Hey guys. I think i have a hybrid mountain and commuter bike that is classified as an adult woman's bike. It is teal and unlike most bikes i see in town. I got it from a christian nonprofit but i think they got it from walmart because i used to see walmart selling it. Anyway i ride my bike because i dont have a license or car. I failed my driver's test four times due to my really bad anxiety making me a hazardous driver. I cant afford to go again and i have no support system. Im estranged from my family. My bike is all i have. There is a bike shop i know about that i go to whenever i need to fix my bike.
So right now, i bike to work, and i would go 3 miles from where i live to my job site, work 8 hours until close to minute, then bike back. It was strenous exercise but i liked it. It was safe especially at night. There were side walks everywhere and i only got on the street to turn to another side walk. I feared for 3 months that i'd get a flat and i never did. But recently my boss switched my jobsite to a place closer to where i live, and the 3rd day biking there i got a flat. While closer, there are no sidewalks and i have to bike on the shoulder for 11 blocks because the cars do not want me on the road. I think it was that course of action that gave me my flat. When i walked the route, i came across a lot of screws and fragments of glass on the shoulder.
I dont know what to do now. If i somehow get myself to the bike shop to get my bike fixed im going to have to keep going back every other day (and that was a thing when i first got the bike because i was in an area where the roads were poorly maintained and id get a flat every other day). Walking for 30 minutes on the shoulder of the road then working 8 hours of intense labor every day is going to wear me out. I prefer to bike. I also use my bike for shopping and laundry, not just for work. Im really bummed.
I didnt get a choice in the jobsite reassignment. My boss took it upon himself to do that without my inquiry and hes very unaware that his actions gave me a flat. They know my bike has a flat though. They know ive been biking to work, and i wasnt the only one. Im just frustrated.
by _afflatus