Cycling in Santiago, Chile

Ok, I got my 3rd flat in 2 days! How exciting! Once you attempt to ride a bike in Santiago you really appreciate the roads and traffic (or lack of) in the U.S. Sometimes I think the frame of my Klein is going to burst or my wheels will explode. I swear the other day I hit a pot hole so deep going so fast I was sure it caused some serious damage to my bike, but I guess Klein road bikes are built tuff.

Finding quality bike parts here in Santiago is a challenge. I bought an air pump and it disintegrated in my hands. The inner tubes seem like they weigh a pound and are a quarter inch thick but still get flats easier than the lighter stuff from the U.S. I put some lubrication on my chain and the next day my derailleur , chain, crank and cassette were full of gunk and the dirt it attracted. I was so pissed. I have never seen anything like it. Maybe they also use that stuff for their cars. There is a place to get good service and buy quality parts but you must take a long bus ride to Los Condes at the Mall Sport.

The challenging thing about riding in Santiago is there are so many things to pay attention to at once. There are jaywalkers everywhere, buses speeding past, huge pot holes that sometimes are in the path between a huge bus and the curb. I actually did a search on Google for masks because of all the pollution. It is the worst in the winter (our summer). But one of those rare rains cleaned the sky out and put all that waste in the river and soil where it belongs! The cool thing was I could, for the first time, see some of the deeper mountain ranges of the Andes. So beautiful.

Despite all my complaints, cycling in Santiago is fun. I mean, my adrenaline gets pumped every time. I admit sometimes after a ride I feel lucky to be alive. I have been here a month and so far so good. I decided to return to Chile with my bike after enjoying the experience the last time I was here.