Mechanical
Wisdom
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep
moving” -Albert Einstein
In attempting
to do some work on my bike, I had to remove my bike wheel. Under the watchful gaze of Denise and Barry
I tried to perform this simple act according the counsel offered on
Youtube. After concluding that neither
my technical expertise nor my brute strength would cause the wheel to budge, I
decided to seek the counsel of the folks at the local bike repair shop. My daughter Laura had given me a gift
certificate for a bike mechanic class as a Christmas present. I felt foolish that even my hard-won
knowledge did not provide me with the ability to perform this simple task. With some embarrassment I walked into The Bike
Garage in Port Angeles to seek their counsel.
It came as a great relief that the mechanic was able describe to me
those forces which could cause the wheel to become stuck. Our common understanding of the physics of
bike wheels gave us a common language in which to discuss the problem and for
him to offer a resolution.
I was touched
that he would interrupt his busy day to explain in great detail what could be
done. He also gave me a 10 millimeter
wrench to assist in adjusting the axle.
Our conversation reminded me of the discourse offered in Pirsig’s book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance which
describes the inherent beauty of a well-built machine as well as the spiritual
gift of patience required in working with such a machine. It is with gratitude that I left the shop
encouraged and confident. The world is
filled with kind people. I heartily recommend
all persons in need of bike counsel in Port Angeles to meet with the good
people at The Bike Garage on Lincoln Street.
Glad that you had a friendly and qualified bike shop close by!
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