First World Privilege Whining

Sat 6.20 7miles
Sun 6.21 16miles
Mon 6.22 6 miles

So far, none of my 2015 bike plans have actually happened. Didn't go to Natchez because: rain; didn't go to LakeErie because: ferry schedule; didn't go DC-Pgh or the Solstice Ride because: sick family. First World Privilege Whining.

Saturday I rode over to my mother's house to do the sit-down and review-the-meds meeting. Arghhhh. This place has blue ribbons tied around most street poles, because "blue lives matter". Double-arghhh.



Riding out of my mother's place, I got caught in a rainfall. I needed to spend a bit of time out before I retired so I went into Starbucks to do some work via their wifi, but first I needed to dry off - just like Mr Bean using the hands-dryer.


Sunday afternoon I got away to ride to Jones Beach. There's a tremendous bike path that goes down there. I was concerned that bikes would be banned on the boardwalk but this sign set the tone:


Stopped for a few slices of pizza, came out to a flat rear tire. This time I patched rather than replaced the tube, I haven't done that for a while. Great fun but time for new tires.


Monday I went out to buy at least one new tire. I rode over to LBS Brand's which is a great bike shop. Not as downright loving as ABS, not as convivial as Thick, but an excellent shop. They do a lot of volume; there's at least 8 people working the floor, 6 mechanics turning wrenches, and a couple of old guys (my age) handling the unusual. They manage to deliver consistently excellent service; it's not a supermarket like Performance. Walk in and ask for Schwalbe's, and after you pronounce it three times the staff will introduce you to one of the old guys which was great.

They didn't have any 700x32 Schwalbe's, so I bought one 700x28 Armadillo. Rode the bike back to the place I'm staying, with the tire around my neck which wasn't very elegant. Put the 28 on the front, put the (better) 32 on the rear. Pinch-flatted the front tune while mounting it, maybe because my 32 inner tube was too fat for the 28. Went back to the shop to buy a smaller tube, bought two because: me. I was amused to see that between the bulk Gatorade and tri-athlete powders, they sell coffee:



Mounted the 28 tube in a 28 tire: success. My on-bike pump wasn't really up to driving the tires to 85psi, so I rode to Brand's again (third time is a charm) to use their floor pump. While I was there, bought a patch kit to replace the one I'd opened the day before, and also bought a frame pump that goes both ways - Presta and Schrader. All the new floor pumps are bivalves, I don't understand why the better frame pump manufacturers aren't embracing it.

Rode to Starbucks, bought expensive standardized corporate coffee and sucked at the trough of their wifi. Joined my sister and her husband for pie, rode to base in the dark. I love night riding.