The saga continues. My prayer is today will be the final chapter in my week-long turmoil of (bi)cyclical ups and downs. It was only 48 hours ago when I got caught up in the newness and brimming with anticipation to cruise these Houston streets. I made my usual stops at my usual spots — attempting to bond with my new bike while bumpin’ Dela’s Atmosphere Airlines in my ears. It was in the thickness of downtown traffic when I realized my left pedal was wobbly (insert side-eye here).

I checked the pedal and indeed the screw was 2-3 turns away from coming off and potentially spinning out into traffic twice in one week. After scavenging through two wannabe bodegas on Main Street, I found a bootleg ratchet set for $1.29 and tightened the nut on the screw as best I could. I made another call to Academy Sports and spoke with the manager, Curtis. He instructed me to bring the bike back to the store in the morning.

Here we go again.

I packed the bike in the car (again), drove to Academy (again) and rolled my defective bike to the customer service counter (again). Curtis was there and he directed my concerns to Anthony, a heavy-set brother with a wild afro that could easily pass for one of my cousins on my mom’s side. He took my bike to the back and, after a 2-minute inspection, concluded that my pedal was stripped. . . WTH?

He suggested that I invest in another make / model similar to the one he owned. Anthony is about my height and weight PLUS his customer service skills were very much on point — so I valued his suggestion as credible. Either way, I had to get another bike and I wanted to make sure it would be the last one I get for a while, dig?



The one he recommended looked good and was the only one left in the store. Anthony had the bike technician adjust the seat for my height, tighten the brakes and give the bike an overall tune-up while I waited. The whole process took 30 minutes and this new, NEW bike looks and rides fantastic (although I haven’t taken it on an official road test just yet). The tech even put my head and tail lights on from the bike I brought in. This is how you take care of your customer.

I go hard Monday through Sunday and I need my tools — from bikes and laptops to moleskines and G2 pens — to do the same. My prayer is that my latest and greatest form of green transportation will become a valued tool in my life. It’s time to blog about something else *lol*

Until next time.