Darn Cold out there

For around here at least. Temp range from 18-20°F. And, predictably I was over heating. Toes cool. Face cool. But not cold. No fancy balaclava. No fancy vent taped up old helmet. Just that Ibex wool beanie under my Giro Pneumo. Wicked stiff head/cross wind as well. Esp coming across that shell strewn section I posted yesterday. Wind just blasting across the bay. It was just me and an unloaded trailer on the way in. Little one hitched a ride in the car. A couple times I actually felt alone on the path. Just knowing someone is with ya back there is enough to provide a bit of companionship. With the construction and the bridge detours and the free bus pass here at work, many cyclists have taken to hopping on the big public transport option. The trailer just doesn't fit so well on those racks on the busses, not to mention go anywhere (easily without a handful of transfers) near where we need to get to for the drop off. Anyway

Bike bits fell apart last night. For a while my rear tire has had an odd hop in it. I sort of chalked it up to the 28c tire with a 28-35c tube sitting inside a filleted tube. Till last night. The whump whump whump I felt heading down a hill at 25+ mph suddenly became a whump-thwack whump-thwack whump-thwack. Uh Oh.

Look down. Shoot - the tire is bulging and uh oh - tube is sticking out rubbing the chain stay every rev. A quick tweak of the QR (thanks horizontal drop outs) and it isn't rubbing. Quick drop in PSI and it isn't sticking out as far. And then, oh, right that's not the actual tube. It's the liner. Actual tube and I probably would have had a blow out. I make it home. Bouncing along with about 40 psi in the rear (yes, dragging trailer, crunching mussel and clam shells) wasn't terribly confident inspiring. But. Not changing a flat in the dwindling light of day is a good thing.

Home. get some dinner made and eaten. Head out to the bike room. Pop bike in repair stand. Remove rear wheel. Hmm. Tire = toast. $15 tire (or was it $20 I dunno). Looking back at the records - ie this web log thing - I realize that this bit of rubber was put on as far back as: Wednesday, May 02, 2007. Damn that's some decent numbers. Sure probably only three to four thousand miles on it. The center tread is down to about a millimeter, loads of cuts and what not. Probably got my money's worth. But, I didn't have a new one to slap on there. Team order for Schwable tires hasn't gone in yet. What to put on. Old checked side wall 23c Conti Grand Prix (old school - ala 1997ish)? Hmmm. Not ready to bust out the 4 season 28s for commuting duty yet. Well. Hey here's a foldable nice light road tire. A Grand Sport IIRC, Conti. Ah but only a 20c? What the hell. Why not. The rubber is as hard as a rock. Narrow is good for snow and ice, probably dodge more shells with less contact. Might as well use up what I have before buying more. I've ridden skinnier tires in the day (well 18 front 20 back was how I rode in College). So, it is settled. Oh. But need new brake pads. Oh look. I still have (in a bag) the ScottMatt pads that were on the bike when I bought it in 1991 (and took off cause I thought they looked cheap). Well. Riding in I can tell you. They work just fine. Look pretty funny bolted to Dura-Ace brakes. They are pads you would expect to see on a set of dia-comp centerpulls off a 1982 univega or something. Good thing I've grown up and can take a hit on the image meter. And honestly, I found my self wondering: WWSD. What Would Sheldon Do. Or at least, what would I imagine Sheldon to do? Buy something new or use what is on hand to make due? Maybe I'm channeling some other bike guru - focusing on the Reduce Reuse Recycle side of things. I'm thinking of re-using the Seca tread as a mr-tuffy type device. Thinking about it, doesn't mean I will. But I probably will cut out the wire bead and find an appropriate spot for it. Maybe as a liner for one of the bigger commuter tires that go on the cross bike... Hmmm. So many variables.

And in case you have missed it:

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. March 2,
at the First Unitarian Society in Newton, at 1326
Washington St. (across the street from Harris Cyclery)
West Newton.

For those pedaling to the memorial service, there will
be a designated bicycle parking area. A police detail
will be on hand, but please bring your lock.

Sheldon’s family has requested that memorial donations
be made to the causes and groups that he loved best -
Cycling Advocacy/Education and Community Theatre.

As his influence was world wide, please consider any
of the following:

MassBike
171 Milk Street
Suite 33
Boston. MA 02109
617-542-6755
http://www.massbike.org

Revels, Inc.
80 Mt. Auburn Street
Watertown, MA 02472
617-972-8300
Revels Inc.

Or consider a gift in Sheldon’s name to your local
cycling advocacy or community theatre organization.

There ya go.

Yogurt Boy has been writing a Tome lately on his travels. Well worth a read.

I could use one heck of a lot more B. And arguably probably some C. And D has kept this sitting here being slowly added to while sipping coffee or whatever happens to find me not responding to email/phone help.

heddwch
G