Er, make that bicycle… and not new either. Well, let me explain. Last Saturday night someone “borrowed” a bicycle from somewhere in my mom’s neighborhood. When they got to where they were going they just left it… in my mom’s front yard. Tuesday I was visiting mom and I saw this bmx bike leaning against her Ash tree. I asked and she told me the story above. Since no one claimed it I took it home and claimed it for my own. It’s pretty nice. I think it’s an older mongoose. Definitely custom parts. The fork gyro probably needs to be replaced. The brake cables have been cut. The handle bars are a little loose, or stripped probably. That night, I put air in the tires and it seemed completely ridable.
Yesterday I started using it to ride to work. I forgot how fun they are. All went fine yesterday, but today… that’s a different story.
On the way to work I was crossing the street when the bottom cuff of my cargo pants got hung in the pedal sprocket just inches from the curb. Here’s what happened:
- my foot slipped off the pedal
- i started in a downward motion, right foot hitting the curb
- the bike kept moving forward, dragging me with it
- it hit the stop sign and bounced forward a couple of feet
- i hit the stop sign, legs wrapping around either side just like in the cartoons (um… yeah)
- i hit the ground a couple feet away
There was a lady jogger who probably saw, but I didn’t take the time to check. I just jumped back on in case a car would drive by and see. As the day progressed my foot starting hurting pretty bad. But at lunch I wanted to go home and get my car so I tested the pain level whilst my foot was actually on the pedal applying pressure. Surprisingly it wasn’t bad at all. It’s the top of my foot that hurt and walking put pressure on it. With the pedal, I was able to divert the pressure.
I managed to ride the bike back to my apartment just fine. Almost… Right when I got to my apartment’s parking lot, my cargos got stuck in the sprocket again. This time I went sprawling out across the parking lot where quite a few people caught the spectacle. Well, not not be embarrassed for as long as I could help it, I immediately (as in .5 seconds) jumped back on the bike and pedaled to my apartment. I drove my car back to work after lunch. Right now, my right foot is killing me. I might have really messed it up. If it still hurts tomorrow, I ‘ll definitely go to the doctor for some x-rays.
