On the Orbea

After getting the repaired Orbea back to the house thanks to Kenny and Frank and Chip (thanks guys!), I took another look at the wheels and decided that I could probably true the wheel up after all. So the other day I stopped by Sears to find the necessary 3/16" open-ended wrench for the Cane Creek hub-mounted spoke nipples. Naturally they didn't sell the single wrench in that size so I had to buy a little set of Munchkin wrenches. After getting home from work yesterday I put the front wheel on the stand and the first thing I noticed was a bent spoke. Aha!! I had found the culprit that caused my over-the-bars experience. This was clear evidence that my front wheel had tangled with someone's rear derailleur, specifically the rider who had been on my left, while trying to avoid squashing the little dog, just as I remembered it. So anyway, the wheels didn't look too terrible, and after half an hour or so I had both wheels back within acceptable levels of trueness (is that a word?), which for training wheels means they both made it through the brakes without rubbing. Then I had to readjust the derailleur hanger and get the derailleur adjusted. That replaceable aluminum derailleur hanger is alarmingly flexible! It's no wonder it was a little out of line after that crash. I still have a spare new one on hand, but since the head of the tiny little bolt holding it on is damaged I'll probably have to drill it out if I need to replace it. Anyway, everything seemed to be working fine and I was excited to be able to get back on the "light" bike.

So this morning I went out on the Orbea for the first time in five weeks to meet the morning levee ride. It was a medium sized group today and the pace was pretty smooth with Big Richard on his mountain bike, his wife, Elise, Donald, and a few of the other regulars, later to be joined by Viv. I stayed in the rotation for a while, but eventually felt like I was pushing my luck and retreated to the back where I had better visibility, more reaction time, and a clear exit door. It was a good ride and I felt like I got a decent workout, although the collarbone and shoulder in general were a little achy by the time I got home. I guess that's to be expected. I have begun to realize that this shoulder will now serve a double purpose. I could tell it was going to rain today from the way it felt!

When I got to work I had an email from The Daughter telling me that her Jeep Liberty had killed on her a few times yesterday and seems to have a big transmission problem. She's been having speedometer and other electrical problems lately, so it might be that the computer is the culprit. We'll find out the bad news once she gets it towed to the dealer tomorrow. Not looking forward to that one at all.....