Walking in LA

I was "this close" to titling this post "Abbey Road", but that is technically an album, not a song; so I went with this song by Missing Persons instead. Two reasons: I like the song, and it's a tribute to a nice crossing guard.

As I rode down 2200 West this morning I passed the crossing guard I've ridden past on several mornings. I usually say hello, and she usually waves. It's reassuring to see friendly people out. Maybe with more friendliness we could make the world a better place and settle everyone down just a little bit. Goodness knows we could use it.

So this morning the temperature was in the low 50s (fahrenheit). I chose my vented-back vest, arm warmers, leg warmers, full-finger gloves, and toe covers for temperature control. That turned out to be just about right. I unzipped the vest part-way about the middle of my commute. Then, just before getting to work I fully unzipped the vest and pulled the arm warmers down to half mast. I figure that this combination should be good down the the mid-40s. Then, because all the warming is removable, I can pull it off for my ride home when it's supposed to be around 83°.

As the temperatures drop closer to freezing, I can add in a skull cap,  swap out my wind jacket for the vest, and use both foot booties and the toe covers. The only cold place remaining will be my knees, but I'll work on that as it approaches. Maybe slipping some tights over the bike shorts will do the trick? I'll find out.

It feels good to be riding again. I calculated today that I've burned around 72,000 kcals this season just biking. That's about 18 kilos, or near 40 pounds. Too bad I've eaten the bulk of that back on or I'd be a svelte riding machine today.

Mothers Talk

"We can work it out." Many artists have used this lyric, but I choose Tears for Fears over the Beatles since I reported the broken with Tears for Fears as well.

I got the replacement parts from Easton to fix my rear wheel. I got the hub reassembled in under 10 minutes and was half way ready to ride this week. Unfortunately, I also discovered a slit in the tire that I've not yet fixed, and it rained this morning. Wow, is this becoming an excuse blog? I really need to get back on the bike, and soon!

Tonight I should be able to get the tire swapped out and the bike put back into one piece so that I can bring it to work tomorrow and do some commuting this week. I've got the clothes ready to bring. I just need the motivation and final prep.

Time to get out the arm and leg warmers and booties for the morning lows in the low teens (celsius) and stuff them into a pocket for the return home in the upper-20s (again celsius). It's shaping up to be a glorious early autumn for riding.

Broken

"Broken; we are broken." Thus spake Tears for Fears. And, thus say I. But my break is most unusual.

I've been riding Easton Vista wheels with VeloMax V3 hubs. These are the OEM spec on my Cervelo R2.5. They've been great wheels for three years. Then, recently I noticed a little play in the wheel. I figured I'd check the bearings or something soon to correct it. But kept forgetting.

Last Saturday I started a little wheel maintenance, changing out the gear cassette. After removing the gears, the freehub dropped to the floor. This was unusual as it had never come off before. I attempted to screw it back onto the wheel, but saw no threads! It was then that I realized that I had a broken axle and the quick-release skewer was all that was holding my wheel together.

I decided it best to not reassemble the wheel at that time, but to work on a repair or replacement.

At first I checked a few spots for new wheels, chainlove.com and neuvationcycles.com were the two I most fancied. However chainlove didn't pop any wheels up for me, and despite the competitive pricing, I was still taken aback at the pricing of new wheels even from Neuvation. So, it was on to repair, with marginal hope.

I've been talking with Easton this week, and they have been most helpful with the purchase of replacement parts, since the two-year warranty I didn't know about has expired. Their help means that I don't need to purchase a new set of wheels now, unless I decide that I really want to. Instead, I spent about $15 on a new axle and around $45 on a new freehub (as mine was showing some damage, which may have been caused by the snapped axle or some other thing). Once those parts -- which shipped today -- arrive, I'll rebuild that hub and be ready for some sweet late-season cycling in the crisp mornings and temperate evenings.

I'm so looking forward to it.

However, I now totally can't justify a new set of Zipp 808 wheels, particularly with a power meter attached.

What's Up?

