Another long post (I seem to like these things
)
Had an awful ride yesterday. Truly the worst I've had to date, but I guess it had to happen sooner or later. First, I noticed the gear changes were much noisier than usual, so stopped to check nothing was bent, broken or looked wrong. It didn't, so I made a mental note to give them a proper looking at once I got back home. Over the next two miles it got worse and worse, until the gears started slipping and refusing to change. It got to the point I had to stop and do a bit of barrel-twisting at the roadside just to make sure I could still use the gears. My mind must've well and truly been elsewhere by the time I got to the city centre as I did something I never thought I'd be daft enough to do...
Stopping at a junction, I went to put my left foot down, as always, but decided to lean to the right, something I never do. Cue a scene of a confused looking fat man slowly falling to one side in what seems like slow motion. No damage to the bike, and I managed to come out of it with just some bruising to my pride. A student-type stopped to make sure I was OK, which restored a little faith in humanity.
Then, just as I thought humans were a kind, caring bunch, a few sets of lights further along I ended up in a somewhat less than pleasant situation, sandwiched between two buses whilst sat waiting for the lights to change. I'd pulled up on the right of a left-turning National Express coach (I valued my life more than the girl on a folding bike who went down his left, apparently), and about ten seconds later another large coach who pulled up alongside me, leaving me sat in the middle of a four-foot gap between two large metal boxes. Talk about your brown trouser moments! Got out of it unscathed, but certainly wasn't a place I enjoyed being. I made sure I sat in the middle of the lane at every light after than!
The ride home was, thankfully, much less eventful. The worst thing was the local geese being a bit more aggressive than usual, but they tend to be eating fallen apples and berries at this time of year, so I think they get a little fighty if the fruit's fermented a bit.
Got the gears back in working order today, took it for a quick spin around the block in the rain and it seemed to be back to its usual self. Got the ride tomorrow to give it a longer test, make sure it's sorted.
?
) but I have a couple of questions about my handlebars/fork.
here - (sorry to rub it in) but I'm on a planned rest day (aka being a domestic goddess)
. Hoping to get out on the Novice Ride with the club tomorrow morning though, then working in the afternoon. 
