Back in action

The Machine is back on the road. All I needed to pay for was a standard bicycle service, plus bigger, harder brake pads - I go down a lot of hills in my daily routine so I need Serious Business brakes. Everything else came under warranty - the problem with the throttle was due to dirty contacts rather than a loose wire. The only real problem was that the gear cable had been attached too short, but that's all fixed now.

It is so much more pleasant to ride now that (a) I can get up to top speed without worrying how and if I'm going to be able to stop in time; (b) it's no longer rattling itself to death. So, in conclusion: if you're buying an e-bike, spring for some serious business brake pads. Make sure that everything's put together right to start with. And also pay no attention to cowboy bike repairmen who make up lies about how screwed things are to get money out of you - just a regular service every six months and everything should be fine.

In the shop

Four months on the road and the Silver Machine is in for a service. The dealer, who mainly specialises in scooters both fossil-fuel and electric, will hand it to his collaborator who fixes bicycles for most of the work, then double-check the motor and electrics himself.

Mostly it should come under warranty. The dealer's reaction when looking at the gear cable was "Yipes! That shouldn't be!" Hopefully back by tomorrow. (Luckily I've moved closer to town so not having my bike doesn't totally cramp my life like it did when I lived further west.)

First break in service

The back tyre got punctured last night. If it were the front tyre, I would have happily fixed it myself, but I really don't feel confident disengaging the back wheel from the gears, let alone the electrics. (I also suspect there's a loose wire in the electrics somewhere - the throttle doesn't work 100% of the time - but that's not urgent.)

So, back to walking and PT for a little while. Thank all the gods who made the gods that one fine cycle shop in AKL has stepped up and said they can get it fixed before Christmas! I will happily pimp them here if they actually come through on their promise. Stay tuned.

A step towards self-sufficiency

I thought that it was becoming much easier to pedal my bike recently. I put it down to me becoming super-fit. But no, what happened is that my bike was refusing to go past fifth gear (out of seven).

So! how do I spend a glorious Sunday afternoon? Getting greasy and sweaty, turning the bike upside down on the front porch, getting totally confused and possibly making things work, searching the Interwebz for tutorial videos, figuring out what to do, doing it about twenty times before it finally works... but finally getting the gear cable tightened just so, and now everything appears to be underway.

This used to be the kind of thing I'd get the services of a professional for, but (a) I'm flat broke; (b) everything I can do to the Silver Machine by myself makes me feel a little more like a strong independent woman like you see on the sanitary pad adverts.

This shit just got real yo

I have just moved into a flat on my own, thus no longer having access to former flatmate's car. I am therefore entirely dependent for my mobility on public transport, and the Silver Machine. Is this even possible in Auckland? Only someone as demented as me would dream of finding out.

The first hurdle to cross is learning exactly how much shopping I can carry home from the (thankfully very close) supermarket without risking the whole thing falling off. Gone are the days of weekly or fortnightly huge grocery shops - now, brief stop-offs for two bags full or so, most days after work.

I am not used to being popular

One thing you hear a lot of in the news these days is how much Auckland car drivers hate cyclists, to the extent of suggesting banning them from the roads and cheering on drivers who run them down. But when stopped at the lights the other day, one car driver asked me friendly questions about the Silver Machine. Perhaps that's a clue - unlike many other cyclists, sadly, I take my responsibilities of driving a vehicle seriously, and I stop for red lights (and at least slow down and give way at stop signs). Also, they do say that it's only male cyclists who get the massive hatred from car drivers - apparently if you wear a blond wig, cars no longer intentionally ram you.

But yeah. Cyclists love it, scooter drivers love it, and even car drivers seem to be getting the point. Nothing's fallen off it recently - although the handlebars seem to be coming a bit loose and the Allen keys need to be dragged out recently.

The big test comes up very soon. I have been using my flatmate's car on and off for three years, but I am now moving out on my own. I will be living in Auckland with no car, just the Silver Machine. And that may well be the real test. For example, I will have a very limited mobility while the trains are not running over Christmas.

Enhanced practicality

Latest purchase: handlebar basket ($60), to make small shopping trips practical without having to hang plastic bags off the handlebars. Yes, it looks retro. No, I don't care.

One absolutely necessary accessory if you want to run a Wisper bike: a set of Allen keys (also known as "hexes", I believe). I have had to adjust the handlebars once, the screws on the mudguards and the brake cables twice each since I got this thing. I get the feeling that perhaps the construction crew didn't quite imagine it would be going over as many potholes as you find in an average Auckland street.

The fact that the brake cables start slipping after riding in heavy rain is a bit disturbing.