Broken bikes...
by Denise Sawicki on May 30, 2026
So, I had 3 broken bikes and no usable one really and I figured it was time to deal with the situation. Problem being I am about as strong as a wet noodle and NOT mechanically inclined.
The first two are what they call "BSOs" (Bike shaped objects), cheap crappy bikes that aren't expected to last long. They are both around 25 years old though so it's somewhat impressive that they're even still around. Well, they shouldn't be... Darrell's uncle Gary kept insisting on repairing them. He must have gotten the rims replaced on both of these with something that doesn't get dented with a slight breeze because I haven't had that problem in a few years.
The Roadmaster is the one I'd been riding most recently
click image to zoom
but the pedals came loose and don't work, seems like a bigger repair than a normal person would bother paying for on a crummy bike.
click image to zoom
Second is the Huffy,
click image to zoom
which rides like a dream but on which the rear tire is completely bald. I figure it can't be a good idea to keep riding it around like that.
click image to zoom
I think he said he swapped the rear tires on these two, which is unfortunate, since if he hadn't I'd have had one perfectly nice bike. I'm not going to ASK him for help, lol, I'm embarrassed enough when he comes up with these ideas on his own and insists on helping. I think he finally decided he is too old to be doing that stuff, anyhow.
Third, and somewhat irrelevantly, is this one, which seems to be from the 1960s, which Darrell's older brother Jorden gave us when he was going through a phase of being super into bikes.
click image to zoom
I figured it's lasted this long and was usable quite recently, should still be usable right? Nope... I did a 4 mile ride on this and it was awful, the tire has started rubbing the rim, not sure why that started happening since the last time I tried it. And for some reason it has no padded seat (did Gary swap that seat onto a different bike, too? I can't recall) and I didn't even bother to adjust the seat height, which is practically at child height. So, there was a lot of extra friction on the tires, and I felt like it was going to rip through the seat of my pants, and it was quite uncomfortable being so low.
So anyhow, my mission was to take the rear wheel off the Roadmaster and stick it onto the Huffy. So, I was fighting with this for quite a while and got black grease all over myself, checked a million youtube videos (I told you I wasn't mechanically inclined) but I think I finally managed it. I guess we shall see. I have a 6 mile bike ride to the take&bake pizza place to test it on (3 there and 3 back). Hope I don't die. Pretty sad how long that took me and how exhausted it made me but at least I have a bike again, I think. Lol. (I have money, I just enjoy not spending money, by the way...)
Three Replies to Broken bikes...
Denise Sawicki | June 5, 2026
The axle of the pedals is all wobbly causing the chain to drop off and you can see some gunk and ball bearings ( I think, it's not in front of me) at the point where the pedals connect to the blue part. The ball bearings or whatever that is are not supposed to be visible, they're supposed to be inside the bike. The issue doesn't photograph especially well.
Yup a bike shop could certainly do it, I just figured there's nobody else in the house who even wants a bike so I should be able to get one usable bike out of my spare parts. It seems to work OK. The pizza was good.
I am going through a talkative phase but have nobody to talk to who doesn't already know my boring stories, lol.
Scott Hardie | June 7, 2026
Oh, yeah, I see it now. Yeah, the pedals look messed up. I'm glad you got it worked out.
I'm glad to talk! I like your stories. :-) I wish I was able to reply faster and say more but I'm doing my best.
Prayer for the Paranoid
Denise Sawicki posts whatever she feels able to post without serious consequences Read more »
Sewing completed
Well yeah... I sewed a cape.. I am rather impressed with myself, though if you could see it up close you would see what a sloppy job I did. Go »Chair
Over the weekend we went to Mills Fleet Farm to pick up the specific present my dad wanted for his birthday. I doubt you have the Fleet Farm in the more "civilized" parts of the world but it is a bit like a Walmart with the addition of things like calf medicine, saddles, fence posts, and a huge amount of hardware, machinery, building supplies, etc. I mostly stick to the more Walmart-like areas of the store, except for that one time when I built a fence :). Go »Mystery Halloween costume
This might look like two guys in ugly clothes, but in reality it is a very nerdy Halloween costume. Can anyone figure it out? Edit: Steve West figured it out, answer is in the comments. Go »Would you like the receipt with you, or in the bag?
I don't really understand why people ask this. Doesn't it take longer to ask this question and wait for the answer than to just let the person do what they please with the receipt? Oh well. Go »The Political Thing
The political thing I hinted at in my first blog entry is over for now. The signatures have been safely delivered to Bismarck. Anyway, here it is, the North Dakota Shared Parenting Initiative, at http://ndspi.org. Go »
Scott Hardie | June 5, 2026
I like the stylishness of the 60s bike! It doesn't necessarily look the most comfortable to ride, especially that seat. But there's something about the curves and the wheel guards that feels appropriately classic.
I can see the baldness of the Huffy's tire, and yeah I wouldn't ride on that either, not that I do much bike riding. But a bike repair shop should be able to swap that out for a new tire, right? I bet there's even a service that will come to you for repairs in your driveway.
However, I confess, I'm struggling to see the problem with the pedals on the Roadmaster. (At first I thought the logo said "Roastmaster" and I was trying to figure out what it had to do with insult comedy.) The worn-down handlebars look like the biggest problem to my inexperienced eye, or possibly what looks like a crease in the seat. I certainly take your word for it; a bike without pedals is just scrap metal with wheels.
How did the wheel replacement go? And how was the pizza? :-P