I'm currently having a small dilemma. A bicycle dilemma. When I first arrived in Ashikaga, there was a nasty little bicycle waiting for me at my apartment. For the next week or so, I played hermit crab, trading my junky bike for other people's less junky bikes. Teachers and friends were nice enough to swap me. Us foreign English teachers are very temporary by nature, and it seems we leave a trail of beaten bikes in our wake. So I finally worked my way up to a bike that was tall enough for me to ride and wasn't all rusty and gross. That trusty little trooper lasted until about a month ago. I was riding down a hill when one of the brakes gave out, in a scary but failed assassination attempt. The next day, as I was riding my one-braked bike to school, one of the tires gave out.
I figured enough was enough so I took it to a bike shop. This shop is pretty much on the opposite side of town, but its the biggest bike store I've seen and I figured that they would best understand the art of two-wheeled conveyance. Once the bike mechanic gentlemen finished telling me how much everything would cost, it seemed like just getting a brand new bike was the best option for me. I picked out a fairly low cost shiny one and that was that. Me and my bike went everywhere together, and things were great.
The honeymoon was a short one. The right peddle soon developed an oval-shaped orbit, which got so bad that eventually the peddle scraped up against the side of the bike with every revolution. Not only did this condition make it quite inconvenient to ride, the clanking sound was quite unattractive as well. In the bike's defense, I may have made some contact with a fence post, but I didn't feel like I hit anything hard enough to deserve such punishment.
So I rode the clanker all the way back out to the bike shop. They "fixed" it for me by bending it back into place. Not perfect, but quite satisfactory, and it got rid of the feeling that I was riding a bike with square wheels. Maybe a week later, I found myself back at the shop with the same problem.
When I asked him if I was just too heavy for the poor thing, and that`s why it was degenerating, he said something along the lines that I was putting too much force of the pedals. Then he suggested that maybe my leg muscles were just too powerful for my own good(I ignored this theory as it sounded suspiciously like empty flattery to make me forget about the lemon they sold me.). He also made the unfortunate comment that even if I was to get the bike repaired, its possible that the same thing might develop.
So here`s the deal. I have a bike with an unfortunate condition. The parts and labor to get the one pedal`s mechanics replaced is almost half the price of the whole bike. They won`t take my used bike in trade for a new one, and I am afraid to buy the same bike for fear that this will happen again. Do I buy the cheapest bike I can with the understanding that it will just get destroyed anyway, or invest in a better one that can withstand my incredible hulkiness? Choices, choices.
I figured enough was enough so I took it to a bike shop. This shop is pretty much on the opposite side of town, but its the biggest bike store I've seen and I figured that they would best understand the art of two-wheeled conveyance. Once the bike mechanic gentlemen finished telling me how much everything would cost, it seemed like just getting a brand new bike was the best option for me. I picked out a fairly low cost shiny one and that was that. Me and my bike went everywhere together, and things were great.
The honeymoon was a short one. The right peddle soon developed an oval-shaped orbit, which got so bad that eventually the peddle scraped up against the side of the bike with every revolution. Not only did this condition make it quite inconvenient to ride, the clanking sound was quite unattractive as well. In the bike's defense, I may have made some contact with a fence post, but I didn't feel like I hit anything hard enough to deserve such punishment.
So I rode the clanker all the way back out to the bike shop. They "fixed" it for me by bending it back into place. Not perfect, but quite satisfactory, and it got rid of the feeling that I was riding a bike with square wheels. Maybe a week later, I found myself back at the shop with the same problem.
When I asked him if I was just too heavy for the poor thing, and that`s why it was degenerating, he said something along the lines that I was putting too much force of the pedals. Then he suggested that maybe my leg muscles were just too powerful for my own good(I ignored this theory as it sounded suspiciously like empty flattery to make me forget about the lemon they sold me.). He also made the unfortunate comment that even if I was to get the bike repaired, its possible that the same thing might develop.
So here`s the deal. I have a bike with an unfortunate condition. The parts and labor to get the one pedal`s mechanics replaced is almost half the price of the whole bike. They won`t take my used bike in trade for a new one, and I am afraid to buy the same bike for fear that this will happen again. Do I buy the cheapest bike I can with the understanding that it will just get destroyed anyway, or invest in a better one that can withstand my incredible hulkiness? Choices, choices.
*******
Along with the usual arcade fare of shooting things and punching other things, lately the crew has become interested in the games of skill. You know what I mean, the claw games. While in the US claw games are mostly just the sad little glass boxes with loads of unwinnable (often unwantable) dusty stuffed animals, in Japan they are quite a bit more classy. The prizes are flashy, the games seem a bit more winnable, and they are so popular that I have seen several entire establishments where the mighty claw is the only thing you can play.
Well last night I won a huge candy bar after just two tries. Tung went into a fit of chocolate-flavored jealously, putting coin after coin into another machine, softly cursing to himself after each failed attempt. I tried to help, but to no avail. The trick is to pick your targets wisely. Only go after the prizes that some other poor soul has already worked on winning.
Eventually Tung needed the candy just to get the taste of defeat out of his mouth.
Me gloating with my huge prize. I think I`ll eat it for dinner tonight.
Too bad there aren`t any bicycles in these machines....
