For some time now, Brian has been complaining that his bike seems to be difficult to peddle.  Not "you just aren't in shape" difficult, but "hm, I think there's something wrong" difficult.  Admittedly, it can be hard to tell the difference between these two, but this complaint hasn't gone away, so I take him at face value.  Last year I took his bike into the shop to see if they could suss it out.  They thought his brakes were rubbing, which would certainly make peddling more difficult.  Brakes adjusted = not the problem.  Grr. 

Well, biking season pretty much ended and we forgot about the problem.  But then, as in all things, biking season returned, and with it the problem of the peddling.  I was taking the bikes in anyway for a tune-up to a new place, so I asked if he could take a look and see if he could figure it out.  Well, he did.

Brian's back axle was broken.  Probably has been for over a year now.

Gee, yeah, maybe that would make peddling hard? 

Here's hoping that biking returns to being a pleasure in Brian's life (and that now that it's easier, he'll stop whining so much when I make him pull the kids for a change).

Boy, I really had better get myself some bean dip, cause the commentary on my biking began today.

"Isn't it too cold to bike?"

"My goodness, you must be miserable!"

"What about the fog?"

"Pretty soon you'll have to give that up!"

And so on.  This was all within about 1/2 hour.  Some background here--it was about 40 degrees out this morning.  We're not exactly talking sub-arctic tundra here.  I'm bundled, and I'm working out which is warming.  My child is in at least 3 layers and under a blanket, in a snug enclosed trailer.  Frankly, the way the heater on our car works, he's just as warm in the bike trailer as he would be in the car anyway.

Buggeroff, people.