Ride your trike...
Sep. 6th, 2005 05:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pyoor_excuseWhen I prepared to come down here, well, prepared is probably too much of a grandiose term. When I stuffed stuff in a suitcase to come down here, on the day my dad died, I didn't think to bring clothes to do work in. As in physical work.
Which is a shame, because I've now got oil on my nice jeans. On the other hand, after a solid days worth of work, 21 quid's worth of new tyres, a further 6 quid's worth of new inner tubes, 15 quids worth of lighting, and a few odd quid on reflectors my mothers pashley picador tricycle, circa 1970, is working.
I thought I'd hit disaster at one point, the front wheel bearing consisting (as it appeared to) of a ball-race minus one ball and a piece of metal, but stripping it right down revealed both were lurking inside a hole in the axle tubing. Having managed to get it out and put it all together, I then spent several less than enjoyable hours adjusting a hub brake (or drum brake, as I like to think of it). Getting it to work wasn't a problem, getting the handbrake action to work, now that was a significant problem. Took ages, it's still not exactly stellar, but it just about does the job.
I then had the fun and enjoyment of putting on three 'Foreign' tyres (very appropriate some how) along with new inner tubes. Mind, I was astounded to find that the rear inner tubes were actually still intact, and both contained air. After many hours grovelling about in my nice clothes (mutter) I did manage to get it all working. The ratchet on the rear drive's still a bit sticky. It's, at some point, lost its chain guard and the rear carrier was rusty as hell, but with some work that's covered with blue (plastic) tarpaulin, and the lights - which were a battle, are fitted (you know, one of the things you don't realise is that things have subtly changed size since the seventies, so a new reflector... wouldn't fit on the front, not without some modification, the rear light that took some doing too, mind that's more because it's a trike not a bike).
Finally, I got on. And promptly rode rapidly toward the kerb. After some experimentation I decided the tyres were clearly way too flat, and pumped them right up to 50psi (just shy of the indicated maximum 55psi), at which point the thing became rideable. I still had a marked tendancy to head rapidly towards bushes or the river bed, but on the whole I suspected that was me, not it. I also got more oil on me, due to the absence of chain guard (despite me tucking my jeans into my socks (extra style points there)), and managed to bash my foot on the basket on the back...
But, declaring it more or less working (or at least working, if not tidy, the mud-guards are all rusty as hell. It's only surface rust, but they really do need painting), I called my mum down. And she hopped on it and rode up the street, happy as you like. No zig-zagging nor yanking the brake before heading streamwards. Nope, she just rode it regal like, down the road. And came back.
And for the first time since my dad's death I saw a real smile on my mothers face. I know the deep sadness is still there, but I know that it helped my mother to realise that some things in life will still give her pleasure.
I'm waiting now for Trey to ring, so I can go and pick her up. I've done no work for the past few days, which is really annoying me, I wanted to today, but the trike took longer/less long than I expected (longer, because I thought I was going to reach an impasse and have to stop, but I didn't, so I didn't, iyswim).
Which is a shame, because I've now got oil on my nice jeans. On the other hand, after a solid days worth of work, 21 quid's worth of new tyres, a further 6 quid's worth of new inner tubes, 15 quids worth of lighting, and a few odd quid on reflectors my mothers pashley picador tricycle, circa 1970, is working.
I thought I'd hit disaster at one point, the front wheel bearing consisting (as it appeared to) of a ball-race minus one ball and a piece of metal, but stripping it right down revealed both were lurking inside a hole in the axle tubing. Having managed to get it out and put it all together, I then spent several less than enjoyable hours adjusting a hub brake (or drum brake, as I like to think of it). Getting it to work wasn't a problem, getting the handbrake action to work, now that was a significant problem. Took ages, it's still not exactly stellar, but it just about does the job.
I then had the fun and enjoyment of putting on three 'Foreign' tyres (very appropriate some how) along with new inner tubes. Mind, I was astounded to find that the rear inner tubes were actually still intact, and both contained air. After many hours grovelling about in my nice clothes (mutter) I did manage to get it all working. The ratchet on the rear drive's still a bit sticky. It's, at some point, lost its chain guard and the rear carrier was rusty as hell, but with some work that's covered with blue (plastic) tarpaulin, and the lights - which were a battle, are fitted (you know, one of the things you don't realise is that things have subtly changed size since the seventies, so a new reflector... wouldn't fit on the front, not without some modification, the rear light that took some doing too, mind that's more because it's a trike not a bike).
Finally, I got on. And promptly rode rapidly toward the kerb. After some experimentation I decided the tyres were clearly way too flat, and pumped them right up to 50psi (just shy of the indicated maximum 55psi), at which point the thing became rideable. I still had a marked tendancy to head rapidly towards bushes or the river bed, but on the whole I suspected that was me, not it. I also got more oil on me, due to the absence of chain guard (despite me tucking my jeans into my socks (extra style points there)), and managed to bash my foot on the basket on the back...
But, declaring it more or less working (or at least working, if not tidy, the mud-guards are all rusty as hell. It's only surface rust, but they really do need painting), I called my mum down. And she hopped on it and rode up the street, happy as you like. No zig-zagging nor yanking the brake before heading streamwards. Nope, she just rode it regal like, down the road. And came back.
And for the first time since my dad's death I saw a real smile on my mothers face. I know the deep sadness is still there, but I know that it helped my mother to realise that some things in life will still give her pleasure.
I'm waiting now for Trey to ring, so I can go and pick her up. I've done no work for the past few days, which is really annoying me, I wanted to today, but the trike took longer/less long than I expected (longer, because I thought I was going to reach an impasse and have to stop, but I didn't, so I didn't, iyswim).
