My Bike Spoke

So, what do you do when you break a spoke on your bike?

I had been noticing a wiggle in my rear tire.  It was most noticeable when I was riding along a linear feature like brick pavers or a stripe.  The bike would almost fishtail as the tire stayed in the groove and moved the bike around.  So I went to a bike shop and bought a spoke wrench.

I had watched a couple YouTube videos, and repair seemed pretty straightforward.  However, while I was working on the adjustments, I found that one of my spokes had come out of the frame at the hub.

Jennifer and I spent Saturday morning at Love Our Neighborhood Day.  Then we took a ride to Blue Heron Bikes on Gilman.  They didn't have any service reservations available until Thursday.  And I'd have to drop my bike off on Wednesday, and then figure out how to get there and back afterwards.

But Yelp to the rescue.

I looked for nearby bike shops, and found Berkeley Bikes & Skateboards.  I walked into this little shop, and the guy behind the counter (way behind, he was working in the back) said he could have the work done in two hours, and it was $5 cheaper than what Blue Heron quoted.  I kind of had to laugh because he was a little apologetic that a black spoke would cost $2.

So Jennifer and I checked out the Tokyo Fish Market and Gift Shop.  Then we walked over to T-Rex for a drink and lunch.

And now my blue-wheeled bike is true.