u/2pnt0

Got off the train and was unfolding and mounting up my gear: front bag, phone, etc. Someone came up to me and asked for directions and I kind of lost focus.

Finished the unfold and started to ride... went a half a block, waited at an intersection, waited another half a block... all of a sudden the whole front of the bike started flailing side to side. Grabbed the brakes and went over the top.

This was under a highway underpass without bike lanes, kind of the worst place, but a guy walking by ran over immediately and helped me grab everything that got chucked--- my phone, my frame kit, my light.

I had never fully locked the center frame hinge. Stupid mistake. I was distracted but I should have double-checked everything before I rode.

I walked it a block to the trailhead and asked another cyclist to hold my bike up while I re-seated the chain.

I had shifting issues, but made it to my group ride and tried to tune the gears. I met another Brompton rider who helped me out. I could get it to shift into the right gears at the right place on the thumb shift, but I couldn't get it to downshift without completely removing all pressure on the drive train. I committed to just riding the rest of the day in 2nd gear, and the group ride went great.

I know I need to have the bike looked at professionally, but I'm grateful to Chicago and those individuals who helped a dumb mistake from ruining my day.

Safety. Safety. Safety. Make the fold and unfold sacred. You can help someone else in a second. Always check your work.

Putting fire between your cat and their food is not fucking cute!

My camera takes 30.5mm filters, but someone on Reddit told me that I should only ever buy 82mm filters and then use step-up rings because step-up rings are cheap. Where can I find a 30.5-82mm step up ring so I can use my $200 filter on my $80 camera?