Bike Repairman
- Here's my Shanghai-produced "Forever" bicycle. The left pedal felt kind of odd right from the get-go and, sure enough, it broke off within 10 km of the store. A new one from a street repairman was just 40 cents so it wasn't worth going back to Carre-Four to argue. Then the whole left pedal-arm felt floppy. Another street-man gave it a few smacks with a hammer and tightened up a nut. That lasted for about two days and then it went back to feeling floppy. Another street-repairman took off the nut, put in a lock-washer, rained blows upon the arm and tightened up the left-side. Then he decided to tighten up the right-side for good measure. Oops -- stripped the threads off the pedal axle. He pretended it hadn't happened and when I told him in my limited Chinese it was now ruined ("Now no good!"), he insisted it was fine. I grumbled to a friend that I expected it to fall off within the week. It lasted 5 days. Luckily, it fell off right by my home where yet another repairman was nearby. He replaced the axle & bearings for $3. Let's see if this is the end of it. The left-pedal is feeling floppy again....
