NASA announced that the last two shuttle launches have been delayed. The last launch is now scheduled for Feb 25, 2011. I talked to the Captain and we agreed to delay our Florida trip. We're going to try to get tickets for the February launch and drive to Florida.
Whew. The knee is still swollen etc. I'm sure glad I'm not trying to do 50 miles a day in two weeks. At least I've got a year to make this work. If the knee isn't good by then, well perhaps the touring days might be over.
Showing posts with label bicycle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bicycle. Show all posts
2010-07-31
2010-06-27
An LBI Day
The wily captain brokered a deal where he painted a few rooms in his ex-mother-in-laws Long Beach Island house for a week stay there. So, of course, most of his family glombed on to this and joined him for part of his stay.
Spousy had a retirement party to attend to so we went down on Friday. The drive down was fine although my knee started to bother me. I would have thought that keeping my leg straight and foot on the foot rest would be the best position. Wrong. I found that bending my leg so that my foot was back by the front edge of the seat.
We got there around noon. Although I'm not much of a beach person (so why am i on LBI?), soon we were off to the beach. I really hate sunburn so I stayed under an umbrella until about an hour before we were going to leave. Most of time I watched the local fauna or this dredge that had little activity.
The next morning Captain Bob and I rode north to the Barnegat lighthouse. It was a great ride on the way down in the cool morning. Apparently we had a tailwind. The way back was tougher. It was hotter and we clearly had a head wind. By the time we got back, my knee was a bit sore and swollen.
That evening we ate at the Greenhouse Cafe. It was pretty good and reasonably priced. Captain Bob and John both brought too much wine. But as I expected to drive back later, I only had a 1/2 glass.
Later we went to the final showing of the Black Maria Film Festival (John is the founder and director). It was hosted by the LBI Foundation of the Arts & Sciences. I didn't think any of this year's films stood out. I didn't like Pickles for Nickels and a couple others but didn't have any favorites. Perhaps I was less in the mood because my leg was starting to hurt while sitting there. It was also so cold that I had to get up and walk around about 1/2 through. In fact, at one break, I heard others call for the air conditioning to be turned down. As near as I can tell, that never happened.
When the films were done, I was glad to get out in the warm humid outside. We waited for John to out, chatted for a bit, then left. When I got back to the car I was surprised that it was already cool. Remember awhile back, Captain Bob had to buy a new car? Well he had this new Prius that he apparently left running for 3 hours. We will see how good his gas mileage is after that.
We went back to the beach house. Captain Bob made me some coffee. I put my bike on the rack and we took off.
Two hours later I was back and in my own bed.
Spousy had a retirement party to attend to so we went down on Friday. The drive down was fine although my knee started to bother me. I would have thought that keeping my leg straight and foot on the foot rest would be the best position. Wrong. I found that bending my leg so that my foot was back by the front edge of the seat.
We got there around noon. Although I'm not much of a beach person (so why am i on LBI?), soon we were off to the beach. I really hate sunburn so I stayed under an umbrella until about an hour before we were going to leave. Most of time I watched the local fauna or this dredge that had little activity.
The next morning Captain Bob and I rode north to the Barnegat lighthouse. It was a great ride on the way down in the cool morning. Apparently we had a tailwind. The way back was tougher. It was hotter and we clearly had a head wind. By the time we got back, my knee was a bit sore and swollen.
That evening we ate at the Greenhouse Cafe. It was pretty good and reasonably priced. Captain Bob and John both brought too much wine. But as I expected to drive back later, I only had a 1/2 glass.
Later we went to the final showing of the Black Maria Film Festival (John is the founder and director). It was hosted by the LBI Foundation of the Arts & Sciences. I didn't think any of this year's films stood out. I didn't like Pickles for Nickels and a couple others but didn't have any favorites. Perhaps I was less in the mood because my leg was starting to hurt while sitting there. It was also so cold that I had to get up and walk around about 1/2 through. In fact, at one break, I heard others call for the air conditioning to be turned down. As near as I can tell, that never happened.
When the films were done, I was glad to get out in the warm humid outside. We waited for John to out, chatted for a bit, then left. When I got back to the car I was surprised that it was already cool. Remember awhile back, Captain Bob had to buy a new car? Well he had this new Prius that he apparently left running for 3 hours. We will see how good his gas mileage is after that.
We went back to the beach house. Captain Bob made me some coffee. I put my bike on the rack and we took off.
