I am from the Netherlands so I guess I have a different attitude to bike maintenance than most Americans! Here, people usually have several bikes, high end bikes for fun bike rides with the guys on Sunday mornings, beaters for the commute, maybe a cargo bike to transport the kids and the groceries.
I guess for rich people bikes are just not that expensive, even fancy ones (and I guess they aren’t, measured against what these people earn per month). Sounds like a great hustle, fixing those bikes up and selling them on. I guess a lot of people can’t really be bothered with having to list and sell them. I know some bike shops here offer trade ins, too, like car dealerships.
My bike is definitely a beater, it’s only 7 years old which isn’t a lot for the NL, but I only have this one bike and as we don’t have a car, I use it all the time for everything. I bought it new but it has substantial wear and tear now. It needs a new (outer) back tire and I’ve been postponing it because it’s such an expensive job. I don’t have the skills, space and tools to replace it myself, but I guess I should just go ahead and have it done before I end up stranded with a flat tire somewhere.
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AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
291
I have only ridden bikes at the beach and only for a short distance. I am not good at balancing or stopping and turning makes me fall off. I guess growing up, we never had any place to really ride bikes. My family can ride horses but not bikes. My husband rode bike to deliver newspapers and to get around in his small town. He also rode bike for exercise until a few years ago.
In the next few weeks, I am going to go through all my clothing to figure out why I haven’t worn some things. I bet some just need minor repairs that I haven’t felt like doing. I like your idea of doing some mending between more fun stuff!
They have 3 wheeled adult “tricycles” that are awesome. Perfect for those with balance challenges. I saw a couple ride by on a pair yesterday. They had their groceries in one of the baskets and the baby carrier in the other one.
We say beater in Canada too, here it means a rough durable do-anything bike you don’t care about the looks. I’ve always had that kind of bike until Rob bought me something new a couple years ago. It’s not fancy but it’s the first new bike I’ve ever had & I love it. We do our own minor maintenance, the seasonal clean is about to happen so we can start riding to work, it’s still just a bit too cold for me.
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AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
295
I saw those when I lived at the beach. I now live in a very hilly area. I can barely get my car up them let alone a bike. I am going to start walking though! I think my biking days are over.
Ah, applies to cars here too. Wife beater is a white undershirt, tank top style. Horrid name, just why?
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AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
301
It’s probably a leftover from movie scenes stereotyping that sort of male. I still see it sometimes in the news as to what a suspect was wearing. How hard is it to just say it was a tank top?
We don’t actually use the word beater here, we call it “krakkebak” in Dutch, which means something like squaky thing. I think beater is the best translation.
I know those bikes with three wheels and I think they are a great choice for people with balance issues. Because there’s a health check whenever we renew our driver’s license, which is stricter for older people, typically Dutch people quit driving before they quit cycling. Moving is healthy of course, but when you have a fall, or worse, the injuries can be brutal. Bikes on three wheels seem much more stable.
I emptied my mending basket!! I only cheated a little bit. I took out all of the socks and put them in the sewing box next to the TV. I did mend everything else!
I bought some new trousers for summer, 1 pair is too long and needs shortening, the second had elasticated ankle cuffs that made them sit too short. I have a dress I want to amend (it was a freebie). And now the boyfriend mentioned a hole in his PJs, so I have them to fix.
All are relatively easy fixes, just being in the mood. I unhemmed the elasticated cuffs of the 1 pair of trews and steamed them to remove some of the wrinkles.
I like the idea of a puttering night when mending is a cozy hobby to do while watching tv or having a chat or whatever. Like, every Sunday night after dinner a little hour or two of puttering craft/mends would potentially be relaxing and maybe my pile would stay manageable.
Like I say, I like the idea but haven’t quite made it a weekly habit.
I really need to accept that april challenge and give my footwear some love…
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AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
306
I made my husband an extra long rice bag heat/cold wrap to help his arthritic shoulders. He has used it so much that it got a little hole in it so the rice was escaping. He pinned it with a safety pin…but, not good enough in this house!
