... of the superiority of bicycles to cars.
The missus bashed the front end of her car last week. She says that as she pulled into a parking space, she made a mental note of an obstacle she might hit as she exited. But then she forgot. (Can you imagine?!!? I can't fault her; I've forgotten about a bike on top of the car and driven into a carport before!)
For one thing - I've never bashed my bike into something I didn't see, unless I was riding at night without a light, in which case I deserved what I got. (Oh - and the carport! Du-uuuh!)
My non-expert assessment is that it would cost $1000 if fixed by a body shop. (So in this day and age, a VERY minor accident!)
I disassembled stuff and determined what was broken. I pounded on the backside of the plastic "bumper replica" and turned the large dent into a tiny dimple. (Sweeet!) I called the salvage yard; they have a similar vehicle if I'm willing to pull the parts. So - I'm hoping I can get away with $200 or less, plus maybe 3 hours of labor. (The parts will travel home via BOB trailer.)
A huge percentage of car parts are strictly cosmetic. By comparison, essentially everything on a bike is functional. Since I'm a "function over form" type of guy... bikes are beautiful!!
Tireless advocate for the most efficient form of
human transportation ever devised - bicycles!
3 comments:
Pretty brave bringing your wife into the arguement. She must not read your blog.
I bent my handlebars the other day and replaced them easily. Cause me not paying attention.
Clancy, I only invoked by bride because I also included the explanation that I'm as prone to a "brain-disconnect mishap" as she is! (But I doubt she reads my BikeNazi rants...)
I visited the salvage yard and retrieved my parts. 20 bucks. (Hauled 'em home on the BOB, as planned.) I still need to get 15 little custom fasteners, and that'll set me back a few bucks. And I'll spend a couple hours putting the puzzle back together.
UPDATE: As of Saturday 9/25, the car is back on the road, with everything working.
COST:
Parts - were $34 plus tax.
Labor - maybe 5 hours total. (A pro could've done it in half the time, most likely, charging a "professional fee.")
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