Two hours later I was back and in my own bed.
2010-06-21
Road to Recovery
As she has done for the past few years, Princess hosted a father's day get together. It was small this year. Just her brother-in-law (and family), father-in-law (and spouse), and spousy and me. I usually bicycle there and plotted a longer route for my knee rehabilitation.
This was the third time outside on the bike since my knee surgery.
I had been on the mag training bike in the basement a couple times. I hadn't put any effort in to that. I was mostly trying to flex my knee. So I kept the tension and gearing low. I spun at a low 60-70 cadence. I think this helped loosen me up.
The first time outside was two Saturdays ago. I walked the bike up to the main road because I didn't want to have a short stop forced on me by oncoming cars. I mounted the bike OK and started off. I just road around locally for about two miles and came back. I didn't have any problems and figured I was on my way.
Next I rode around the block. This upped the mileage to about 5 1/2 miles. It also added a steep little bridge that goes over the railroad tracks. I did alright on this one too.
Finally, I decided to take the long way to Princess' house. I fired up my old Microsoft Streets and Maps because I find that the easiest to play with with this sort of plotting various routes to get a decent ride and the desired distance. I settled on a 9 mile route that took me out to US 206, then north, and finally back to Princess' green acres.
I left about 12:30 and of course it was dang hot. I rode down to the high school then over to US 206. Fortunately there was one car waiting to turn left as I came up behind it. I like a single car. That way it trips the traffic signal and I get to go and not hold up traffic as I will if I'm behind three or four cars with more behind me.
The ride up 206 was fine. I hit the usual nervous area where the cars are fast, the lanes are narrow, and there is no shoulder. But I reached the promenade without incident.
By this point I was about 2 miles from the end but I was getting a little tired. Maybe it was a combo of the knee and the heat. At any rate that last 2 miles was not as pleasant as the first two miles. When I got to Princess' house I felt light headed enough that I put my bike in her garage rather than lifting it up to the roof rack. But a short time in doors with some more ice water and I was ready for the shrimp, burgers, and of course Mike's shots of Irish whiskey.
This was the third time outside on the bike since my knee surgery.
I had been on the mag training bike in the basement a couple times. I hadn't put any effort in to that. I was mostly trying to flex my knee. So I kept the tension and gearing low. I spun at a low 60-70 cadence. I think this helped loosen me up.
The first time outside was two Saturdays ago. I walked the bike up to the main road because I didn't want to have a short stop forced on me by oncoming cars. I mounted the bike OK and started off. I just road around locally for about two miles and came back. I didn't have any problems and figured I was on my way.
Next I rode around the block. This upped the mileage to about 5 1/2 miles. It also added a steep little bridge that goes over the railroad tracks. I did alright on this one too.
Finally, I decided to take the long way to Princess' house. I fired up my old Microsoft Streets and Maps because I find that the easiest to play with with this sort of plotting various routes to get a decent ride and the desired distance. I settled on a 9 mile route that took me out to US 206, then north, and finally back to Princess' green acres.
I left about 12:30 and of course it was dang hot. I rode down to the high school then over to US 206. Fortunately there was one car waiting to turn left as I came up behind it. I like a single car. That way it trips the traffic signal and I get to go and not hold up traffic as I will if I'm behind three or four cars with more behind me.
The ride up 206 was fine. I hit the usual nervous area where the cars are fast, the lanes are narrow, and there is no shoulder. But I reached the promenade without incident.
By this point I was about 2 miles from the end but I was getting a little tired. Maybe it was a combo of the knee and the heat. At any rate that last 2 miles was not as pleasant as the first two miles. When I got to Princess' house I felt light headed enough that I put my bike in her garage rather than lifting it up to the roof rack. But a short time in doors with some more ice water and I was ready for the shrimp, burgers, and of course Mike's shots of Irish whiskey.
2010-05-22
Under the Knife
Went under the knife.
It was a pleasant experience.
The operation was at a surgical center, not the hospital. Spousy drove me there for my 7:15 arrival.
The receptionist and other staff were pleasant and efficient. Of course there were many forms to fill out and questions to answer but the worst part of this sort of thing is the boredom of waiting and I only experienced a few moments of inactivity.
A few minutes after being move to the operating room, I was out like a light and waking up in recovery. I don't think I was there for very long. Maybe 30 or 40 minutes munching on cookies and drinking soda.
