Like A Broken Record

Most young folks don't know what a broken record sounds like. I do. I find myself saying the same things over and over, the same sales pitches, the one about good shoes that cost over $100 having less rubber than a bicycle and no moving parts so why would you expect a $100 bicycle to work, and the same old bicycle gospel according to Robert. My favorites are "don't ride on the sidewalk" and "buying a Walmart bike is like tearing your $80 into little pieces of confetti and throwing them into the air."

I repeated both more than once yesterday. In the afternoon, two men from war torn Burma, recently arrived refugees, came in to the shop. (The Burma story and the Utah refugee story are another post. Follow the links to learn more. Send money if you can.) They spoke very little English, and had a Walmart bike they were sharing. They said it did not ride well. Yes. I asked when they had bought the bike and if they could take it back, but that was beyond their language abilities. I put the bike on the stand. Neither wheel turned between the brake pads. I tried the backhand-whack then spot true method. It didn't help much. I tried to center the cheap V-brakes. I turned one adjustment screw all the way in and the other all the way out on both the front and rear. Not much better. I turned the adjusting barrel on the rear derailleur and got the bike to shift on four middle cogs. No, I was not about to take it off and align the hanger or mess with the H and L sets as was needed. Walmart employees (notice I did not say Walmart bicycle mechanics) see H and L sets on rear derailleurs and just assume they should turn them all the way in. "Look, Billy Bob, these two screws are loose, I'll tighten 'em up real good." I shifted the front derailleur and only got chain rub. The front derailleur was an inch too high and toed-out. I moved it to the proper location and it still would not shift well. Oh well. "How much" they said. "Nothing" I said. They had confused looks on their faces, and then they smiled. They crossed the street, and took turns riding their new bicycle. On the sidewalk.