Sunday, January 20, 2008

I Like Being a Girl

A couple weeks ago I changed out a flat on my bike, but the tube I used was short stem and nearly impossible to inflate. So today I tried to change it out for another tube. After half an hour of struggling with a tire that required I defy eight laws of physics before it would go back on the rim, I found that my new tube wasn’t holding air very well. The next tube I tried was old and burst with a nicely exciting bang when I tried to inflate it.

Had it been a normal two-day weekend, I would’ve been crazy with frustration. So much to do, so little time to spend on bullshit! But with a whole extra day in which to get things done, I took wheel and tire to the bike shop and bought two new tubes. And since I wasn’t up for fighting that tire yet again today, I had the shop mechanic put one of the tubes on for me.

Yes, I wimped out and asked a man to fix my tire. And I wasn’t embarrassed. Not much, anyway. That’s one of the nice things about being female. You don’t lose face when you ask for help with a job that falls into the “manly” category.

Sometimes it’s good to be a girl.

14 comments:

the Bag Lady said...

Good for you for doing all that you did!
The Bag Lady wimps out on mechanical stuff. She will do carpentry work, plumbing, drive the tractor, and any number of other traditionally "male" things, but when it comes to mechanical, she gets someone else to do it. Although, she could probably change a tire on a bike if she had to. She could probably do a lot of other mechanical stuff, if she had to, but she won't.
She got sucked in once when the Cowboy needed help working on his Cat, and now knows why they are called "heavy-duty mechanics" - even the freakin' TOOLS are heavy! Never. Doing. That. Again! Never. (Oh, and yes, you did get the Bag Lady going, as Rabbit Guy said in the comments on your last post! She is going to get back into her yoga. Yes, she is.)

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

BL, I like mechanical things and I do have a certain aptitude for them. It's a family trait on both my maternal and paternal side. But there are a lot of other things I like and have an aptitude for, and there are only so many hours in a day. After I've already wasted my workout time fighting a tire, if someone else can fix it for me faster and with less hassle, I'm letting them!

LauraHinNJ said...

I think guys like it when you ask for help (if you need it or not)... I figure it's an ego boost for them and the lazy way out for me!

;-)

Almost too lazy said...

Are you calling me a girl?
The same thing happened to me.
I was all ready for ride to work (including helmet and cycling shoes (road bike, clipless pedals)and I noticed flat tyre. I changed it, but as I inlated the tube, I heard it explode. I was not embarassed to take the wheel to the shop to get it fixed (mainly so they could check the rim etc.) We probably both saved ourselves a third puncture.

Anonymous said...

LOL! Yes, it is sometimes good to be a girl. :)

My hubby is a mechanical genius -- I'm okay in that department, but he's a freaking whiz. So you can imagine who pulls tire-fixing duty around here! ;)

Vickie said...

Hey, I do it all the time. If there was a AAA for bikes, I'd be calling them often!

Crabby McSlacker said...

I think the whole boy/girl thing is becoming a little less of an issue now that there are so many boys who don't know how to do mechanical stuff either.

I'm not mechanically inclined, and not all that interesting in spending the time to get that way. So I don't feel bad at all asking or paying someone who knows what they're doing, if it saves me a bunch of frustration.

Michele said...

If you're a guy who tells the bike mechanic to "go ahead and change the tire, put in the new tube," you're just busy. Whether or not it's the same when you're female depends on the bike shop, I think. Whatever. It's ALWAYS good to be a girl. :-)

RG said...

WIMP!!!!!

Whew, that felt good!

Actually I thought that is what bike shops are for!!!!

Don't most Tri's have bike mechanics there for fixing and checking before hand?

Leah J. Utas said...

It's just plain easier to have someone else do it.
I'm okay with having my husband change the bike tires. I'll take care of checking the pressure and inflating them myself, but actual work, well, he can do that.

Jim Melvin said...

From the male perspective, the older I get, the more I don't mind letting someone else do something like that for me. For instance, it's awesome the way the guys at the auto parts stores will come out and put on new windshield wipers. That makes my day.

One less thing to do. A little more time for writing.

Reb said...

There is nothing wrong with having the person at the bike shop do it for you. Like the bag lady I can do almost anything I put my mind to, but, hey, if I can get someone else to do it, I will.

Chris Eldin said...

Man, I feel like a woman.

LOL! I love all things girlie. But I still love being a tomboy.

I agree--gives you more time for writing...

Anita said...

Hahahaha! Yes! It’s so good to be a girl! ;-) We are the best.