Story 20: Bouncing and braking on Bonnie's bike

We're in Virginia Beach at the moment on the first leg of a short trip to the States. We've not actually been on the beach as yet because we've been distracted by the first thing that we stumbled upon when we wandered down to the boardwalk:

So, for the past two days we've been sitting on a saddle rather than sitting on the sand, and what a comfy saddle it is too! Bonnie's bikes are a bit different from our bikes back home with the best thing about them being the big curly springs that attach the saddle to the bike frame. Not only do the rusty springs provide brilliant shock absorption, they also emit a nostalgic kind of squeaky noise as we pedal along. The thing I've found most difficult to get used to on Bonnie's bike is the brakes. You slow down, or brake, by pedalling backwards and there are no brake levers on the handlebars. I was doing pretty well with this system - or so I thought - until yesterday when we were cycling along a beautiful but bumpy forest trail.

I've still not had any punctures while we've been out cycling, but I have had my fair share of 'chain-off' incidents. Yesterday, unfortunately, was no exception. Fortunately I wasn't on a downhill stretch of the trail as there was no way of pedalling backwards once the chain was off the cog, i.e. I couldn't brake! The chain flew off and I couldn't figure out how to slow down. Letting my foot drag along the ground was out of the question as I was wearing thin-soled white gutties; I wasn't risking hurting my foot or wrecking the wee shoes that I'd like to last me for the rest of the holiday!

So, I had no choice but to free-wheel to an eventual stop. I stood sheepishly aside while my knight in shining armour (poor Alex) battled to hook the thick-with-oil chain back onto the cog (much of which was hidden under a big rusty metal guard). Oh dear. The air turned a delicate shade of blue, unfortunately not for the last time on our cycle along the forest trail as bumps and a not-so-serious-cyclist who loves hitting the bumps and a dodgy loose chain simply don't go too well together...

However, once we were off the trail and back onto the smooth cycle path, all was well again. Well, all was well with my chain and my braking system, but stumbling upon a military base and being ordered off our bikes was another matter altogether! But I think I'll keep that particular not-so-serious story for another time...