Midsummer Fixins

I took The Mule to Bikes at Vienna for some TLC in late July. Among other repairs, the bike came back with new tires, a new chain, and a new cassette. The tires are 700 x 35 Schwalbe Marathons. They are not as flat resistant as the touring tires I normally use, but they roll much easier. My cassette has a tweak too. The big cog is now two teeth bigger, affording me a better climbing gear. It works well with the derailleur.

I took the bike out for a test ride on the W&OD Trail, starting in Vienna and ending in Purcellville some 33 miles away. I deliberately came to a stop at the bottom of a short, steep climb to test the new low gear. Thumbs up!

When I picked up The Mule, I dropped off The Tank, my Surly CrossCheck. The Tank and my back and neck were getting along fine until the saddle bolt snapped last week. I try to position the saddle the same on both bikes in terms of three dimensions: height, for/aft position, and tilt. I think I messed something up during the saddle repair. My last few rides made my back and neck grumpy. Once I get it back from the shop, I’ll get out the tape measure and replicate the saddle dimensions on The Mule.

The 66-mile jaunt came the day after a two-fer. I rode 30 miles on The Tank then mowed the lawn. The weather cooperated nicely but my back was not particularly happy about the mowing. Idiot that I am I did a second two-fer last Friday. I rode 30 miles round trip to Friday Coffee Club in DC on Little Nellie, my wee wheeled Bike Friday. Then I dealt with the remains of a stump that we had a tree service grind up.

The tree died from heat stress and carpenter ants. The stump grinders did a good job, but the pile of mulch mixed with dirt was quite big. In order to use that area of the yard, I had to remove the mess. It took me over three hours to dig it all up and move it to an inconspicuous place in the back yard. By the time I was done, I was bent over at a 45 degree angle. Over the next couple of days my hamstrings tightened. Owie.

Next week I go to Connecticut to help my daughter move. I think I’ll abstain from riding a bike that day, just sayin’.

Speaking of Friday Coffee Club, we were greeted by a very welcome surprise. Felkerino, co-founder of our weekly confab, arrived by bike. It was his first time riding since he was clobbered by a hit-and-run pick up driver more than eight months ago. We gave him a well-deserved round of applause.

During the last heat wave I discovered to my utter frustration that a couple of water fountains on the Mount Vernon Trail were turned off. Last week I rode by the fountain nearest my house and found a brand new water fountain with a built in bottle filler and doggy dish.

Of course, there is never good news without bad news on the trail. During a big storm last week a tree toppled straight across the brand new bridge over Dyke Marsh. Fortunately the decking survived but the side rails were pretty much vaporized.

Oh, and this happened.