I had a little trouble changing in to my street clothes. I was wheel chaired out to the car and hobbled without difficulty in to the seat. Had a little trouble getting my bulky, bandaged left leg in, but the ride home was uneventful.
Now where is my pampering and ice cream?
It was a pleasant experience.
The operation was at a surgical center, not the hospital. Spousy drove me there for my 7:15 arrival.
The receptionist and other staff were pleasant and efficient. Of course there were many forms to fill out and questions to answer but the worst part of this sort of thing is the boredom of waiting and I only experienced a few moments of inactivity.
A few minutes after being move to the operating room, I was out like a light and waking up in recovery. I don't think I was there for very long. Maybe 30 or 40 minutes munching on cookies and drinking soda.
I had a little trouble changing in to my street clothes. I was wheel chaired out to the car and hobbled without difficulty in to the seat. Had a little trouble getting my bulky, bandaged left leg in, but the ride home was uneventful.
Now where is my pampering and ice cream?
2010-05-02
The Wheel Goes Round & Round - sometimes
I have ridden on the Central Jersey Bike Club's Farm Land Flat Tour continuously for about 12 years now. Despite my knee problems or maybe even because of knee problems I was determined to do it again this year. Besides, I had already sent in my $30.
One of the reasons to do this ride was that if riding was going to be a problem, let's find out now while I still have a chance to get the knee fixed and re-habbed before my intended trip to Key West.
We usually ride either the 50 or 62 (metric century) route, but I didn't want to get stuck 25 miles away when my knee finally broke, so I thought I'd do one of the shorter routes. Of course what I really wanted was an excuse to go there to get a peanut butter & jelly sandwich and my free tee shirt.
Captain Bob was still kind of in recovery from his two broken ribs (see Sometimes it rains and Sometimes it rains - Update) so it was easy to convince him that a short route was the right thing this year. He was thinking of driving the new Prius here. He doesn't have a bike rack but thought he could put down a blanket or some protection and put his bike in the back.
Because the Captain drives here from 90 miles away, I drive to the bike ride most of the time. I prefer my roof rack over the trunk rack so Thursday I decide to put the rack on. Yes, yes, it's unusual to be that far ahead of the game for me, but there I was.
If you are not familiar with Thule roof racks, they consist of a pair of load bars to which you attach various accessories. In my case, bicycle carriers. I have an older version of this Big Mouth. Where the bike carrier attaches to load bar was sliding on one of the carriers so I tried to tighten it up. That's when the lever that you push down to lock it broke. I've only had this rack for eight years and not only did something break but I go to the Thule sight and not only is it obsolete but they don't even list the model.
So on our Thursday night call I mention this and say that I can use the trunk rack. But the Captain says that he has planned on bringing his old Camry (yes he does still have a running one left) so we're OK.
We get down to Brookdale Community College a little after 10AM. We check in to get our tee shirts and water bottles and then proceed to the back where you load up on peanut butter sandwiches. They have those as well as the usual bananas. But the traditional granola snack bars, fig newtons etc are MIA! Even worse, the mix of nuts and M&Ms and such that you scoop in to sandwich bags is not there either. Why oh why did I even bother?
I did notice that the parking lot was not nearly as full as it usually is so maybe this event is going out of style. I also noticed a bagel cutter and I think, cream cheese, so maybe we're just too late for that.
We make our sandwiches, pass on the bananas and head out.
After looking at where the low end routes diverge, we decide to take 18 and 25 mile cue sheets.
A couple miles down the road and I'm thinking "hey this is good". My knee is not bothering me. It's dry and warm. The sun is warm on my back and I'm having a good time. That lasts a little while longer until I have to make my first stop. I come down on my bad knee and WOWZEE! Well, I get going and begin thinking maybe all is not well. I am especially thinking how I'm going to come to a stop the next time.
Well of course the next time eventually comes. I make sure that both feet are unclipped and I come down on the good leg. Unfortunately the road has a slight upslope. So I walk to the other side and prepare to start riding again.
Hmmmm. I can't seem to put all my weight on the bad leg so that I can start pedaling with the good leg. Likewise, I can keep my good leg on the ground, but I don't think I can put enough effort pushing with the bad foot to get going. Finally I sort of lean my chest on the handlebar which allows me to keep my left foot on the ground and I get going by pedaling with my right foot.
