Winter's Muck and Unfinished Projects

Had a swell round-about-town errand running/fun ride yesterday. Today looks even better although I do need to put in some hours at work today or my ass will definitely be in a sling tomorrow.

My wife is out of town visiting her folks this weekend so I decided to take some time off on the home improvement front. Lynn's bike has been in pieces most of the winter for a tune-up and conversion to single speed. Hubs: greased and adjusted. Brakes: recabled, rebuilt, readjusted. Bottom of the barrel Shimano front and rear derailer: toasted. It's starting to look pretty good. I love the uncluttered appearance with all the gear shifting doo-dads removed. Not quite finished but real close. Also managed to replace the original "off-road" tires with some 1.5" road slicks.

I pulled the wheels off of the Vanilla Pig. A winter of salt and goo has them looking pretty tough. Managed to get them cleaned up; greased and adjusted. The spokes need some cleaning with an abrasive pad as the salt/rust/whatever that stuff is had attached pretty firmly. The boys at Express Bike Shop had all the parts I needed for the weekend. I enjoy digging through their used parts. Yesteryear's cast-offs find a new home. Good quality stuff with plenty of life left is spared the landfill. The Pig will be down for a time for a complete maintenance run. If I ever manage to be able to retire I'm definitely looking at being a part-time bike wrench. I enjoy making the beat fresh again.

Enjoy your day. Get out and ride. Adios for now.