Hard on Equipment

I  must be hard on equipment. Today I broke my supposedly "unbreakable" Freddy Fenders. While locking up at the IDS Center this morning for a short catch-up session in my office, I noticed that my rear fender was no longer attached to the frame very well.  I thought I had probably lost a bolt, but actually the fender was missing a hunk of itself and the "all-weather unbreakable polycarbonate" was broken clean through above the bolt.

I debated getting another set of ninja-black Freddy's but opted instead for a set  of sliver ones.  I mounted them this afternoon and they don't look too bad, but unfortunately they have a big freaking "Planet Bike" advertisement on the rear fender that I could not see in the store.  I may try and strip that off if I can find my decal remover. 

At any rate, here is the Cross Check sporting the new fenders, with a complimentary view of my cluttered basement thrown in for free.

Here is more of a full bike shot as well.

On a more exciting note, when I left the office I decided to ride home on the West River Parkway since it is now opened up after the completion of the I-35W bridge repairs.  As I headed north on Hennepin Ave. to the river, I had to pull over for a bunch of fire trucks that turned east right in front of me.   What else could I do but follow?  I was surprised to see smoke coming out of the mega-sized postal facility on the river and about a dozen fire trucks parked in the street. Hopefully nothing too serious, but we will be curious if our mail seems a bit smoky tomorrow.

That's it.  Ride safe and have fun.