Eventually we come to where the 18 & 25 mile routes diverge and in a joint command decision decide that I have nothing more to prove. I'm going to call the Orthopaedic doctor on Monday so there is no point in going the longer route. Fortunately at this stop, getting going is slightly downhill so I'm fine.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. We stopped at a rest stop and they did have some fig newtons ( and more P&B of course). There was a curb there which helped me get going.
Near the end of the ride we have to cross NJ 34. This is also uphilll from the light but for the very first time I was able to slow down enough and keep in the saddle until the light turned green. The moderate hills between there and the end were no worse than any other year and thus our ride ended.
Almost.
We got back to the car and I could not get off my bike. I edged down a little so it was not upright thinking that would make swinging my leg over the top easier. I think it was a good plan. Still do. And it would have worked if I hadn't gotten caught on the seat. Next thing I know I'm sitting in the shade on the grass with my bike on top of me. My gracious captain did come over and pick up the bike. I sat there a minute and gimped to my feet.
Well I can ride with a bum leg, but can't walk very well later. At his point I was limping along at about six inches a step. But about an hour later we got back to my house and I was applying folk remedies to my knee in the form of Yuengling to speed my recuperation.
One of the reasons to do this ride was that if riding was going to be a problem, let's find out now while I still have a chance to get the knee fixed and re-habbed before my intended trip to Key West.
We usually ride either the 50 or 62 (metric century) route, but I didn't want to get stuck 25 miles away when my knee finally broke, so I thought I'd do one of the shorter routes. Of course what I really wanted was an excuse to go there to get a peanut butter & jelly sandwich and my free tee shirt.
Captain Bob was still kind of in recovery from his two broken ribs (see Sometimes it rains and Sometimes it rains - Update) so it was easy to convince him that a short route was the right thing this year. He was thinking of driving the new Prius here. He doesn't have a bike rack but thought he could put down a blanket or some protection and put his bike in the back.
Because the Captain drives here from 90 miles away, I drive to the bike ride most of the time. I prefer my roof rack over the trunk rack so Thursday I decide to put the rack on. Yes, yes, it's unusual to be that far ahead of the game for me, but there I was.
If you are not familiar with Thule roof racks, they consist of a pair of load bars to which you attach various accessories. In my case, bicycle carriers. I have an older version of this Big Mouth. Where the bike carrier attaches to load bar was sliding on one of the carriers so I tried to tighten it up. That's when the lever that you push down to lock it broke. I've only had this rack for eight years and not only did something break but I go to the Thule sight and not only is it obsolete but they don't even list the model.
So on our Thursday night call I mention this and say that I can use the trunk rack. But the Captain says that he has planned on bringing his old Camry (yes he does still have a running one left) so we're OK.
We get down to Brookdale Community College a little after 10AM. We check in to get our tee shirts and water bottles and then proceed to the back where you load up on peanut butter sandwiches. They have those as well as the usual bananas. But the traditional granola snack bars, fig newtons etc are MIA! Even worse, the mix of nuts and M&Ms and such that you scoop in to sandwich bags is not there either. Why oh why did I even bother?
I did notice that the parking lot was not nearly as full as it usually is so maybe this event is going out of style. I also noticed a bagel cutter and I think, cream cheese, so maybe we're just too late for that.
We make our sandwiches, pass on the bananas and head out.
After looking at where the low end routes diverge, we decide to take 18 and 25 mile cue sheets.
A couple miles down the road and I'm thinking "hey this is good". My knee is not bothering me. It's dry and warm. The sun is warm on my back and I'm having a good time. That lasts a little while longer until I have to make my first stop. I come down on my bad knee and WOWZEE! Well, I get going and begin thinking maybe all is not well. I am especially thinking how I'm going to come to a stop the next time.
Well of course the next time eventually comes. I make sure that both feet are unclipped and I come down on the good leg. Unfortunately the road has a slight upslope. So I walk to the other side and prepare to start riding again.
Hmmmm. I can't seem to put all my weight on the bad leg so that I can start pedaling with the good leg. Likewise, I can keep my good leg on the ground, but I don't think I can put enough effort pushing with the bad foot to get going. Finally I sort of lean my chest on the handlebar which allows me to keep my left foot on the ground and I get going by pedaling with my right foot.
Eventually we come to where the 18 & 25 mile routes diverge and in a joint command decision decide that I have nothing more to prove. I'm going to call the Orthopaedic doctor on Monday so there is no point in going the longer route. Fortunately at this stop, getting going is slightly downhill so I'm fine.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. We stopped at a rest stop and they did have some fig newtons ( and more P&B of course). There was a curb there which helped me get going.
