A decidely non-standard journey in this morning.
Awoke feeling an odd combination of rested and horrible; having managed a less-broken-than-usual 8ish hours kip but riddled with allergy symptoms and apparently again on the cusp of being ill.
Given the ominous forcast of rain and the need to wash my not-insignificant appointment of hair I elected to leave later, forsake town's sausagey delights and content myself instead with some eggs on toast.
Once out it was very, very mild with thankfully next to no water falling from the sky. I took the cycle and tow paths which were pretty deserted barring a few walkers / joggers and a fellow cyclist doing it wrong; walking with his nice old maroon steel Claud Butler (which I recognised and have previously complimented) slung over his shoulder.
I stopped to offer assistance and was told he'd broken multiple spokes and buckled a wheel... I offered a spoke key to try and get him to where he was going but he was resolute that it was beyond redemption and seemed to be managing OK, so after we exchanged good wishes for the day ahead I was on my way again.
Riding up the bypass I had the joy of passing over the remnants of a broken beer bottle right in the middle of the cycle path; my detached and diminished head only spotting it as the label went under the front wheel. Having suffered three or four punctures in rapid succession recently thanks to broken glass I stopped, gave the bike a bounce and half-arsedly inspected the tyres.. knowing that this crap tends to take a few miles to work its way in for a nice surprise down the line.
Really I could do with giving both tyres a proper once over but this is easier said than done with everything covered in wet muck and the lack of a bike stand... I appreciate that accidents happen and it's a difficult thing to clear up, however I'm sick of broken glass littering the routes around here and it seems to have been particularly bad recently.
Finally on the home straight to work I passed a girl looking perplexedly / dispondently at her bike while on the phone so offered a hand... turned out the chain had come off the cassette at the small end, so I shifted the RD up a couple of notches, lifted the back end and pedalled ineffectually with one foot while she got the pleasant job of grabbing the black, oily chain and oiking it back onto the cassette to get it to mesh with the teeth again.
Drive reinstated I suggested she kept it out of the highest gear and got the limit screws looked at by a bike shop; although if it's typical of most non-enthusiast-owned bikes I've encountered the whole drivetrain is probably shafted. Of course looking back on it now anxious-brain is starting to pick holes in what was done / identify things I could have done better - for example the chain was on the smallest chainring which was probably why she was right at the small end of the cassette and shifting up at the front would have got her to a more appropriate / safer spot at the rear.
Anyway, nice to have helped out even if I regret not having done a better job.
Fingers crossed I can get home later without another bloody puncture..
