.

I knew it was a good 40 minute drive from where i was. Turns out it was 26 miles. I wasn't about to start walking. Then i remembered I had a bike in my car, So i went and retrieved it.

The saddle was loose but I wasnt about to complain. I had transportation.

On I hopped and away i went.

Ready for the kicker and what makes this story worth telling? Scroll down to see my "life-saver" of a road machine.

























26 miles with a loose plastic seat on a 1983 Columbia ProAm bmx bike.
I think the top tube is about 18" long and the cranks are about 150mm. Whew!

Makes for a good story though!

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Old 03-06-12, 11:18 AM
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Nice! You rode it on the sidewalk like all those other hoodlums didn't you?
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Old 03-06-12, 11:21 AM
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There was everything from alleyways to highways on the journey. I even popped a wheelie for a streeside heckler.
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Old 03-06-12, 11:25 AM
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You need to ride more!
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Old 03-06-12, 11:34 AM
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That saddle sure looks funny on there. But at least you weren't walking. Sorry about the engine though. That stinketh.
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Old 03-06-12, 01:06 PM
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Originally Posted by rhm
You need to ride more!
Don't we all!?
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Old 03-06-12, 01:17 PM
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Funny story, sorry about the car. I hope the engine isn't an interference type. You can simply install a new timing belt and it's good to go, otherwise, all the valves and seats are damaged.

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Old 03-06-12, 01:43 PM
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Why trudge, when you can ride a Rudge?

(Not sure if that was their slogan, but has anyone seen the Rudge chainwheel with the hand emblem? Very zen.)

I should throw a little BMX in my car too. Was it a fluke? Is it your bike? Bet you pampered it when you got home!
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Old 03-06-12, 02:22 PM
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Walking is for chumps.
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Old 03-06-12, 02:26 PM
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26 miles on that thing!? amazing. I''m afraid that the car I drive in most of the time can't really fit a bike in the back.. European Ford KA, first gen.
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Old 03-06-12, 02:31 PM
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My last car went the same way many years ago, but I ran home at 3am.

how big are the wheels on that, 18 inch?
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Old 03-06-12, 05:01 PM
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20" wheels

I just happened to have the bike in my car for transport home from my shop a day or two before and never bothered to take it out...

the seat was goofy and loose because the one it came with (why i bought the bike in the first place) was a perfect Kashimax MX that I robbed mercilessly, i had that one in a box so i tossed it on there... just because. good thing, would have been much worse riding with no seat at all.
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Old 03-07-12, 02:46 PM
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Originally Posted by ericbaker
the seat was goofy and loose because the one it came with (why i bought the bike in the first place) was a perfect Kashimax MX that I robbed mercilessly, i had that one in a box so i tossed it on there... just because. good thing, would have been much worse riding with no seat at all.
Hey, thanks for the clue on where to find Kashima saddles
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