Axle Existence Failure

I really do like my bike.

My bicycle was purchased for my mission, and it was sort of unique there. You see, most of the missionaries I knew got big, bulky mountain bikes, as a defense against the many spiky, thorny plants native to Texas. My little road bike, on the other hand, is a graceful elegant thing that did not fit right on bike racks-- leading more than one bemused elder to look at my bike, hung on the back of the car at an angle suggestive of a wounded deer, and ask whether or not it was physically possible to ride the thing.

But let me tell you, I got less flat tires than any missionary I knew that brought a big dirt bike.

And the trend has continued; my bike has managed to get through a mission, college, the Boise Greenbelt, and a new daily commute to and from the thrift store with hardly any problems!

Well, OK, there was that one flat tire. And that other flat tire. And the time I needed to replace the derailleur. And the time an elder hopped on my bike and a pedal came off. And then the time when I had to disassemble the bike to fit it in a box to ship home and the pedal (reattached with a special glue that would hold until I applied "a bit of force" to break the bond) stuck, and the "bit of force" necessary turned out to be roughly 250 lbs of Tongan muscle...

OK, fine, my bike has had problems, like all vehicles.

But the problem on my way home from work the other day was a new one.

I was cutting through the park on the way home, just cruising along, when I went over a curb--and my bike just sort of collapsed.

I wasn't hurt or anything, just a bit confused. I stepped off my bike to see what had happened-- and discovered that the axle for the front wheel had disappeared. Without it, the wheel had popped right out of place.

I spent a minute feeling kind of stunned, looking around to see if the axle had fallen out somewhere nearby. No sign of it. Was it stolen? Did it just fall out? I honestly have no idea-- I don't even know how long I was biking without it.

This left me in a bit of a pickle, but luckily a kind woman driving by saw me and gave me and my wounded bike a ride home. Also lucky, the replacement axle was quite inexpensive.

But, still-- that might be the weirdest bike problem I've ever had.