Saturday, March 17, 2007

Tulsa bicycle maintenance...

Maintenance

I've talked with three people this week regarding bicycle maintenance. There's some interest in setting up a class to cover more than the Road1 course basics. That includes tire repair and the basic ABC Quick check, and not much else. I'd think that a maintenance program would have to cover cleaning, washing, and lubricating a bike, as well as basic brake and derailleur adjustment, cable replacement, and tool selection. I'd put some emphasis on drivetrain maintenance, too, simply because these parts are so expensive to replace. It's sensible to clean and lubricate them in order to get maximum service life.

Sandra and I discussed it briefly, and I have to follow up with some of our local professional mechanics. Honestly, the shop guys are far better informed than I am. In fact, I once said to my wife and daughter, "Everything I know is obsolete!" This induced a bad case of giggles.

Or as Dr. Wally Crankset said, "My mind is a vast suppository of misinformation!"

Anyway, if local cyclists are interested, contact me via the comments below, or email at ejwagnerATyahoo.com. Just be aware that the Yahoo address is my spam trap and I check it infrequently. But comments here on CycleDog reach me immediately.

...one last thing...

I ran into 'Hurricane Hattie' on my way to work this week. Actually, she ran into me. I was riding south on Mingo Road in the dark when a headlight lit up the road behind me. I thought a motorist was cruising along back there refusing to pass. This happens now and then. But that section is wide, with good sight lines. I sat up and twisted around for a better look. Sure enough, it was another cyclist! She caught up to me shortly.

Hurricane was in one of our Road1 classes last year. She said that while she's assigned to day shift, she'll ride to work, but when she rotates to evenings she doesn't feel safe riding on that lonely road. That's certainly true. After 9PM or so, Mingo is deserted. I had a flat out there once and in all the time I spent fixing it, just one car went by.

It's gratifying to see someone apply what we teach in Road1.


...and just one more...

'Ann Coulter' is still around, though she's subsided to a rather small pain-in-the-ass. Bag Balm is my friend.


Labels: , , ,

1 Comments:

Blogger Paul Tay said...

Yep. Is it any wonder why I stick to old skool stuff. I have NOT a clue about how to work on the new stuff.

Haveya ridden the C-Dale lefty? All I can say is....HOLY Muthaaa of PEARL! Definately a cop bike, fo' shure! Turns on a DIME. AMAZING connection with WHATEVER surface it's on. On the fly damp adjustment!

But, o-hauling it? Forget it. I didn't even really get the mechanics the first time. I'd leave the lefties to the pros.

7:44 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home