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Thursday, August 16, 2007
Nice commute in. Had my little swishy broom from another era that conveyed with my house and a few minutes to spare so (instead of going the back way in for an extra half mile) I paused on the path to brush those Miller Chill chunks and shards off. They've gone out of their way to make it usable even with all the ocnstruction on the other side - and they made a nice cut curb down to the college entrance, which is a huge improvement 'cause I don't curb hop and the other access points aren't so good.
I don't get why they also "improved" the path that goes by the soccer fields and cuts to the other college entrance to put in a roundabout... a *tiny* roundabout that's apparently a "traffic calming" device so that a bicyclist has to slow to 5 mph. 10 I can understand (and maybe other people would slow to 10 - I corner slowly :))... but mishandle it and you have a fairly bad wreck.
I returned last night to tackle the re-attachment of the front wheel, which is actually more challenging than changing the tire because the tube and what have you are big round things that can go on any which way. To put the danged wheel back on severl things have to be precisely lined up - oh, and you have to remember what they are. And then you have to remember to tighten up the nuts that hold the wheel on! (No quick release.)
So! I turned the bike the rest of the way upside down (of course spilling broom, ductape, sunscreen, ah! there was that last bottle of beer taken off the road last night! on the garage floor), and attached an end to where it looked right. Turned it rightside up but it weren't right a-tall.
Remembered that I hadn't put the nuts on, so I did that and said to self "remember to tighten them!" but didn't -wrench is in the house. Considered finger tightening but decided that would be a tactical error (correctly). Bent down and dredged up memory and had a few unsuccessful attempts at connecting things. Oh, yea... it's the curvy part back *there* that has to get put in second (after the thing sticking up slides into the slot it slides into and making sure the wheel is in right). Make successful attempt at attachment, and successful attempt at making the back brake tighter, too.
Ready for a test ride! Oops, gotta tighten those nuts. Good thing I didn't finger tighten them or I'd have been riding... Go in and get wrench. Look at wheel and decide to Do That Thing with the fender, and I loosen the nut and manage to hold the right things with different fingers to make that one shorter. Mirabile dictu!!! *Now* it's time for a test drive! ... Oops, gotta tighten those nuts. Good thing I didn't...
Also test drive my Reef Sandals (Flip-FLops glorified with a bottle opener in the sole). They don't feel right on the bike (prob'ly don'te feel right period, but mayb just 'til I get calluses between my toes.)
I kinda don't want to get a new tire right away... I'll have to do all that all over again... on the other hand, that would be the best way to get it into ye olde motor memory. Perhaps a lunch trip is in order, but there is something nice about working with a tire so old it's like Kleenex instead of rubber and wire. Maybe a few hundred more miles? Yea, another week ;)
I don't get why they also "improved" the path that goes by the soccer fields and cuts to the other college entrance to put in a roundabout... a *tiny* roundabout that's apparently a "traffic calming" device so that a bicyclist has to slow to 5 mph. 10 I can understand (and maybe other people would slow to 10 - I corner slowly :))... but mishandle it and you have a fairly bad wreck.
I returned last night to tackle the re-attachment of the front wheel, which is actually more challenging than changing the tire because the tube and what have you are big round things that can go on any which way. To put the danged wheel back on severl things have to be precisely lined up - oh, and you have to remember what they are. And then you have to remember to tighten up the nuts that hold the wheel on! (No quick release.)
So! I turned the bike the rest of the way upside down (of course spilling broom, ductape, sunscreen, ah! there was that last bottle of beer taken off the road last night! on the garage floor), and attached an end to where it looked right. Turned it rightside up but it weren't right a-tall.
Remembered that I hadn't put the nuts on, so I did that and said to self "remember to tighten them!" but didn't -wrench is in the house. Considered finger tightening but decided that would be a tactical error (correctly). Bent down and dredged up memory and had a few unsuccessful attempts at connecting things. Oh, yea... it's the curvy part back *there* that has to get put in second (after the thing sticking up slides into the slot it slides into and making sure the wheel is in right). Make successful attempt at attachment, and successful attempt at making the back brake tighter, too.
Ready for a test ride! Oops, gotta tighten those nuts. Good thing I didn't finger tighten them or I'd have been riding... Go in and get wrench. Look at wheel and decide to Do That Thing with the fender, and I loosen the nut and manage to hold the right things with different fingers to make that one shorter. Mirabile dictu!!! *Now* it's time for a test drive! ... Oops, gotta tighten those nuts. Good thing I didn't...
Also test drive my Reef Sandals (Flip-FLops glorified with a bottle opener in the sole). They don't feel right on the bike (prob'ly don'te feel right period, but mayb just 'til I get calluses between my toes.)
I kinda don't want to get a new tire right away... I'll have to do all that all over again... on the other hand, that would be the best way to get it into ye olde motor memory. Perhaps a lunch trip is in order, but there is something nice about working with a tire so old it's like Kleenex instead of rubber and wire. Maybe a few hundred more miles? Yea, another week ;)
