Riding in the Rain

I rode my bike in the rain for the first time today. It wasn't too bad, except that squinting to keep the rain out of my eyes was annoying and made seeing clearly a little difficult. The rain didn't end up lasting that long, and it wasn't a hard rain, so all-in-all it went just fine.

I did have to stop once today and tighten my handlebars. This is the second time they have come loose. The first time was while I was on the Manhattan Bridge last week. Trying to balance on a bike when your handle bars are wobbling forward and backward is not an easy or fun thing to do. I would say intimidating and frustrating are better descriptives. It did provide a chance for me to talk with fellow bikers, however. There are a few points on the biking side of the bridge where you can pull off to the side out of the bike lanes. I pulled over and tried to use my house keys as allen wrenches...not the best substitute. When that wasn't working, I just stopped a few bikers as they went by to find out if they had the right tool. One man had some tools, but none of them fit the screws on my handlebars. All three I spoke with were kind. I love bike-comradery.

Thankfully Recycle-A-Bicycle has a shop located in DUMBO on the Brooklyn side of the Bridge. When I got off the bridge I stopped by the shop and invested in a great little multi-use tool for my bike. It stays in my bag when I'm out and about now. The employee I spoke with was kind enough to offer to tighten the screws for me, but I decided that I should go ahead and purchase the tool. I am happy with that decision.