Beaver is awesome

Mechanicals

When I rode with Julie on Sunday, we cut the ride short because my bike (Juliana) was having brake problems (and rear derailer issues).  When I got home, I had to decide how much of my last 2 days off I wanted to spend working on the bike.  I decided to take it to the new bike shop in Issaquah (Veloce Velo).  I also had them replace a rear spoke that was bent and fix the gauge for the rear derailer.

Monday, Labor Day

I couldn't believe how great Beaver was on Sunday, so I was excited to ride it again.  So I grabbed the Nomad and drove to Soaring Eagle park.  The Nomad made pinging noise non-stop.  It has been doing this for a while but not this bad.  So cut my ride short and dropped it off at the bike shop as well. I knew it was the rear wheel making the noise, well it was the spokes (which were loose).  Apparently the spokes on Mavic Cross Max XL are known for coming loose.  So I left it at the shop as well.  The good thing is that Both bikes were ready on Wednesday.  The spokes on the Mavic Wheels are thick...so I need to learn how to check the tension on them.  I've not done any maintenance on them at all...so I need to do some research.

Friday, September 5, 2008 - Feeling Strong!

Headed back to Beaver with Julie.  I rode the Juliana.  Julie was struggling with lack of energy (this was the first time this summer I wasn't trying to chase her down...she had gotten strong since she has been riding 6 days a week).  We rode and then rested, rode and rested...you get the idea.  We rested as much as we rode, and had a great conversations with a few other riders.  We met a guy (Travis) who rides Python Tires (which I hate and I happen to have a brand new pair).  As soon as I saw Travis' tires, I was wheeling and dealing...yes I sold my tires.  This was especially good since they came free on a set wheels I bought. 

The interesting thing about this ride is that I rode the whole ride in my front middle chain ring.  I had to work hard on the climbs and made it up all but one.  The one I didn't make it up, was too long and steep for my middle chain ring, and as soon as I tried to drop to the granny I stalled and ended up not making the climb.  Overall, I was thrilled.  This is the first time I've stayed in my middle ring for climbs.  This included one very long fairly gradual climb.  This was a very good feeling since I have not been feeling strong this summer (mostly because I just haven't been riding a lot).  Of course all the rest helped because I never felt particularly tired on the ride.