yowch

So, after a pretty rough crash on Ellsworth Avenue last week that left my bike and body with various mechanical problems, I've been stuck riding one hell of a frankenbike. My rear wheel was totalled--bent, spokes broken, but luckily no damage to the cassette, dropout bar or derailleur--so I took apart a 40 year-old Sears Free Spirit to create a rolling frame that I could get around on. My Concord now has a 27-inch wheel in the front, and a 26 in the back, both different widths. The six-speed freewheel was replaced by a five, so now if I overshift, my chain goes into the axle. But it works, and despite the crumbling Continental tire on the back end, I'm still rolling around the city keeping up with traffic. The bike, however, which used to be a big, heavy, steel sonofabitch to ride, is now even heavier. Tomorrow I'm going to my faithful LBS in Squirrel Hill to buy a new wheel, which will be cheaper than I imagined.

Oh, and the garden is coming along beautifully. I've got about 13 tomato plants, zucchini, corn, peas, broccoli, herbs, greens... it's amazing what you can fit into a space so tiny.