Pittsburgh Bike Jersey; Brooks B73 Repair at Thick Bikes

Nov.7.2014 0miles

Today was a maintenance day, starting with the flat tire I acquired in my Honda van on my way to visit work. Argghh. Cars; you can't patch the tires yourself, what's up with that?

The front spring on my Brooks B-73 saddle had sprung askew. I think I twisted the seat frame-and-spring when I took a fall in the spring and taco'd my front wheel, and then set the seat straight with the top-bar without really examining the entirety of the damage.

Anyway hey: Brooks Saddles, a seat you can have repaired! This is what my Surly LHT looked like, before and after, outside of Thick Bikes Pittsburgh. I so appreciate that they took the initiative not to just sell me another seat, but to repair the one I had.

Anyway, the picture on the left is How To Take A Bike Into A Shop On Friday Afternoon . If you're not doing it this way, you're doing it wrong. Pro Tip: wheel the bike into the shop area; complain that it feels like something's dragging, or maybe there's too much weight somewhere; ask them to do what they can to reduce the weight. The picture on the right is the "after" shot.

Also extremely cool: I mentioned I needed an old, one-time-left beatup U-lock for the upcoming Ghost Bike, and Thick Bikes donated a legacy shop U-lock which I put Thick stickers on.

Also, got to see this kinda-hott model introducing a very cool jersey. The artist's spouse, Jordan, is a strong cross racer. More info on the Pittsburgh cycling jersey here.

I find the most (pleasantly) unexpected connections in bike shops. I was talking about an effective Homewood neighborhood activist, turns out Jordan the cross racer knows Elwin Green, too. Small world; cycling makes connections.

I was surprised to see a small reflective strip on the back of the Pittsburgh jersey, I haven't seen that before. They're made locally by Aero Tech Designs of Coraopolis.

Pogies (handlebar mitts) from 45North. This has interior compartments, pit-zips, wow.

Handlebar porn: the two-bagger --

Such wow. Very cycling.

Reunited with my Surly Long Haul Trucker (LHT)

6/14/11 #224 26.4m

0730 3 blueberry muffins 1000 Clif Bar 1500 Clif bar 1900 power bar 2000 grilled chicken breast

Today I got my main-squeeze bike, my Surly Long Haul Trucker (you down w' LHT?) back from its brief visit at Pittsburgh's best Local Bike Shop (LBS). During the period of confinement I've been riding my road bike (which has been an interesting interlude) but it was great to get the LHT back and take it out for a spin. I took some pictures since it may never be this clean again.

It was curious to get back on the LHT. The longer wheelbase made me feel like I was stretched way too far forward, and I kept reaching for the road bike's STI shifters instead of the LHT's barcons. The changed seat setback relative to the bottom bracket, and the change from an EasySeat to a Brooks sprung saddle, made it a study in contrasts.

The bike had new Kool-Stop Salmon brake pads on the front, which Sheldon Browns says "are the finest bicycle brake shoes made.". I had a young bicyclist cross the trail in front of me and I need to apply the brakes quickly, and the new brakes really performed well.

I (we ?) rode 26.4 miles on the Montour Trail in 1h56 minutes, which IIRC is the first time I've done that route in sub-two-hours. It was a pretty, cool day without significant wind. When I was riding east near Ikea a rider caught up with me and engaged me in conversation, I had to boost my speed to keep up with him, and although I later begged off and resumed a pace closer to the speed limit - it's a congested area - the sprint certainly helped my time.