Testing My Mechanical Skills Tour (video tomorrow)

 Testing My Mechanical Skills Tour...Solo 30 miles. Got my Madone back on the road.  New mid chain ring, shifters, all cables,  and a good cleaning.  Replaced the ring as it started acting up & having to remove the crank. The hood ripped, had been replaced 2 times but couldn't find more and not paying $150 on ebay for a used junk one to get the hood. So gave Sora a try being the only new 9 speed around.  Good reviews and it actually worked great. Reviews said Sora now is better than 105 from 2005 which I had. Thought I had a cassette in my stash but only a new chain so ordered the cassette but after today's ride,  I don't think I need them yet but good to stock up. Also cables are routed under the bar tape so no more extensions for the gopro mounts. 👍 Worked flawlessly but I'm thinking cables will break in a bit soon. Oh yeah,  I got more sore doing the work than riding it bending in ways I haven't for a while ha ha ha. 🤣 The red thing is a top cap screw given to me by TC on a psat birthday.  Good to have the Madone back on the road but I was having plenty of fun riding the Cannondale over the last year and a half.  Finally found the time to fix the Madone.  😄

91 degrees with a high of 100 according to my device. Everything worked really well considering I was getting very impatient while doing the stuff. I had this idea that I should go to the park to work on the bike. Started in the shade but a few minutes later, the sun was all over the place and it was hot. Heck, my hips, thighs, and back muscles are really sore. Not used to those movements I guess and being out there from 10 am to about 4 pm, it was nothing but hot. I get so involved that I didn't eat anything, just a small pack of crackers, 4 squares and one small bottle of water. You know how it is when you get involved.

So I thought that I had gotten everything close to perfect but was ready to call it a day. So I was not sure just how well I adjusted everything having gotten frustrated a bit. Heck, I read that I could just remove the middle ring without removing the crank but that internet info was incorrect. I had to remove the entire crank to work on it so that took more time and effort. 

I did place my cell out there with a small wifi speaker to play some music while I worked but heard my phone make a strange noise. An alert that it was overheating, sitting in the sun I guess after the sun moved. So I turned it off then restarted it a while later. Tried to look up a few things on the net but the stupid phone disconnected me somehow so I could not get the net, text, or make a call. So some of the things I wanted to look up, I couldn't. But I got it right anyway because when I went to go ride it, it was perfect. I was actually surprised thinking I was in the ballpark but nope, it was all dialed in perfectly.

The only thing I missed was setting the low gear limit screw a little so the low low gear was hitting the front derailleur. I realized it as soon as I rolled the bike around the parking lot for about 30 seconds testing the gear combos. A 10 second adjustment and I was good! I'm really surprised I had it set that well. But hey, someone who hates taking his bike to the shop for reasons, I guess I can see why it was that good ha ha ha! Heck, TC had asked if I wanted to do a ride in the foothills this day but I told him that I was going on the trail for sure and a short ride to test the bike. Doesn't matter who worked on my bike, I wouldn't trust the first ride on the road, with cars and buses, and trucks unless I know everything is perfectly tuned. All I need is to lose a brake cable in front of a semi ha ha ha!

But all was great, much better than I expected and I would have been good but I'm the better safe than sorry type.

I do have anew chain and thought I had a new cassette but only the chain. So I ordered a 105 cassette on ebay but hard to find new stuff. I did but it took a while as well as the SRAM stuff, hard to find in 9 speed. But ordered the 10 9 speed cassette. Thought that if the bike was rough, I would change the chain and cassette but nicely, everything was very smooth. And Gina did insist that I order a Sunrace cassette as well just to try it out so that I would have more options if I ever need another. Good reviews and a bit cheaper so hopefully. I'll be getting both either way so I should be set for a while.

I did go to a shop to look for a hood but nope, nothing. So I asked about the Sora shifters but nope. Matter of fact, the dude asked why I was still messing with 9 speed stuff. Well, I still  have 2 perfectly fine running 9 speed bikes, not sure why I would spend more money just to say I have 10 or 11 speed. In other words, why spend $5000 plus for something that isn't going to make much or a difference? Same feeling towards disc brakes, do I need them? Nope! Would be a big waste of money for me. All I need is a bike to run smoothly so that I can continue to exercise.

The YT video

Nice! No more front cables out front so the gopro will be happier not having to use an extension. Less hardware and less connections. Now the gopro will sit right under my gps. Looks clean too!

Fat Bastard top cap screw ha ha ha! A bday gift from TC last year.

