The question of his retirement would repeatedly arise until he actually retired at the beginning of the 1987 racing season. The amount you can expect to receive in store credit when trading in your bike with a dealer. Traffic got even heavier between the Mishawaka Amphitheater (Mile 170) and Ted’s Place (Mile 189), and I was thankful for huffy trail runner lights and reflective gear while on this narrow-shoulder highway. For about 20 minutes during this stretch, raindrops were tapping the helmet—curious considering the weather apps had claimed a 0% chance of rain. Indeed, there seemed to be plenty of blue sky ahead and to the south.
You can bet I was most relieved to see the sign below—definitely the climax of the entire ride. Little did they know that my bike was taken off the showroom floor next to the infant section at a toy store. Experience the enchantment of New York City’s holiday markets online, all year. Discover our online marketplace, featuring hand-selected treasures from our top local artisans. Discover curated collections of gifts that’ll light up your holidays. From one-of-a-kind finds to heartwarming treasures, find the perfect present for your loved ones.
Whatever the case, my wish for a relaxed, sit-down lunch stop at the Shell Station was now shot to pieces. I would have to bust out the wrenches and Phillips screwdriver to disconnect the rear coaster brake and undo the rear axle due to the lack of quick releases. More unnerving was the realization that the ruptured tube was not salvageable and that I’d have to use the only spare tube in my emergency kit to replace it. I had patches for punctures, but it didn’t occur to me huffy trail runner earlier that split tubes were a real possibility with this bike. I should have brought at least two spares to have a higher margin of safety.
I shelled out for two new, slightly wider tires (no whitewalls), tubes, and handlebar grips, removed the decals, and added a bell and reflectors I already had. The front fork and chainguard were a very dull silver (a.k.a., gray) that detracted from the look of the chrome fenders, so I sprayed on two coats of Rustoleum gloss white. 26″ white-walled tires on this women’s cruiser bike. There were much more cars on the road in the afternoon than during the wee hours of the day. A funny thing was that motorcyclists kept waving as I was crawling back up the pass.
I was now less than a half-marathon away and could feasibly jog back home were an ill-fated mishap happen to the iron steed now, like another tire explosion. “Hey,” I asked the cashier at the Shell station, “is there a bike shop in town? ” The hope was I might be able to pick up another tube before heading back to Fort Collins. Indeed, on the steepest downhill stretches, I crouched as low as possible to futilely try to eek out the maximum amount of speed from the Huffster. Strava later revealed that the maximum velocity attained was a mere 35.8 mph, or less than what Peter Sagan would casually crank up to in a flat sprint finish in the Tour de France.