Velo Frustrato!

Oh look! I just made up a Harry Potter spell! Magical. What is NOT magical is the frustration that I feel when it comes to my cycling endeavors. No, 2011 is not off to a roaring start.

First, there is the whole winter weather and holiday season thing. Last year I had no trouble suiting up and heading out to battle the elements on the old Diamondback. This year? Not so much. I feel slightly silly and pretentious. Like I think that I am more hardy than my fellow New Englanders. I know that's not true because every time I go into The City it seems as if every one in Boston who OWNS a bike is still riding it. It could also have something to do with the fact that that trusty old Diamondback has never worked right after riding it in the crud last winter. Which brings me to point number tow.

I am a sucky wrench. I just don't seem to have the skills or the patients to develop them. Or the tools. Tools are an important part of the equation. I have an old English Three Speed and while every one on the Internet will tell you that they are "the answer", this bike is an answer to a question that I never asked. I have been tinkering with this thing for what: two years now? It STILL isn't right. Not only does it not function correctly, it will not work well for me, in my environment. Sitting bolt upright on a three speed bike isn't cutting it for me. There are simply too many hills that are too big for me to conquer on this bike (or any other for that matter) in my fitness shape, right now. So why do I bother? I do not honestly know. Every one makes such a big deal out of these things that I feel a need to follow along with the crowd and, if not actually ride one, to at least have one. I don't know what to DO with it though. Do I tear it apart and keep tinkering with it in the vain hope that I will "figure it out" and get it working right? OR, do I ship it off to be fixed up by a pro. It's more money and less knowledge. It would also be quicker and safer and I could use that bike as a winter beater if I DID want to venture out to run an errand or something. "I plan on doing a tweed ride next year". And a century. Not on the three speed of course!

And, sadly, the century IS more likely than the Tweed ride. Although I am not in any kind of shape at all for such a ride, my riding preference clearly leans toward the "fitness" end of the spectrum. I just can't seem to get motivated to cruise around town and see the sights or run to the store. Tell me I have to meet a new mile or time goal and I'm all over it. By the end of the summer not only do I hope to be able to do regular 40-50 mile weekend rides but I want to be able to do the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs. Less if I can train hard.

So, what are my resolutions?

1. Train. Burn calories and fat. Ride The Basement.
2. MTB. I like it. Its fun. There are way to many variables involved in doing it. It's too hard for me to measure "progress" on a daily basis but over time? Perhaps a race?
3. Road bike. Make the time and get out there. I bought myself a nice used Trek 1500 and it works like new. No tinkering, no excuses. Road riding IS something I can quantify quite easily. I want to do this at least three times a week once spring comes again.
4. Commute? Twenty miles each way. I might be awake and active for the whole 24 hours previous. This might be stretching the goals a little bit but it's out there.
5. Cross! This is "The Goal". The reason d'etre for all this other stuff is that I WANT TO CROSS next fall! I need to cross!
   

Boo-O-8

I took my new pride-and-joy out for a peddle today. I had some tinkering to do on it over the last few days and I knew that it was not 100% but it should have been road worthy. I had it on the stand last night and ran it through all the gears and adjusted the wheels and brakes so that, even though I knew the wheels weren’t 100% true, nothing rubbed and every thing worked as it should. I have a fancier model Peugeot that I rode around for quite a bit last year despite the fact that it was much, much too small for me. I guess I had too high expectations for this lowly UO-8.

Something was ticking. Front wheel or back, I couldn’t quite figure this out but I think it was the front. Last night I found a big divot on the back rim that caused one tire to blow out and another to almost explode. I used a pair of channel-locks to ease that ding back into place but it wasn’t a 100% fix so that was my immediate concern. I got off the bike and tried both wheels and they spun clear with no rubbing or real wobbling.

Secondly, there was something wrong with the peddling. As I would peddle through the 12 O’Clock position it would “click” on the left side. I have heard this noise before. I had hear this noise before. When I was ten. The kids with the crappiest bikes made this noise when they were peddling about. It was obnoxious then and it was obnoxious now. Of course, when I dismounted the bike and tried to re-create the sound by hand I was unable to do it.

The bike stopped poorly and handled poorly. It made noises that made me fear that it would explode or fall apart. It was nowhere near the ride of my PRN and certainly not even as nice as my Raleigh Marathon. I could pour a lot of work and money into it and I am sure that it would be a better riding bike! Sadly, I don’t have enough knowledge to diagnose these symptoms , nor the tools to fix most of them. I have a UO-14 in size extra-large that also rides nicer than this turd. That bike I got for free. I’m gonna slap a set of fenders on that and ride that as my winter beater. Perhaps I will make the time and money investment to make the UO-8 special but for the time being it seems as if I made a bad call with this one!