Ugh! My bike crapped out on me! Heavy Sigh! I heard a cracking sound as I approached an incline during a morning ride. Immediately after the sound, my seat started swiveling. Naturally, I had to stop to see what was going on. I hopped off the bike to find my seat, freely performing 360 ° rotations. Lovely!
To put an end to the bike’s new feature, I attempted to adjust/tighten the clamp (which is what I think made the cracking sound) that attached the seat to the height-adjusting pole/tube. In doing so, the pole slowly and methodically lowered itself into the shaft until I could no longer access it. What I had succeeded in doing was adjusting the pirouetting seat so that it was flush with the bike frame. Yep, flush and spinning! Double Ugh!
Standing Pedal Ride Home
Fortunately, I was a little less than a mile from home, so I stood and pedaled while my seat enjoyed 360 views of the ride. I wanted to toss the seat and the rest of the bike into the lake as I rode by but thought better of it. Instead, I brought it home, removed all my biking accessories, and threatened to send it to the glue factory.
Note: My hubby is willing to save the bike from the glue factory. He said he’ll fix it and ride it. He’s less picky about things than I am, so it may work well for him. Only time will tell.
Never Bonded with the Bike
We always had Schwinn bikes as a kid, so I went with what I knew when I bought this one. I purchased this Schwinn during the COVID pandemic. I ordered it from Amazon (nothing else was open). The bike was mostly assembled, but I had to attach a few things for it to be ridable. Once assembled, I went out for a ride and came back complaining.
The bike clunked, clanged, skipped gears, and more. Assuming I had assembled something wrong, I made an appointment to bring it to the bike shop. During COVID, bike appointments were far and few between, but I managed to get one. The shop did what it could to improve the riding experience, but some things were inherent to the bike.
Bikes: Making Lemonade out of Lemons
Since I had already spent the money, I decided to make the best of the situation. Plus, the thought of dismantling and shipping the bike back exhausted me. So, I got a portable speaker (no earplugs for me) and played music while I rode. It helped to drown out some of the irritating noises, but in the back of my mind, I was researching my next bike purchase. However, once the seat decided to crap out on me, that was the final straw!
What I Learned from the Experience
This Schwinn taught me a few things:
- I’m done with self-assembly. My next bike will be assembled 100% by a professional. All I have to do is get on it and ride it out of the shop.
- I’m also done with external derailers. I want a bike with an internal gear hub. Internal gears are low maintenance, and you can switch gears on the bike while standing still. And, even better, because the gears are protected, they are pretty much weatherproof.
- By nature, I’m a frugal person. However, sometimes you’ve got to spend a little more to get the features you want. I’m willing to loosen the purse strings just a bit to ensure my next biking experience is pleasurable.
Now, the hunt is on!
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Glad you got home okay! When I read the crack sound, I thought the frame had cracked. I just sold my e-bike after riding it for 12,000 miles. It still worked great, but traffic here is seriously dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. I hope your new bike gives you lots of joy and lasts a long while and you stay safe.
Thanks,Sam,
Fortunately, I’ve got a nice biking trail so I don’t have to worry about traffic.
On the days I ride locally, I get out there early in the morning for a peaceful and quiet ride. I don’t think I’d fare too well riding in traffic.
I was about to say – hey, wait, I feel like it wasn’t that long ago that we were talking about your bike mirrors. 🙂
LOL, Dave, your right! Not too long ago we were discussing mirrors. 😀
Fortunately, the mirrors are good and will be transferred to the new bike.
Hopefully, the new bike will last longer than this last one.
Hi Felicia. Thanks for sharing the humor about your abbreviated road trip and adventure on your “crapped out” bike. The visual aids were helpful, especially the spinning bike seat; it still has me chuckling.
Good luck with buying an already-assembled bike next time. Just the other day, a friend of mine and I were talking about how hardly anything is delivered assembled anymore (sometimes it is for an additional charge), be it a bookcase, entertainment center, or, yes, even a bike. I’ve had my stationary bike for what seems like a hundred years, but it is more like six or seven; it arrived unassembled. Fortunately, I got someone to assemble it for me. Otherwise, it would probably still be in the box. Somewhere between cresting the hill of middle age and sliding into senor citizenry, I lost the patience for putting things together. That’s what grown grandsons are for, and they haven’t refused grandma’s request yet. (Did someone say, “Give it time?” LOL)
I’m looking forward to reading about your new bike and adventure on wheels.
Hey Loretta,
I’ve got a few years to go before my grandkids assemble things for me. They’re great at assembling Lego bikes, but a real one is another story. 😀
Spoiler Alert: I found a company that sells bikes with internal gear hubs and…get this…I’ll get it fully assembled. Yep! I’ll write more about that in the next post.