J
Jason Pecor
Guest
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Monday, March 31st
==================
Went out to Scheel's All sport and dropped $100 on gear. New pants, a warm windproof pullover,
and one of those flourescent orange mesh vests with the reflective strips. (Used that for the
backside of the seat on my 'bent - I want to be seen...) Just about killed me to spend the money.
I am cheap...
At home, I pulled the ol' Vision down from its winter roost in my garage and brought it into the
basement for a little tune-up before the first ride. It was after 9:00, and the kids were in bed, so
I didn't want to fire up the compressor for pumping up my tires. Instead I opted for the
$9.00-piece-of-****-tire-pump method. (Of course, with this method, one must be wary of the pump
handle. You see, when pumping a tire up to ~100psi, that pressure is present inside the pump, too,
and if not careful, one could easily lose his teeth by getting smashed in the mouth by a
upward-rocketing wooden pump handle.) A few more checks here and there, wheels tight...looks good.
Spent about another hour getting together all of the stuff I thought I would need. Commuting
pannier, clothes, towel, toiletries, ...I swear I had a coffee mug holder for my 'bent last year...,
gloves, hat, wallet, keys, checkbook, biking shoes.
==================
Tuesday, April 1st
==================
Woke up around 6:45am to the sunny whine/cry of a teething 10-month old boy. By 7:30'ish, I was
ready to head out. It was 38 degrees. Within the first block or so, I recognized that my chain
seemed to be rubbing on something. Oh well, I thought, probably out of adjustment a little bit. I
will have it tuned up at the bike shop soon, anyway. I couldn't see where it was rubbing on the
derailer, so I kept motoring.
As usual, I got stopped at the stoplight on Eddy Lane and Hwy 53 - the busiest intersection I face
on my commute. As I approached the light, I tried to switch down to my lowest gear so I could get a
decent start when the light turned green. Hmmm....won't go onto the smallest chain ring, well I will
just leave it in the center. Waiting....waiting... Yellow light - clip in the right foot...
green light power stroke chain jumps (oh yeah baby - right off the front chainring) cadence
increases to 200rpm big truck behind me (I take up the whole lane...) must...put...feet...down....
ahhhh! I'm clipped in...
Well, I got my feet out before crashing and ran my bike across the intersection. After a short
pitstop, I managed to fix my chain problem, including the undesirable rubbing.
The rest of the ride was dandy. My cheeks got a little cold, but that was about it.
I am looking forward to the ride home.
Jason
Monday, March 31st
==================
Went out to Scheel's All sport and dropped $100 on gear. New pants, a warm windproof pullover,
and one of those flourescent orange mesh vests with the reflective strips. (Used that for the
backside of the seat on my 'bent - I want to be seen...) Just about killed me to spend the money.
I am cheap...
At home, I pulled the ol' Vision down from its winter roost in my garage and brought it into the
basement for a little tune-up before the first ride. It was after 9:00, and the kids were in bed, so
I didn't want to fire up the compressor for pumping up my tires. Instead I opted for the
$9.00-piece-of-****-tire-pump method. (Of course, with this method, one must be wary of the pump
handle. You see, when pumping a tire up to ~100psi, that pressure is present inside the pump, too,
and if not careful, one could easily lose his teeth by getting smashed in the mouth by a
upward-rocketing wooden pump handle.) A few more checks here and there, wheels tight...looks good.
Spent about another hour getting together all of the stuff I thought I would need. Commuting
pannier, clothes, towel, toiletries, ...I swear I had a coffee mug holder for my 'bent last year...,
gloves, hat, wallet, keys, checkbook, biking shoes.
==================
Tuesday, April 1st
==================
Woke up around 6:45am to the sunny whine/cry of a teething 10-month old boy. By 7:30'ish, I was
ready to head out. It was 38 degrees. Within the first block or so, I recognized that my chain
seemed to be rubbing on something. Oh well, I thought, probably out of adjustment a little bit. I
will have it tuned up at the bike shop soon, anyway. I couldn't see where it was rubbing on the
derailer, so I kept motoring.
As usual, I got stopped at the stoplight on Eddy Lane and Hwy 53 - the busiest intersection I face
on my commute. As I approached the light, I tried to switch down to my lowest gear so I could get a
decent start when the light turned green. Hmmm....won't go onto the smallest chain ring, well I will
just leave it in the center. Waiting....waiting... Yellow light - clip in the right foot...
green light power stroke chain jumps (oh yeah baby - right off the front chainring) cadence
increases to 200rpm big truck behind me (I take up the whole lane...) must...put...feet...down....
ahhhh! I'm clipped in...
Well, I got my feet out before crashing and ran my bike across the intersection. After a short
pitstop, I managed to fix my chain problem, including the undesirable rubbing.
The rest of the ride was dandy. My cheeks got a little cold, but that was about it.
I am looking forward to the ride home.
Jason
I bought my $40 lycra tights for $15 last summer on