Near the end of the ride we have to cross NJ 34. This is also uphilll from the light but for the very first time I was able to slow down enough and keep in the saddle until the light turned green. The moderate hills between there and the end were no worse than any other year and thus our ride ended.
Almost.
We got back to the car and I could not get off my bike. I edged down a little so it was not upright thinking that would make swinging my leg over the top easier. I think it was a good plan. Still do. And it would have worked if I hadn't gotten caught on the seat. Next thing I know I'm sitting in the shade on the grass with my bike on top of me. My gracious captain did come over and pick up the bike. I sat there a minute and gimped to my feet.
Well I can ride with a bum leg, but can't walk very well later. At his point I was limping along at about six inches a step. But about an hour later we got back to my house and I was applying folk remedies to my knee in the form of Yuengling to speed my recuperation.
2010-04-21
Sometimes it rains - Update
When we last saw Captain Bob, he was a bloody mess but appeared to be OK. And Mrs. Captain had gotten back home and the dead Camry was in the driveway.
At the Captainette's insistence, the Captain went to the doctor. So the doctor says as you get older your brain shrinks and the doctor wanted to make sure that the Captain's brain wasn't rattling around getting damaged1. So they order x-rays or some sort of imaging and decide that the brain is OK but that he has a broken rib.
The next Saturday night, the Captain awakes in pain and decides to get thee to a hospital. There he finds out that now he has two broken ribs (however no word on any continuing brain shrinkage). So they give him somesugar pills pain pills and send him home.
The Camry is less fortunate. It needs a heart transplant. Apparently a used engine with 50% more miles than the old (but busted) engine will cost $8,000.00. A quick look at Edmunds shows us that the retail for his car is maybe $10-12,000.
After lengthy wailing on the Captain's part, the Camry heads off to the great car wash in the sky and a new Prius is now gleaming in the Captain's garage.
At the Captainette's insistence, the Captain went to the doctor. So the doctor says as you get older your brain shrinks and the doctor wanted to make sure that the Captain's brain wasn't rattling around getting damaged1. So they order x-rays or some sort of imaging and decide that the brain is OK but that he has a broken rib.
The next Saturday night, the Captain awakes in pain and decides to get thee to a hospital. There he finds out that now he has two broken ribs (however no word on any continuing brain shrinkage). So they give him some
The Camry is less fortunate. It needs a heart transplant. Apparently a used engine with 50% more miles than the old (but busted) engine will cost $8,000.00. A quick look at Edmunds shows us that the retail for his car is maybe $10-12,000.
After lengthy wailing on the Captain's part, the Camry heads off to the great car wash in the sky and a new Prius is now gleaming in the Captain's garage.
1.I've been saying for years that the Captain's brain was shrinking but no one would listen to me.
2010-04-04
Sometimes it rains
For the last couple years, my sister has hosted an Easter get together. Given my knee problems and how the clock is getting ever closer to when I'm supposed to hop on my bike and head for Florida, I decided to ride there to get a sense on how my knee would react.
Originally I was going solo, but at the last minute, Captain Bob decided he would join me. We decided to mostly ride our standard route. We did decide to avoid the bastard hill by swinging over to Route 206. From there we wound through Princeton until we got back on track.
About 3 miles from sis's, we were going through an intersection. I was about 20 feet behind the captain. As I watched helplessly, a gold Hyundai went about halfway past the captain and turned right.
The captain was down.
The woman did stop about 20 feet up the cross road. I asked the captain if he was alright, etc. He said he was OK and actually seemed to be. Turned out that he didn't have even the smallest patch of road rash. The most significant problem was a broken helmet.
The woman moved her car in to a parking lot. I fiddled with my Droid camera trying to figure out how it worked. I figured I should take pictures of what I could for record keeping. Most importantly, I wanted to get a pic of the rear of her car in case she bolted so I'd have the license number (turns out those fears were completely unfounded).
We moved our bicyles over to where she had parked. She was about to give out her info when the police came. The most amazing part was that any given time, there must have been at least 3 police/EMT vehicles there. Another would come and one would go. By the end there must have been 8-12 different vehicles show up.
The EMTs felt up the captain, took his blood pressure, etc. The captain refused treatment and they called off the ambulance.
