Post by the Scribe on Oct 16, 2021 1:56:29 GMT
scottutube1
2 years ago
Stopped to fix a young woman's bicycle chain which had come off and jammed, riding up the Chicago Lakefront around that time.40+ years ago now. I was heavily involved in the repair, sitting on the ground with a chain tool, her leaning over the bike watching, when I looked up and ... O ... M .... G. Imagine how hard it was not to act like a blithering idiot looking straight into Linda Ronstadt's eyes from about 18". My God she was beautiful. I was stunned. She was very sweet, gracious, laughed it off, talked to me like we were friends, asking what its like to live on the lakefront, etc. She gave me a number to call to get tickets to her show that night. And so I did. 2nd row. Great show. When she told the story of "this nice cute guy who fixed my bike" and waved to me I about feinted.The best "brush with greatness" (as Letterman used to say) in my entire life. What a memory, and happening across this song brings it all back. Thanks, Linda! If you ever need your bike fixed again.
Linda Ronstadt In Atlanta 1977 05 Willin'
True North aka scottutube1
2 years ago
@mike Skidmore Mike, I was an experienced bike mechanic at that point and in a nylon bag under my seat I carried "the essentials" including patch kit, tire levers, spare tube, even a folding spare tire, oil, white lithium, spoke wrench, small, flat & phillips screw drivers, critical wrenches and for me -- a chain tool! Now, that sounds like a lot but you can put lightweight versions of these essentials together weighing maybe a pound and a half. With an air pump fit along the downtube, there was little I could not fix on the road, at least enough to get by. Used to go for long rides in Wisconsin and best be prepared for anything. Funny though, I helped far more other folks than myself, but that made sense because I always kept my bike in primo condition, while the majority do not. search chain tool on amazon.com and you'll see many versions and prices, but a small cheap one can work wonders on a stuck or bent link, and Linda had both. They hang up your derailleur. If it is stuck, you just apply the chain toola bit to the stuck pin, on each side, and it will break free and run smoothly. If bent or broken, you drive the pin all the way through the link, on either side of the bad section, and snap it out, then reconnect the chain. "Most" chains have plenty of slack they can lose a few links with no problem. If you have to take too many out, which happens, you just ride on a lower front chainring until you get to a shop. You still have all the gears on the rear cog, so it will get you by. Funny, as I write this (way too much detail, I know) I remember how I was explaining this all to Linda and she seemed genuinely interested! She was just as over-the-top beautiful and charming as you can possibly imagine. Seems like yesterday. I was waiting for the invitation to go on the tour as her "bike roadie" but alas, that never came. But I can die a happy man because Linda Ronstadt called me a "nice, sweet, cute guy."