Well, the missus is dragging me off on a holiday on Monday so am packing in as many rides as I can before we go, especially as the weather has decided to be nice for a change -- today was 17C, clear and sunny with not much wind. Where we are going will be hotter (c30C) and very humid, so even if there's an opportunity to ride a bike, it'll be a sweaty affair -- and not on my own steed.
Took off at lunchtime on the '98 Cinder Cone, which has had some TLC since last week's test ride. I replaced the broken Zoom seatpost with an identical version in 26.6mm with a shim (seen below with added mud). It was a better solution than cannibalising the smaller post for parts to fix the 27mm when the smaller one is in much better condition. I also lubed and tightened the front XT hub.
The majority of the ride was much the same as yesterday's, but I really enjoyed the fully rigid experience -- the bike felt direct and planted, accelerating nicely and climbing very well. With the various niggles ironed out, it was a pleasure to ride -- it reminded me a bit of my P7 from the same year.
Failed again to get video of kangaroos along the route -- this time because I got the phone out too soon and became tired of trying to ride with it in one hand, so put it away, only to encounter a few roos much closer than yesterday . . . To do this right, I'll need to unearth my old GoPro and set it up properly with the remote. Enough with the messing about!
Added a bit of extra gravel road at the end -- was surprised to feel quite fit after riding yesterday -- the legs weren't as tired as I'd expected.
