Riding My Repaired Bike Up the Hudson After a Snowfall

Readers of this blog may have seen a post I put up last Monday, after the front fork of my bicycle failed and I luckily averted a spill and injury. At my bike shop, Champion Bicycles on Amsterdam Avenue, I consulted with owner Marcos and mechanic Teddy and checked all the other welds that could possibly give way on my old Trek bike. They all  appeared quite sturdy, with the original steel (not aluminum) tubing and double-lugging solid throughout. As I could see on examining the broken fork closely, it takes the most stress and pounding, without benefit of nearby supporting joints, as is true everywhere else on the frame. So, I asked them to order a new fork. With the holiday last week it took several days, but it did come in before the week ended. I had them install it and also replace the front brake. This incident has made me begin seriously thinking about the time when I do finally get a new bike. But given the fact we live in a Manhattan apartment, once I replace the old Trek–a bike I bought as a gift to myself in 1982, the day after I’d buried my dear old black Labrador, Noah–I’ll probably also have to let it go completely and quit even housing it here.

My wheels had been unavailable for almost a week, and despite the cold I would’ve been riding given the opportunity. Upon picking up the bike Saturday, I took my favorite ride up the Cherry Walk along the Hudson, and here a couple of pictures shot during my jaunt. Thanks to many friends on Facebook who gave me good counsel on why suffering a broken fork needn’t signal the end of a bike’s useful life, even while other friends suggested it could be a sign from the bike gods that it’s time for a new set of wheels.