When it rains, it pours, right? Well, that was certainly the case during yesterday afternoon’s surprise thunderstorm, and it seems to apply to life this week!*
Picking up where we left off . . .
Collision aftermath
. . . I wasn’t expecting to hear anything about the bike until Wednesday, but the insurance adjustor pushed things a bit, and by late Monday afternoon I received word that Baby Jake’s frame was bent. Bike totaled, case closed.
The driver who hit us was insured, and I should be receiving a check for replacement cost of the bike. Which means I need to decide on a replacement.
Easy answer is replace with current model year Kona Jake. The 2014 frame is orange, which, just, no. Fortunately, the 2015 frame is a lovely blue.
The stock photo is odd to me, because it looks nothing like my fendered, smooth tired, commuter ready (rear rack, milk crate, etc.) Baby Jake, but I guess that’s the bike, underneath it all.
But of course there’s the voice in my head saying, “Do I really want the exact same bike?” There are so many options out there . . . .
Twelve hours after the accident (around 1:00am on Monday morning), it became clear that my bike wasn’t the only thing injured in the collision.
Turns out that being in a car that is rear-ended is pretty much a classic cause of whiplash, and my neck wanted me to know it. So now there’s a medical/bodily injury claim in addition to the property damage claim. I’m hoping some physical therapy will get things back on track with no lingering effects.
Preschool and car trouble
For his first day of preschool, Gabriel traveled by car, rather than by bike. Not what I had planned, but I was driving the car anyway to drop Baby Jake off at The Hub (perhaps the one and only time after Sunday that I won’t be paranoid about having the bike on the back of the car — it was already pretty messed up, what was another hit going to do?).
We were ready for the second day of preschool, though.
Shortly after I took this photo, I was headed for yet another car trip (more than usual this week), when I noticed that one of the car tires looked suspiciously under-inflated. After ten minutes and five complete cycles of the air compressor at a nearby gas station, I finally managed to get the pressure up to around 20psi (35psi is recommended for our tires), and I admitted defeat.
By that point, I had an appointment that I was in danger of being late for, and no great way to get there other than the car (would have had other options if I’d planned ahead). I wasn’t sure I should be driving on the tire, with whatever was going on, but it was a relatively short trip [by car], so I went for it.
Fortunately, I found a gas station with a repair shop just a block from my destination. I dropped the car off and made it to my appointment. Meanwhile, the mechanics removed a nail and plugged the tire. I breathed a big sigh of relief when I got the call that all was well (car trouble really stresses me out — I hate feeling so helpless!).
We’re due (or overdue?) for new tires anyway, so this incident just provided a little nudge. For some reason, I thought my Kevlar-lined bike tires were as expensive (per tire) as our car tires, but that’s not quite the case. I think a car tire is a bit over twice as much as my bike tire of choice. Anyhow, after tomorrow morning, we should have new tires on our old car.
My plans for today include not leaving the house, and I’m hoping that’s the end of the excitement for the week (knock on wood)!
Her Green Life 
Holy Moly! Clearly, you have offended the gods! 🙂
Seriously though, that totally sucks about the whiplash. I really, REALLY hope it’s just a temporary setback. And your poor bike. The powder blue is lovely, though in defense of butt-ugly neon colored bikes, I must say they are quite visible!
Will you be able to salvage at least some of your upgraded parts from your old bike? Seat, lights, fenders, tires, racks, etc? BTW, those look like disk breaks in the photo – I’ve never tried them, are they all they’re cracked up to be? Anyhow I suppose you could look at this as an opportunity to change up anything you didn’t like about your bike… gotta look for silver linings, right?
And perhaps the nail in the car tire was a blessing in disguise. They’re saying it’s gonna be a rough winter, so maybe getting pushed into getting new tires will prevent some horrible accident that might have been. (I’m striving to think positive here.)
I hope things calm down soon. Big Hugs… 🙂
Based on the bike shop’s report, some accessories are in okay shape, some are not. And, yes, that’s why I’m not 100% sure I’ll get the same bike — I’m trying to think if there are things I’d like to change (without ending up with a bike that’s crazy more expensive!).
I think we were on borrowed time with the car tires. I imagine we’re nowhere near the mileage rating, given our minimal driving, but they’re eight years old, so we’re probably looking at dry rot.
Thanks for the positive thoughts!