I called my sister and related just a bit of information to get their imagination going. I basically said that we were delayed and I was trying to keep the captain out of jail.
Captain Bob declined filing a report so the last police officier left and we got on our way. His front fender was rubbing the tire so we performed a quick adjustment and then really got on our way.
About a mile down the road as we were discussing the accident, the captain ran in to a curb and went down again. This time, the blood was flowing all over the place. It was like the Monty Python Black Knight skit.
Somehow we dealt with accident 2. We had to adjust his fender again, but then we were on our way.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and we got to sis's without further incident.
But after a while, the captain was on the cell phone talking to Mrs. Captain. She isn't at sis's because Mrs. Captain is visiting her daughter for Easter. She has gotten back to Pennsylvania. Just to the I78 tollbooth. Her car has died.
Fortunately, AAA was on the way and that seemed to end well as the last I heard Mrs. Captain was back and home with her dead car. Captain called when he got home later that night. We'll have to see how he is after his doctor visit.
Originally I was going solo, but at the last minute, Captain Bob decided he would join me. We decided to mostly ride our standard route. We did decide to avoid the bastard hill by swinging over to Route 206. From there we wound through Princeton until we got back on track.
About 3 miles from sis's, we were going through an intersection. I was about 20 feet behind the captain. As I watched helplessly, a gold Hyundai went about halfway past the captain and turned right.
The captain was down.
The woman did stop about 20 feet up the cross road. I asked the captain if he was alright, etc. He said he was OK and actually seemed to be. Turned out that he didn't have even the smallest patch of road rash. The most significant problem was a broken helmet.
The woman moved her car in to a parking lot. I fiddled with my Droid camera trying to figure out how it worked. I figured I should take pictures of what I could for record keeping. Most importantly, I wanted to get a pic of the rear of her car in case she bolted so I'd have the license number (turns out those fears were completely unfounded).
We moved our bicyles over to where she had parked. She was about to give out her info when the police came. The most amazing part was that any given time, there must have been at least 3 police/EMT vehicles there. Another would come and one would go. By the end there must have been 8-12 different vehicles show up.
The EMTs felt up the captain, took his blood pressure, etc. The captain refused treatment and they called off the ambulance.
I called my sister and related just a bit of information to get their imagination going. I basically said that we were delayed and I was trying to keep the captain out of jail.
Captain Bob declined filing a report so the last police officier left and we got on our way. His front fender was rubbing the tire so we performed a quick adjustment and then really got on our way.
About a mile down the road as we were discussing the accident, the captain ran in to a curb and went down again. This time, the blood was flowing all over the place. It was like the Monty Python Black Knight skit.
Somehow we dealt with accident 2. We had to adjust his fender again, but then we were on our way.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and we got to sis's without further incident.
But after a while, the captain was on the cell phone talking to Mrs. Captain. She isn't at sis's because Mrs. Captain is visiting her daughter for Easter. She has gotten back to Pennsylvania. Just to the I78 tollbooth. Her car has died.
Fortunately, AAA was on the way and that seemed to end well as the last I heard Mrs. Captain was back and home with her dead car. Captain called when he got home later that night. We'll have to see how he is after his doctor visit.
2010-04-03
Click Me Off
So with new pedals, I went out for a ride and fortunately my head was strapped in to my helmet. If it wasn't, it surely would have exploded. The click was worse than ever!
[Rant On]
I asked for advice in a couple forums. I got a few useful ideas, but also a lot of the usual forum responses. Why do people respond when they don't actually read the entire post? I started off with that I had first posted last fall. I included that I had my bottom bracket replaced at the local bike shop, put on new pedals etc. So in addition to some useful suggestions, I get responses that included suggestions to check my pedals and bottom bracket. One got a little further reading my post because they knew about the new bottom bracket. But they asked whether I had done (assuming my incompetancy I guess) it myself or had my bike shop do it.
[Rant Off]
Anyway, I went back and tightened cranks. I tightened my chainring bolts although I was nervous about that as I think those threads are aluminum. Given that new pedals didn't do the trick, I put the old ones back on. Finally, I put new cleats on my shoes and went out for a ride.
Voila! No click.
Please pray for me that I've finally solved the problem. I don't care which thing did it. If it is finally gone, that's good enough for me.
2010-02-16
Fix a Flat
One of the subscribers to a bicycle touring list that I also subscribe to recently got a flat (he lives in Florida so it's not too cold to ride) and he decided to let his LBS fix it while he made a video of the process.
