John’s Ramblings

Strange, but I haven’t had an outside ride of substance since last Tuesday night’s Use It or Lose It ride. I did a mini ride on Thursday, Newcomer’s on Saturday, then spin class on Sunday.

Tonight it looks to be a “clear and cold” scenario, with temperatures in the upper 30′s by the end of the ride. I’ll be sporting my wool socks and balaclava for this one. It will be interesting to see how many hearty souls show up for this ride due to the low temperature. I’m guessing only a few will tough it out.

Although the conditions are a little more challenging, I think that the cold, clear nights are often the most beautiful to ride in. There’s very little in the way of traffic on the trails, and consequently there is more of a chance for the occasional wildlife sighting. Rabbits are plentiful, but we also get a few owls and the occasional coyote out looking for a late night snack. Because of yesterday’s wind storm, we will have to be mindful of debris on the trail. The trees along the Green River Trail tend to go into “auto-prune” mode when the wind kicks up, and it may take more than a day for the various jurisdictions to clear the branches off the path.

I’ve been experiencing some “clicking” noise from my front wheel when riding. The noise was only happening when the wheel is spinning under a load, not when I spin it off the ground. Not being a wheelbuilder it took me a while to diagnose the fact that several spokes were far more loose than others, and there was actually enough slack in a couple to move and make noise when I was riding. I spent a few minutes this afternoon with my bike upside-down and a spoke wrench in hand, tightening and checking for true. A little frightening the first time (I knew I could always show up early for tonight’s ride at Cycle Therapy, so I had a fall-back position), but it was fun and I think I’ve got it pretty close. We’ll see if it disintegrates tonight. I’d love to take a wheelbuilding class sometime… it seems like it would be a nice balance between left and right brain activity.

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