Bike Repair

I stopped at a bike shop after class to fill up my front tire. But I was so excited by the fact that I know how to say in German "Can I use your pump?" to bike shop people, and then by the strong suspicion that in fact I said to the guy "Can I use her pump?" and then wondering what he thought that meant, that I pumped up the back tire instead.

But I figured, no big deal, just pump up the front tire and be on your way.

Five minutes later, as I rode proudly down the street, reflecting on how much faster the bike goes with rock-hard tires (and how maybe with this new speed, I could even pass the guy I saw riding in the bike lane yesterday and towing behind his bike a cart with a bale of hay on it), an ear-splitting bang rocked the neighborhood as the inner tube of my back tire exploded. I sheepishly dragged the bike onto the sidewalk, where I guy who must have seen me pump the tires up said (I think) ´Hey, too bad, must have been too much pressure, eh?´

Thus began an afternoon of bike repair in various Hofs. It was in the 70s today, really lovely weather to get all greasy and replace both inner tubes. And, after riding like 4 blocks to this internet cafe, so far neither has exploded. Though I realized a few hours into the repair job that in the first few exciting minutes of repair, I threw away a piece of rubber that protected the back tire´s inner tube. So another back tire explosion may be on the agenda for tomorrow.