I started homeward from the bus stop on my bike and quickly realized something was badly wrong: This was being way too hard. I checked and realized that the rear wheel was badly out of alignment. It was scraping the frame on every rotation. I tried adjusting it several times, but nothing worked. It was like cycling with the brakes on. After about 2 1/2 miles I gave up. My knees could not take it any more. I walked it home for the last 1/2 mile.

I took it to our local bike shop, where a quick inspection showed that the whole rear wheel was done for. Several spokes were out, and others were loose. So the wheel will need to be replaced, or perhaps the entire bicycle. It is more than 25 years old. I left it at the shop for further examination. I could not ride tomorrow anyway. My knees still ache terribly.