I thought the video was worth posting. Probably because it almost exactly matches my method.
My notes:
I wrote to Ken (the bicycle owner) and noted that the mechanic talked about positioning the tire label by the valve in order to know where to look next time a flat occurred.1 However, the mechanic never performed that search with the flat being fixed. Ken said that because of YouTube limits, he had to edit the video and that the mechanic had spent about five minutes examining the old tube / tire.
I actually position the label opposite the valve. Presumably you can position the label anywhere as long as it is consistent so that you can use the label and valve to locate where the cause of the flat came through the tire.
Another member of the list noted that if the offending bit of metal or glass or whatever is not lodged in the tire but is loose inside, it will continually roll to the bottom as you examine the tire so you ought pay particular attention to that. I've added that to my procedure.
I pump up the tire maybe a 1/3 to 1/2 way and examine the bead seating as in the video. I also knead the tire as you can see. I also might bounce the tire on the ground in a couple places. After that, I deflate the tire again in order to relax the inner tube. My theory is that if there were kinks or creases, the now relaxed inner tube allows them to straighten out.
1 When the next flat occurs, you pull off the tire and find the flat in the inner tube. Once you find the puncture, you know to look at the tire the same number of degrees away from the label as the puncture was from the valve.
I thought the video was worth posting. Probably because it almost exactly matches my method.
My notes:
I wrote to Ken (the bicycle owner) and noted that the mechanic talked about positioning the tire label by the valve in order to know where to look next time a flat occurred.1 However, the mechanic never performed that search with the flat being fixed. Ken said that because of YouTube limits, he had to edit the video and that the mechanic had spent about five minutes examining the old tube / tire.
I actually position the label opposite the valve. Presumably you can position the label anywhere as long as it is consistent so that you can use the label and valve to locate where the cause of the flat came through the tire.
Another member of the list noted that if the offending bit of metal or glass or whatever is not lodged in the tire but is loose inside, it will continually roll to the bottom as you examine the tire so you ought pay particular attention to that. I've added that to my procedure.
I pump up the tire maybe a 1/3 to 1/2 way and examine the bead seating as in the video. I also knead the tire as you can see. I also might bounce the tire on the ground in a couple places. After that, I deflate the tire again in order to relax the inner tube. My theory is that if there were kinks or creases, the now relaxed inner tube allows them to straighten out.
1 When the next flat occurs, you pull off the tire and find the flat in the inner tube. Once you find the puncture, you know to look at the tire the same number of degrees away from the label as the puncture was from the valve.
2010-01-18
First Ride - 2010
I put new batteries in the computer head unit and sensor today. Finally slapped on a new set of pedals and headed out for my first outdoor bike ride of 2010. It was a little chilly despite putting on layers.
It was a short ride. I mostly wanted to shake down stuff and see what work I should be doing for fixes or maintenance. The other reason for a short ride was that my knee has been hurting lately. I want to see if I can exercise that out over the next month. If not, I guess it's another doctor visit.
I'm not going to change the chain until right before we leave for Florida. I might put new batteries in then too and I'll have to think about fresh tires. But the bike seems in pretty good shape. I didn't even have to pump up the tires.
I did have a close encounter when I made a right turn at the CVS plaza. A car coming the other way turned left and was on my butt for the first 100 feet or so until it turned in to CVS. After I got home, I called daughter #1 and accused her of attempted patricide. She claimed she didn't know it was me so it would have only been patri-manslaughter.
It was a short ride. I mostly wanted to shake down stuff and see what work I should be doing for fixes or maintenance. The other reason for a short ride was that my knee has been hurting lately. I want to see if I can exercise that out over the next month. If not, I guess it's another doctor visit.
I'm not going to change the chain until right before we leave for Florida. I might put new batteries in then too and I'll have to think about fresh tires. But the bike seems in pretty good shape. I didn't even have to pump up the tires.
I did have a close encounter when I made a right turn at the CVS plaza. A car coming the other way turned left and was on my butt for the first 100 feet or so until it turned in to CVS. After I got home, I called daughter #1 and accused her of attempted patricide. She claimed she didn't know it was me so it would have only been patri-manslaughter.
2010-01-08
Bailey's
We spent a bit of time trying to figure out how to get our bicycles over (under? through?) the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel. You aren't allowed to ride it. Others have held placards for rides, etc. I found one guy who claimed that you could call the tunnel people (hmmm sounds a bit like H. G. Wells) and for the price of the toll, they would toss you into a pickup and take you across. Now that has all changed.
