The Coronavirus Chronicles -Three Strikes You're Out

[Gone in 60]

It's great to have a go-to shop that you trust and don't mind handing your "baby" to for a while. I go to a shop called Riders Revelation in Costa Mesa for tire swaps. It's the kind of shop that you want to hang out at while they work on your bike, as they always have some really interesting projects going on. I've never used the dealership that is repairing my Triumph for service, but I got to know the guys behind the counter from picking up bits and pieces over the years, and the place has a good reputation. Plus, they're a large, multi-brand dealership, so maybe if things get really bad, they might stay open if smaller independent shops can't.

Part of my at-home work right now is researching small speed shops that can distribute the racing magazine my company publishes. Many independent shops have interesting notices right now on their websites and Facebook pages. One says "If you have a car in our shop right now, we're working on it. But, we're only allowing our employees in the building right now. If you like coming by to sit around and B.S., sorry, this ain't the time for it."

Funny about the "do I or don't I" decision to ride based on a virus-avoidance standpoint. As we grapple with this and people begin to understand it more, news is going in all sorts of directions. Early on, I read an article that said that HEPA filters were effective at stopping Coronavirus. So, drive with your window up and your AC on Recirculate. And airplanes are safest, because the air is circulated through HEPA filters. Later, experts said that the virus is small enough to pass through HEPA filters. So much for that. Your car isn't a shield against this thing.