Real test, climbing the 9 and 11% grade, the damn dam climb in the 39 ring and NO SKIPPING. Worked really well and smooth shifting.

A little warm today. Cleaned and polished it up before the ride. Sure enough, the heart rate strap was wet as soon as I put it on ha ha ha!

Boy, Gina and I went to Sizzluh having a good time with Erika. Then to watch The Odyssey at the movies. Ate some caramel popcorn and paid the price. My stomach ain't used to the sheot ha ha ha! Thank goodness for Pepto Bismol ha ha ha!

Descent but looooong movie.

Another one of our friends from Sizzler. Great service and all the perks!

I eat the senior petite steak with rice or potatoes, a bowl of soup, but I always seem to get the extras like a salad bowl cause they all like me because I'm so nice ha ha ha!

Gina is usually the salad bar or steak with a one time to the salad bar.

Solo Seal Beach

 41, felt great.  More later.

Trek bar tape and grease can only mean one thing. 😁

Seal Beach SGRT

 As usual,  setting out for a mellow ride but the wind never let's it happen,  as usual.  A little dizzy yesterday into today so hoping a ride would make it go away. I think it worked. 😄 Trying out the new Phoenix jersey.  Felt good 👍 

                                        

                                                                          Youtube video

Sometimes life ain't fair. Look at these scumbag lowlife fukkers.  Free recreation, free living, no taxes, and all the bikes one can want, or steal! I guess it bothers me as so many take advantage of situations. Like these people get to litter, destroy, and take whatever they want with no recourse. Can't really see the mess they have there, the trash lining the gutters but it's there. 

Not to mention, there are some bleeding heart establishments that give free food to the homeless at the mall. I mean really, there are mentally challenged people, a lot of them there paying for their food. A whole lot of seniors paying as well. But there are a few homeless that go in there and get free meals EVERY FREAKING DAY, AND EVE!!! Seriously, at least two guys I see regularly walk up and order but don't pay taking advantage of the vendor. I mean it is sweet of them to do so, give a free meal but it is very discouraging for us that actually pay. I mean I walk up and pay every time I eat there but these 2 guys eat free all the time. Day and night! Both healthy looking guys, one younger than I  and looks to be in good shape. Fit muscular dude in a tank almost every day showing some muscle. As well as carrying nice luggage and back pack type items. Today he showed up with a very nice LEVI brand  carrying sack. Heck, I can't afford Levi's but this fool can afford to carry some pretty nice accessories. But he doesn't have to pay for his food, but I do. I'm almost tempted to tell them that I am homeless too.

                         Free foosball, and table. How in the F do these morons get this sheot?

Heat Acclimation Tour 🔥 & A Flat (video tomorrow)

 Heat Acclimation Tour 🔥 Solo 37 miles.  Boy it was hot. Felt the fatigue in my shoulders and hips. Average 95 but my GPS said 101 at the top of the trail.  I could feel the heat radiating from my face and chest. But I survived. I almost had 37 miles so I went back on the trail for a couple tenths.  Right at the end felt something was wrong.  Yup, tire was soft. I had a FLAT.  Itty bitty little thorn. 🤨 There was a Heat warning today but nobody said anything about a Flat warning. 🤣

Not till I was logging my ride on Strava did I see Ron said the F word. 🤣

This kid and his brother (they look alike) were out there riding in the heat and wind. Used his image on the YT thumbnail giving him credit for riding than being inside playing video games like a bunch of wussies ha ha ha!

My GoPro covered with the silicon cover made by Telesin, about $15 and has served me well with a couple of drops. Plus I just started using a wrist strap as a tether having had an aluminum mount break in the past. And the little tripod I use to pan around while riding.

Ah, love the leg shots captured unknowingly while setting up the recorder. Sometimes Gina tells me that my legs look cut walking around the mall but I never see it so it's cool to capture it so that I can see what she's talking about ha ha ha!

Heading back, I ran across this dude riding a single speed into the wind and a 91 degree hot day. He was rolling hard at one point.

Azusa Cyn/Pico with Mark & TC

 Good ride with TC and Mark. 2nd in a series of comeback rides for Mark. Surprised me doing so well figuring this ride is mostly a grind heading up to Azusa Cyn. And TC, he always does great and he's good looking too! 😆😄😆

Adding this: I met these guys in HS. been friends for 50 years now! 🤓

Ha, going to leave it. Mistake, no capital B. One would even wonder if I went to high school ha ha ha!

