Down a dirty narrow industrial alleyway an open green field lay. No sign. No fence. Still I didn't trust it. Experience had taught me that this was exactly the type of place I'd get stuck. But I was lazy and didn't want to bother with turning the bike around in the narrow alleyway, so in I went.
Nearly immediately I realized my folly, but it was too late now. The 225 kg bike on street tires was in a grassy wet mess. Going deeper into the field was out of the question; the ground was saturated from the recent heavy rain.
This was going to involve a different remedy. First I removed the left side-view mirror and tipped the bike onto its left side. Then I began the protracted process of pulling and tugging the bike 180° so it was pointing in the right direction.
Now came the fun part, figuring out how to get the bike up a mild incline and back into the alleyway. Did I mention the bike has street tires? In my experience street tires will do nearly everything you need them to do, aside from one thing: muddy wet messes.
Realizing the bike was never going to get traction, I scavenged through the trash scattered about the end of the alleyway. It didn't take long to find a dirty jagged rusted street grate. Happy to be wearing gloves, I put the street grate under my back tire.
With less than a foot to go to freedom, the bike slid back into the grassy wet mess and my back began to protest from being asked to repeatedly pick up a 500 lb bike. Out of nowhere a foreign worker appeared. With him pushing from behind, the dirty jagged rusted street grate bellow, and my gentle hand on the throttle the bike made up, back, and into the alleyway.
After thanking the gentleman and tossing the street grate back among the trash I was off, with a protesting back in tow.
Nearly immediately I realized my folly, but it was too late now. The 225 kg bike on street tires was in a grassy wet mess. Going deeper into the field was out of the question; the ground was saturated from the recent heavy rain.
This was going to involve a different remedy. First I removed the left side-view mirror and tipped the bike onto its left side. Then I began the protracted process of pulling and tugging the bike 180° so it was pointing in the right direction.
Now came the fun part, figuring out how to get the bike up a mild incline and back into the alleyway. Did I mention the bike has street tires? In my experience street tires will do nearly everything you need them to do, aside from one thing: muddy wet messes.
Realizing the bike was never going to get traction, I scavenged through the trash scattered about the end of the alleyway. It didn't take long to find a dirty jagged rusted street grate. Happy to be wearing gloves, I put the street grate under my back tire.
With less than a foot to go to freedom, the bike slid back into the grassy wet mess and my back began to protest from being asked to repeatedly pick up a 500 lb bike. Out of nowhere a foreign worker appeared. With him pushing from behind, the dirty jagged rusted street grate bellow, and my gentle hand on the throttle the bike made up, back, and into the alleyway.
Sembawang, Singapore
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