This weekend I went for a bike ride around the city. It’s the first time I’ve taken my new road bike out specifically to ride for exercise and not just to get around town; riding to work or around the neighborhood.
I bought a proper road bike, as opposed to a hipster bike (read: trackbike) with the idea of going for the occasional road bike ride to supplement mountain biking as a form of exercise. But, I’ve outfitted the bike knowing that most of my riding will be around town. I have a headlight and taillight on the bike for commuting and riding at dark and I don’t carry an inner tube or pump, knowing that a bike shop is just always just around the corner in this city.
On Sunday’s ride I didn’t have the lights on the bike (it being daytime) but I also didn’t carry a tube or pump. And so of course, I flatted out. Luckily I was just down at Crissy Field only 1 block away from the Sports Basement. I could walk there, buy a new tube and pump it up. Of course being a good store, I knew they would have a bike pump available for public use.
And that’s when I realized that I also didn’t have any money with me.
I went into the store anyway, with the plan of asking one of the employees if I could just walk out with a brand new inner tube, with the promise of returning later in the day to pay for it. I trusted that the Sports Basement was a good store, with good community karma, and they’d be willing to help a guy in need.
5 minutes later I was installing my new tube and pumping it up with the store-supplied, publicly available bike pump. The store met all of my expectations.
Later in the day I returned and paid for my tube (as well as buying 2 additional tubes) and I also bought a tiny under-seat pouch to store a spare tube. It’s a target for getting stolen if I leave my bike parked on the street, but the pouch only cost $10 and the tube $4 so if it is stolen I’ll be out $14 but it it’s not, then I’m that much more prepared for the next time.
I had so much faith that the Sports Basement would do the right thing and they completely met my expectations. I can’t recommend them enough.