At the family Christmas gathering my sister brought her usual homemade Bailey's. But she had it in two new fancy bottles that she got after Christmas in Williamsburg. My niece, who was joining the Iron Bailey's competition, brought hers in an old plastic milk jug. By the end of the taste guzzling 'er tasting contest my brother and I had changed our route.
We are still crossing the Delaware Bay on the Lewes Ferry. But now we are going to swing over to the mainland via either Tangier or Smith Island so we can hit Williamsburg. I have never been there so I don't know what to expect. I know it is a working colonial village, but that is about it. I guess I'll have to find out late this coming August. But it appears that the main objective is to purchase some fancy bottles for my niece to even out the contest.
I guess there could be worse tasks. And it certainly would require a Bailey's rematch.
Oh, and the judging? My sister's was judged more traditional. Different, but similar to the stuff you buy in the stores. My niece's had a sweet edge. We though it made a good after dinner drink. So of course another round will be required in the future to find a clear winner.
I did forget one thing. My sister was challenged ala Iron Chef to concoct more (of course we had run out) on the spur of the moment. She flew through my kitchen grabbing 1/2x1/2, coffee, 2/3 of my Bushmill's Irish Whiskey, etc. Although somewhere along the way, my son-in-law spilled a bunch of 1/2x1/2 down the front of the counters, the effort paid off. At least I think it did.
Peachy helped me clean up pretty well although she went to bed around 11PM. I think I finally got the kitchen 1/2 way presentable sometime between 12AM and 1AM Sunday morning.
At the family Christmas gathering my sister brought her usual homemade Bailey's. But she had it in two new fancy bottles that she got after Christmas in Williamsburg. My niece, who was joining the Iron Bailey's competition, brought hers in an old plastic milk jug. By the end of the taste guzzling 'er tasting contest my brother and I had changed our route.
We are still crossing the Delaware Bay on the Lewes Ferry. But now we are going to swing over to the mainland via either Tangier or Smith Island so we can hit Williamsburg. I have never been there so I don't know what to expect. I know it is a working colonial village, but that is about it. I guess I'll have to find out late this coming August. But it appears that the main objective is to purchase some fancy bottles for my niece to even out the contest.
I guess there could be worse tasks. And it certainly would require a Bailey's rematch.
Oh, and the judging? My sister's was judged more traditional. Different, but similar to the stuff you buy in the stores. My niece's had a sweet edge. We though it made a good after dinner drink. So of course another round will be required in the future to find a clear winner.
I did forget one thing. My sister was challenged ala Iron Chef to concoct more (of course we had run out) on the spur of the moment. She flew through my kitchen grabbing 1/2x1/2, coffee, 2/3 of my Bushmill's Irish Whiskey, etc. Although somewhere along the way, my son-in-law spilled a bunch of 1/2x1/2 down the front of the counters, the effort paid off. At least I think it did.
Peachy helped me clean up pretty well although she went to bed around 11PM. I think I finally got the kitchen 1/2 way presentable sometime between 12AM and 1AM Sunday morning.
2009-10-27
The bottom bracket
Got the Americano back on Sunday. A $120 later and I have a new bottom bracket.
I haven't ridden it yet, but I wiggled the cranks the same way as I did before when I could feel a bit of play. All the play is gone so hopefully this is worth it. I also feel better that the BB won't fall apart when I'm pedaling to Key West next year. Hate to have the thing break while trying to out run an alligator.
Hopefully the 'click' while pedaling that started all this is also gone. The owner of the LBS said he had tried it out and had heard the click in the same place I had heard it. I don't remember whether he said he rode it after the new BB was installed and heard no click. Hopefully so.
I thought about trying to do this myself. But I would need to buy at least one new tool that I might use but this once in my lifetime. The tools in this Park Tool article on replacing your bottom bracket has a list. I might have everything else but the larger wrench. The tool I definitely have to buy is that Bottom Bracket Tool. And you need one of those for different types of bottom brackets. I'm pretty sure my older Cannondale T700 would use a different tool. I suspect a different tool will be required for the next bike too.
So, in the end I took it down to the Local Bike Shop and talked to Timmy. Maybe I should have just wheeled next door. That's where Timmy lives. Yep my next door neighbor.