Funny though, Mark is one year older than I but I graduated a year ahead of him, in 1980. I'll let you figure that one out and no, Mark didn't flunk a grade. 😆

A video short from TC's cell. Commentary as well seeing he has a way with words. 😁

Well, the story goes is that Mark was the one who got us involved in cycling back in about 1992. I've been riding ever since consistently but Mark hasn't. Tony mostly over the years as well but breaks here and there but I think I've been the most consistent. So Mark has had plenty of time off but years ago, he was the first to do Ride Around the Bear before they wussified it.  Back when the ride would start in Redlands by the 10 fwy then go up and around to Onyx Summit. Sadly the organizers stopped it and now a new version Tour de Big Bear has taken over. Riding circles around the lake but  not like back in the day.  Yeah, I did the real version 4 times over a 10 year span, was my favorite ride. If they still did it, I would try it again . 

But Mark not having been on the bike much has not kept fit over the years and wanting to ride again, he did a few rides here and there. I invited him to do a ride last week and surprisingly he accepted. So we did a ride on SART from the train station to HB and back. He did very well. When we were close to the finish, he mentioned feeling much better than the ride attempt a week or two earlier. He and Tony made it to Moon Park then headed back. I'm not exactly sure what happened there but.... I told him that he should ride with me and I guarantee he'd have no problem finishing. 

Anybody that rides with me pretty much knows that I ride TOGETHER. 28 years with Gina and I don't think I ever once left her behind. If she got tired, I'd back off giving her a chance to recover. That's the way I ride, sadly so many don't. I can't count the times over the 28 years that I was riding with someone taking a long pull then instead of taking the front to help, they'd sprint off forcing me to close gaps which is no rest at all. Especially when the rider pops as soon as I catch up, like a minute later.

Mark had mentioned having a problem getting out on his own and some frustrations. I told no ma,, that's bull! Get you bike out there, ride with me! If you struggle or get tired, take my wheel, I'll hold a pace that allows you to recover. Again, I'm the ride together guy!

So we did on SART a couple days earlier and he did great. Even took the front when he felt good knowing that if he started to fade, he could take my wheel again to recover. Heck,, he even ended up pulling me some. When he felt good, he'd go to the front and do what he could which gave me good rest.

So I invited him and TC on this ride. I didn't expect that Mark would accept at all but again, I said RIDING TOGETHER.  Surprisingly Mark accepted so we headed up. Rode together and he actually did very well on the first section where it starts to head up. Then the dam, the 9 1nd 11% grades for about 1/3 of a mile. I know seasoned riders who will at times go around the climb riding on a dirt road rather than climb the dam ha ha ha! So I wasn't sure what he would do after that. I thought it might kill his spirits ending up in the 25 mile ride I advertised. I did think that once we got to the Santa FE nature center, he might, might think about going all the way to Azusa Cyn which is another 5 miles of a gentle grade.

We stopped at the SF nature center for a rest and refill. Didn't take much coaxing and he was ready. I was surprised but he had mentioned trying some gentle climbing so here we were and he was game. Heading up no problem which is good as I know a few others who dread the section of the trail and especially not knowing what to expect. I will say that on the flat SART trail, hundreds of bikes. On the flatter section of this trail, SGRT, hundreds of bikes. On the section to the dam, maybe 50 and at the times I ride, maybe 10. But above the dam, there are times I see 5 other riders. AND ABOVE Encanto Park to Azusa Cyn, there have been days that I have seen maybe 1 or 0 riders. Nothing tough but too many riders will find there way out of any kind of climbing ha ha ha!

But Mark went all the way no problem. I was surprised but not surprised knowing what he has done on the bike in the past. So we headed down and the wind is always there but this time, not really too bad.  So it made the ride more pleasurable and good thing Mark got to see this side before we do it again because it's almost always so windy that going down can be tougher than the gentle climb going up.

34 miles, I think is Mark's longest ride in a long time so it was a goal achieved type ride. I did see some fatigue on the last mile or so but I slowed down and rode along so that it was nothing close to discouraging. So even at the end of the ride, he was still looking pretty good and the mission, set it up for a little more mileage in the future. But heck, I told him, ride with me and you'll get there!

Gotta say good job Mark!

10% grade with one hand! 😆 I was actually trying to get my camera out of my pocket on the top section so I could snap a pic of Mark coming up the Dam Climb. But, I was too late. By the time I got it out, he was over the top....Couple of stills from TC's video.