Riding to work on the Dumvee yesterday morning, I pass a bench grinder by the curb with a "FREE" sign on it. This seems a bit too good to pass up, so I circle around and stop. I size up the critter; it's old, maybe 50 years old on a stand with 2x4's that were actually two inches by four inches and the whole thing must have weighed 75 pounds.
I poke, I prod, I push. Look at how to load it and then decide that I don't really want to carry it to work, so I move on.
On the way home, I ride back the same way to see if it's still there, and, sure enough, it is. This time I take out the tackle and load it onto the deck and secure it with an old tube, a couple of bungys and and some straps that I usually use to hold sleeping bags. It's wobbly, but it's not going anywhere.
The poor Dumvee is a-flexin' like crazy but I slowly pedal off and everything seems mostly back to normal when I get up to (a slow) speed. I pedal past my wife's uncle's house and notice that a bunch of family is there, so I stop to chat. They're amazed to see someone who rides to work, and my uncle says "I haven't seen a bike laden like that since I was in Korea."
I bid my adieus, and wobble off up to speed again and make it home most of the way -- the traffic gods were smiling on me, as I didn't hit any red lights or long waits -- when the thing decides it wants to slide off the side. Reaching around, I haul it back up on the deck with one arm (I would regret this later) and set it up right again. Pedal 10 meters. Thing starts to slide off again, reach around, haul it back on, pedal 10 meters. Repeat ad nauseum. The last four blocks took longer than the journey up to that point. I eventually got off the bike and walked it.
So now I have a busted blinkie, a mauled Snapdeck, a sore neck and bench grinder that I don't even know if it works. But I have a bench grinder, it was free and I carried it on my bike -- I'm claiming a win!
8 comments:
My bench grinder is one of my most favoitest tools. Every blade of every size in the whole place stays sharp all the time.
Definitely goes in the "win" column.
Wow. Got an old also. And it was a chore loading it into a car. Kudos to you for getting it home on the bike.
Haven't used mine. But it was my grandfather's and he used it all the time.
very cool!
good skills that man!
Where did you get the photo? I'm curious about the story that goes along with it? Is the guy holding the sign another politician? Where was the rally? etc.
Palin was stumping for Coleman in Duluth. Read about it here
I will give you a victory for that one, in fact any time you haul anything that needs bungees plus an old tube to hold it down should be a winner.
On another note. You have inspired me to start my own blog about my bike riding. Please take a look and let me know what you think..........http://fat-guy-on-little-tires.blogspot.com/
I would like to add a link to your blog on mine if you think that is OK.
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