The kindness of strangers (part two)
While riding through the Florida Panhandle, I had an incident with the bike that pushed the fork — the two big prongs that straddle the front wheel — back a little. Fortunately, I walked away from the event okay. But I knew I should get the bike checked out.
In the next city, Tallahassee, I swung by University Cycles. There, a friendly man named Kyle pointed out that my chain was worn. When I returned to have it replaced the next day, another man, a mechanic named J.D., felt the bump that now sat at the top of the fork. To my astonishment, he told me I could NOT continue to ride the bike. The fork — the steel fork — had been pinched, he explained, and it could break at the next bump.
Yikes!
I would have to buy a whole new fork. University Cycles didn’t have the right kind in stock, but rather than leave me hanging, J.D. called around to other bike shops in town to see who might. One place named Bird Legs Bicycles did. After I texted the owner, Halsey, pictures of my fork, the bike’s serial number, and the frame size, he thought his fork might work for me. The following day, I rented a car and drove up to Bird Legs, picked up the fork, and delivered my one hope for not having to buy a whole new bicycle to University Cycles.
That evening, I rode the bus back to my hotel and waited. I had no idea whether the new fork would fit, nor how long I’d have to stay in Tallahassee to find out. If it didn’t fit, I’d have to wait who-knows-how-many-days for a new one to be shipped in — or else buy a whole new bike. Beyond just the money, the thought of leaving my current bike behind made me sad, as it had sentimental value to me now.
The next morning, I got a call from the shop. The new fork fit. My bike was ready to go.
I felt enormous gratitude for J.D. and Kyle (pictured with me in the photo), as well as for Halsey. Together, they went above and beyond to keep me safe — and get me on the road again — in my time of need. J.D. could have left me to find a new fork on my own, but instead, he personally made an effort to get me up and running, even though that meant not earning money on a new fork.
This was just one of MANY instances of kindness on my cross-country adventure. Six years later, I haven’t forgotten it.
Sadly, University Cycles is no longer in business, and I’m not sure where J.D. and Kyle are today. Bird Legs Bicycles, for its part, has become Trek Bicycle Tallahassee, and it's not clear to me if Halsey is still the owner. If you happen to know any of these three people ... please tell them thank you again for me.
How about you? Who’s someone who helped you out when you really needed it? Let me, and the world, know on our Facebook page.
