Tried to true a wheel at a park and a kid asked if I was fixing a hula hoop

So I was out at Golden Gate Park last Saturday, just trying to get some fresh air while I trued a wobbly rear wheel on my commuter. I had it upside down on a picnic table, spinning the tire, using my basic spoke wrench. This kid, maybe 8 years old, walks up and says 'Is that a hula hoop you're fixing?' and I laughed so hard I almost knocked the wheel off the table. Now I always pack a small stand when I work outside because it looks way less confusing to bystanders. Has anyone else had random people ask weird questions about your bike tools in public?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimr741mo ago

Wait wait wait... the kid said hula hoop? That's actually hilarious but also kind of concerning at the same time. I can't believe you were out there with a spoke wrench and someone thought it was a toy... like how many hula hoops have they seen with spokes in them? Kids are wild though, they just say whatever pops into their head. I would have cracked up too and probably offered to let them spin the wheel.

ellioth371mo ago

Haha, did you actually offer to let them spin it? That would have been gold. Man, kids have no filter, do they? I had something similar happen once when I was fixing a lawnmower and a neighbor kid asked if I was "fixing a spaceship." I mean, I guess the spark plug kind of looked like a tiny alien device or something? But yeah, hula hoop with spokes is way better than spaceship. The best part is how serious they look when they say it. You can't even get mad, you just have to laugh and go along with it because their brain is connecting dots we can't even see.

nancyj111mo ago

Oh my goodness, I have to admit something here. I used to be one of those people who would get a little annoyed when kids interrupted me while I was working on something. I figured they were just being nosy or bothering me for no good reason. But reading stories like this, it really changed my mind about all that. Kids see the world so differently from us, they're not being annoying, they're just trying to understand things in their own way. Now I kind of wish I had been more patient back then, because honestly, a kid thinking a wheel is a hula hoop is way more fun than just fixing a bike alone.