That's what I thought as I dropped my Brompton off at the Harris Cyclery bike shop for its yearly tune-up. Only thing ... it hadn't been one year, but two years since I picked up my cobalt blue Brompton from this same shop in the fall of 2014, fresh from its trans-Atlantic voyage from the Brompton factory in London. I was only now bringing the bike back to the shop for routine check-ups and maintenance.
There are two reasons why I waited so long. First, I keep my bike in good shape. I lubricate the chain every month or so, I keep the tires at the full 100 psi, and I make minor adjustments when needed. Second, the Brompton is a wonderfully well-built bicycle!
Taking the bike in for a yearly tune-up really is a good idea though, even if simply to reconnect with your local shop. I dropped it off on a Thursday, and by Friday afternoon it was ready to pick up. So on Saturday morning I took the 10:40 train from Boston's South Station...
...out to West Newton, and then walked about three minutes to the bike shop.
I picked-up my bike, paid for the tune-up, and chatted with Elton, Harris Cyclery's resident Brompton expert, mainly about the updates Brompton has made to their 2017 models.
I then decided to ride my bike back home in a particularly Brompton-specific style. I'd ride as long as I wanted, and then fold up my bike and hop on the subway for the rest of the journey. I brought my helmet with me, of course.
And so from Harris Cyclery I rode along the Charles River bike path all the way to Harvard Square in Cambridge, got on the T but decided it was more fun riding. So I got off one stop later at Central Square and rode the bike lanes all the way through Cambridge and Boston to my home on the South Shore.
I didn't take many photos, and the ones I did take don't do the ride justice. But here are some from a lovely bridge across the Charles River in Newton...
... one of a sign showing that the Charles River bike path is part of the ever-growing East Coast Greenway...
