Thursday Thoughts: Backups

I learned this one a long time ago.  Always have a backup!  A contingency plan is a good thing to have.  A contingency bike can be the backbone of that kind of plan.

There was a time when I did not have a car of any kind.  I had two bicycles.  One was the “car,”  the everyday, go to work, transportation vehicle.  The other rig was for racing.  (In those days, I believed that I had a career ahead of me in racing.)  This arrangement was suitable, but it had a flaw.  My thought was that I would train on the “everyday bike,” and that riding instead of driving would help me in that effort.  That was a good plan.  The problem was one of reliability.  The everyday bike would break down, or wear something vital out, or its tires would be shot, and no money ‘til payday.  These circumstances would force me to recruit the racing bike into more mundane service.  (I had to get to work, and I had no other means.)

The race bike was a bit more temperamental, more high strung.  So it would tend to go out of tune, and/or break.  Usually this would occur just about the time I got the everyday bike running again, and just in time for a race.  That meant I rode the everyday bike in the race.  Not ideal.

Then I would save up money, and buy parts, and make repairs on the race bike, whilst riding the everyday bike.

Basically, I had my racing rig available for just about every other race.  I hated that.

It took a while for it to dawn on me that I always had one bike.  I always had something to ride in the events, and I always had something to ride for transport.

The experiences recounted above took place over 35 years ago.  Today’s bikes and components are amazingly more reliable.  Still, anything with moving parts is going to have problems, wear things out, and suffer malfunctions and failures.  The more exotic the device, the longer the repair time will be.  (Parts need to be ordered, suppliers and manufacturers negotiated with.  It all takes time!)  So I submit, if riding is important, having a second bike (or more!) in reserve becomes imperative.

Incidentally, the reserve bike must be maintained too!

Don’t get mad at me.  It’s just the way things are.