So on Sunday I got the chance to go for a quick hour long ride, and 1/4 mile from home on the freeway there is this section of road where there is a transition from pavement to cement that is about 1/8th mile long that is riddled with potholes. I have been dodging it, or getting lucky for about a month, but not this time. I hit it hard, and it nearly threw me. I didn't think much of it after until the next day when I was riding home from work and there was a traffic jam that was CRAWLING for like 8 miles. I started to notice this thud, thud, thud as I was limping along. I took the very next exit to check out what was going on.
It turns out my front rim is bent pretty bad, well at least to a point where I won't feel safe riding the twisties till I get a new one. I then realized that I had added air to my rear tire that morning (day after the pothole) because it was like 10 lbs down. So now I have a bad front rim and a slow leak in my rear tire. I have to submit a claim to the county and it will be about 8 to 10 weeks until I get paid (if the county determines themselves that they are at fault for my mishap!). This is just getting into peak riding season here in Denver, and I have to save up for a rim and tire before I will feel comfortable going for a ride again.
I am so F'in mad it makes me sick. I remember seeing a story on the news yesterday morning about the problem with the potholes, and that the county knows it is an issue. They vow to fix potholes within 24 to 72 hours of being reported. I have reported it, now I have to pay out of pocket to fix my bike and hope the county will reimburse me.
I have to say, I am lucky that I was not thrown from the bike. It hit hard and put me off the seat a little bit. Anyone else have this happen? Were you lucky enough to eventually get reimbursed from the government (when they get to determine if they are at fault or not - in an era of tight budgets and overruns)?
Oh, and I had just applied the cool new rim tape before my ride on Sunday, so I have to replace that as well....
