Sunday Final

I finally got off the couch.
It was one of them days where the couch was a viable alternative to anything else since the weather was acting all wacky and there's this thing called Netflix.
Oh I was thinking about it, all day in fact but I got like 364 movies in my queue and it's time I started doing something about it.
So now it's like 3 down and 361 more to go.
Anyways, off I went!
First stop was to case the street we plan on closing off for the event:

Oh I been here plenty of times, especially since I ride by it all the time and it's where we have our meetings.
Still, it's good to just stop and look at, to try and visualize what we want to do.
The street is short, I'd guess a couple tenths of a mile.
It's also not very wide, which may be a good thing.
More on the street later.
Well today was one of them days were I had planned on a short ride, but it sort turned into a long ride.
I didn't even bother with bicycle clothes!
No ride is complete without a ride to the beach although today was windy and overcast for most of the day and nothing much was happening there.
Then I got a hankering for a cream soda but the cream soda place is like four miles out of the way but since I was at the beach I was sort of half way there so off I went!
Riding around on the Rockhopper reminds me of way back when I first started riding.
Almost the same bicycle, riding around the same streets brought back some memories.
I can't believe I rode all over Flat Tire Land on a mountain bike!
It's different riding around on the Rockhopper.
I mean I'm not a huffing and a puffing like I am on the road bikes and I take more time to check things out like this:

What all those guitar parts were doing next to the road I got no idea but I did have a urge to go knock on the door and ask.
Then I thought, where would I put it?
I need a rack.
The good part is that I don't have to pay too much attention to the road.
I can ride over rocks and stuff without worrying about no wussy skinny tires.
You do have to sort of get used to being slow though.
I mean I'm so fast the Rockhopper felt like I was going about a half a mile per hour.
Don't you know.
So anyways, my little 5 mile ride turned into a 15 mile ride, my best guess for I didn't even bother to computer up.
Funny, it didn't even feel like I went that far.
What did I originally get off the couch for?

361 movies left to go.
I got all summer.
Sort of.

Skippy

Which is what the Bike With The Funny Name is.
Skippy.
I took it out today for a run, the first one since I've put it all together.
I needed some tape for the handle bars, but what I did was wrap some electrical tape on there to build up some thickness and then I just slipped the grips back on.
So far so good.
I pass by this service station each time I go out but I never noticed the patch job they did on the asphalt:



Reminded me of some kind of maze.
There were also some places where I didn't see any cracks in the pavement.
Seems like someone just sort of had a good time with that sealant stuff.
I stared at it for so long, I missed my light and had to wait to cross.
Speaking of patch jobs, this is how they patched the street in front of Flat Tire Central:



I didn't see them come by, but it's usually two or three folks in a dump truck full of asphalt using a shovel to fill all the pot holes.
Gee, thanks.
So anyways, off I went to shake the BWTFN down.
I adjusted the handle bars a bit, other than that everything was okay.
Except for the skippy.
I got some chain/gear skip in one gear.
As usual, it has to be the gear I'd be using the most:



Can you guess which one it is?
Okay, look good.
I'll give you some time.
Speaking of gears, here's something interesting I found the other day:



The spacers in the Campagnolo cluster are all not the same. The one between the last cog is thinner than the rest.
I wonder why?
So anyways, did you find the offending gear on the free wheel?
It's the one right in the middle.
I guess it's a bit difficult to tell from the image but it's just a bit more worn than the rest.
I checked the chain and it's still good, but I suppose I could try changing that first.
It bothers me only because I'd like to use that gear, but I got around okay today without it.
Still.
Don't think I want to spend any more on this bicycle, but I know this skippy gear is going to keep bothering me.
Other than that, the BWTFN does exactly what I got it for:



I picked up my Sour Cream and Onion potato chips and headed on home.
Where I am now watching me some Law & Order.
I guess I'll keep a look out for another free wheel too.
This time go with something NOS and not used.
Maybe even upgrade to a six speed.
Or something.