Bicycle Update: Maintenance and Paying it Forward

I did a lot of work on bicycles this morning. I had borrowed my brothers Giant bicycle earlier this week. While on the ride the front shifter broke. I then ordered some new shifters and grips. Today I installed them. This meant I had to disconnect the old ones install the new and then learn how to adjust the derailleurs to get everything to work properly.  The process was actually easier then I expected because it was relatively straightforward.

Then I worked on my new bike, a 2004 Specialized Expedition Sport that I've started calling "blurple" because of it's bluish purple color. At first I didn't like it, the frame is a little bit too big for me and the riding position was too relaxed for my riding style. To remedy this I bought a new seat and have been playing around with the adjustable handle bars. I also tightened the front shocks all the way to take out the bounciness and disconnected feel. Today I also washed and waxed it. After all of this I took it for a ride. I was about 3 miles in when I had a big blowout, the rear tire popped and took out the rubber tim strip, which protects the tube from the spokes. It blew out so hard that the strips were blown outside of the tire after. I of course found this to be impressive and then promptly called for a ride.

After returning home I went out and bought two tubes(the front can't be far behind), the rim strip and some bolts so that I can mount my rack onto the bike.

The rack was on my old bike which I gave away to a new friend whose bike was stolen. I was really attached to it but had outgrown it and wanted to be able to help her out. It was a 2008 Diamondback mountain bike that I bought with birthday and christmas money when I was in middle school. To me it was like my first car because it gave me a lot of freedom to be able to buy something like that for myself and be able to ride wherever I wanted. I hadn't been riding it anyway because it was too small and then I was given blurple so I figured it was time to pay it forward. It was much easier for me to give it away than sell it and this way it doesn't end up following me forever even though I can't ride it. I also really liked knowing it would be going to someone who needed and would enjoy it. It was nice to be able to help right a wrong.