SWBKRUN fast, furious, and closed (Page 144)

You guys are killing me with these bike maintenance issues.

If you have the time, I would recommend taking one of the Park Tool courses they offer at bike shops.  They will teach you basic bike maintenance, how to do the day to day maintenance needed to keep your bike running.  Or at least a basic bike maintenance course where they teach you how to change a tire and make very small adjustments.

I try to never rely solely on Co2 when out riding, I always carry a small pump, I think I have the same one Kim has, it fits in my saddle bag.  I also usually carry 2 spare tubes just in case.

Suzy, you won't damage your rim putting a tire on, if it does then there would be some structural problem with it, you can put a lot of pressure on it to get the tire on.  Instead of levers I personally use "the stick" bought it 10 years ago and it still works great, looks kind of like a pencil with a hook on the end, you just have to peel the tire back enough to get the hook in and the stick is thick enough you can pry the tire off with just the one tool.

And when you set the bike down, take your bottles off, and make sure you set it down on the non-drive side, that way the derailleur's aren't sitting on the ground.

No maintenance issues here.  I just spend my rides praying that I don't flat or anything else.....or if I do, that Jeff's around to blame it on/repair it!!

I would LOVE to take a class.   It's on my list!

LOL!!!  you're killing me!  a bike maintenance course to learn how to change a tire.  really? give me a break.  something so elementary should be learned in the garage, not some "class".  same goes for general maintenance and cleaning.

i've relied on co2 and *i think* i have a few LONG solo miles over the past few months.

I see the Salty Dog is back from vacation!  Welcome!  I love being called stupid so early in the morning.

Sorry John, I disagree. Yes, if you are mechanically inclined you can read about it or watch a video and do it yourself. However, if that is not the case then hands on instruction is the way to go. Learning how not to pinch the tube, how much force to apply to get the tire on, etc. can be learned more quickly first hand.

We all start with different skills and at diffeerent starting points. What is good for one of us might not be good for another. Just sayin'.

i hear you.  but i tend to think the folks in those classes don't sit in the garage when they get home and continue on with the learning process.  the guy teaching the class isn't going to be on the side of the road a few months later.  that is what i'm getting at.

suz, i'm not calling you stupid, stoopid.  2 more days at the beach!!!

True that. Any class is only as good as the teacher. And people should practice changing a flat until they can do it without getting worked up over it. Cleaning and maintaining one's ride should also be mandatory. I cannot tell the number of times I have heard people talk about lubing their chains with the wrong stuff, or worrying about getting the drive train wet.

Spoken by someone who has not gone through or witnessed going through 3-4 CO2 cartridges on a ride.  The same thing kind of thing happened to Tony and I, 4 COs and 3 tubes in a matter of 5 min.  And not user error and no pre-existing holes in the tubes.  I carry a pump for long rides attached my frame.

It must be the month of flat tires.  I got my first flat in 5 years last weekend.  Big nail punctured right down to the wheel tape.   Although listening to Steve's story I might need to start carrying multiple CO2 cartridges.  

It seems like the whole MG is racing this weekend. Good luck to everyone.  I get to experience my first training endurance brick  (68miles followed by a 9 mile run immediately off the bike).  Believe it or not that actually sounds like a light weekend compared to century rides.  Of course talk to me afterwards and I'm sure I"ll be singing a different tune.  

As far as pre-race routines I try to listen to music to get a good song in my head for the race.  However that never seems to work. No matter what I do I end up with dumb songs like "Elvira" or "100 bottle of beer on the wall) stuck in my head.  Quite annoying.   

The Park Tools course covers pretty much everything a home mechanic would want to do to a bike I believe, how to adjust derailleur's, change cranks, etc, and maybe even truing wheels, good class that will save you money in the long run.

The basic mantenance stuff and tire changing are usually free hour or so long courses held by LBS's where they go over the techniques and have someone walk around to make sure you get it.

I've had issues like Steve before with C02, where it just doesn't work as expected or I'm trying to go so fast I screw it up.  I like having the pump as a backup and it doesn't take up much space.

Ugh, was talking to a friend last week who was using Wd40 on her chain...

I too carry a mini pump just in case.

I think we bought the same one from REI last month.

Sorry Tony, but I don't think that going to bike class will help me remember to bring tubes on a ride.  Nor checking the seal in my CO2 inflator before I leave for a ride.

LOL, the comment wasn't directed to you, you can't teach common sense ; )

Sam's cat peed on my suit, I smell like cat pee today, awesome...

Just told her I am going home today to pee on the cat to even it up, is that bad?

No, what's bad is that you are sitting around in work all day in a suit that smells like pee!

Touche.  I don't believe it's noticeable unless you are very close, and havent' had to interact with anyone today and I didn't feel like driving home...

Had a great ride last night. First time this year I made a group ride out of the local tri-shop. It was a 33 mile loop. Got stuck between the A and B groups. Eventually all but the fastest of the A's came together with the fast B's and we had a good paceline going.The right line advancing and the left line retreating. I have no riden a pace line like this in years. It was great! Somewhere around mile 28 the lines fell apart. People were not completing their pulls through fast enough to join the retreating line  quickly enough and the group imploded. I was disappointed at that. All you have to do is stay on the back of the retreating line and not try to take a pull if you don't have the legs for it. Oh well, still was a blast! I need to arrange my equipment on my bike and improve my nutrition.

While my logs show an average of 19.4 mph, we did the first 5 miles slow while we worked our way out to more rural roads, and there were a lot of lights. I did this ride with no computer, but I would have to guess we were going 23-24 mph for the middle 15-20 miles.

Darn double post! Sorry.

LOL, George, the same thought crossed my mind!  (so lucky to have a girl cat who doesn't mark)  Peeing on the cat will not make the cat love you any better, Tony.

I guess it will forever be "Sam's cat". 

Oh, it is a girl cat, and I am pretty sure the cat knows my opinion of it.