4 Non-Blondes had a great question, "What's Going On?" Well, my answer to that, at least today, would be, "I'm back on the bike again."

I cut through all of the reasons I couldn't ride home -- and there are many, trust me -- and just rode. That meant that I rode back to work this morning as well.

Aside from a brain-dead minivan driver who backed out in front of me, and a couple of people who turned onto the street at the same place I was riding, traffic was good. (None of those were serious incidents, just minor annoyances with no major safety concerns. It's just Utah drivers.) Okay, so it looks like a bad traffic day in Utah today.

I still need to fix Nicole's flat tire. I also need to make a minor adjustment on my road bike's shifting to make it more accurate and keep the derailleur from rubbing the spokes. If only, if only… I had some spare time, I'd keep my bikes as shiny as thine. Well, at least the burn on my thumb is healing so I should be able to use my right hand for something useful soon.

The Fair Is a Veritable Smorgasbord

I don't know if that's actually the song title, but it's the thought shared by Templeton the Rat in the musical version of Charlotte's Web from my youth. So, why this song? Well, I rode to a neighborhood fair with  my family last Saturday night. Since I stated that my purpose in this blog was originally to share the experiences of getting my wife and family riding, this seemed my most appropriate post in weeks.

I suggested the ride only a few minutes before we left. In retrospect, I probably should have given a few hours. However, I know that I can get my family on our bikes in a few minutes now. I got the tires filled up and the trailer attached to my bike. 

Then Nicole brought out the pie we were taking for the pie-eating contest. That went into the trailer with Beth. Off we went on a 2 km ride to the church parking lot. When we arrived, we locked the bikes up to a fence, and walked over to the fair. We were parked closer to the action than most of the cars. The ride there was fun and easy in the lovely late-summer weather. We stuck to back-roads as much as possible to make sure there was room for the trailer.

The trip back provided some challenges. Nicole's front tire was flat. Now, that was probably my fault since I vaguely remember that tire going flat after our last ride together and I hadn't fixed it. I thought it would hold air for the evening with just being filled. Oops. And, it was getting dark. I did remember to attach a red flasher to the trailer, but forgot the front lights on the bikes. Nicole was able to limp home on the flat front tire without too much difficulty. And I believe that drivers were able to see the trailer's flasher. So, all-in-all not a bad ride.

I do still need to get some padding/spacers for the trailer seat so that Beth's head isn't pushed forward by her helmet pushing off the back. And I should probably remember to wear light colors when cycling in the evening instead of the black shirt I had chosen for the day. I also need to get a CO2 cartridge on Nicole's bike for flats. A few helpful lessons.

I was very impressed by Nicole on this ride. She cruised right up the hills, even using the gears to her advantage. She rode the flat tire home without complaint. In fact we rode home in about the same time as our neighbors drove home. I'm thinking more and more that neighborhood trips are possibly easier than driving with the right setup. I'm thinking that a utility trailer would be useful for shopping trips to load up groceries that wouldn't fit in the trailer with Beth, but for now we'll focus on the small stuff like library trips and trips to the neighborhood fair. I also have to figure out how to deal with the Redwood Road pseudo-freeway on a bike, since almost all shopping involves touching that street for a little while.

Oh, and due to the long hiatus from riding, my legs hurt worse after this little 5 km jaunt than they did after the ULCER a few weeks back. I think I have to ride more.

Cars

Gary Neumann's tribute to moving boxes seems appropriate today. I actually talked myself out of riding home tonight. I gathered half of what I need for a commute home, but left the bike at home (on purpose). I had a good excuse: I am already in the white shirt I need to wear to church meetings tonight. No reason to get another white shirt dirty. Then Thursday won't work either since my family will need two cars at home that night. Maybe I'll get one commute in this week on Wednesday night. Maybe.

Hmmm… Cars.

I've said it in an earlier post, but it bears repeating: Commuting by bike is not always the easy option. It just usually ends up being the rewarding option. Plus it saves on gas. I now just need to get motivated to get back onto the bike for that one ride.