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.
Last ride before going off on holiday. Dropped the dog off at the kennels and couldn't help but notice that the sun was shining very nicely although it was (as usual) quite windy outside town. Still, it seemed the right juncture to take the Jake off the turbo trainer where it has served so well through the winter. Gave it a once-over and lubed the chain before setting off for another one-hour bash around the familiar gravel roads hereabouts.
As expected, the wind was stronger once out of town, and surprisingly chilly, but managed a nice 20-odd km with 280m elevation in my allotted hour. Now back home, where the missus wants the whole place spring-cleaned before we leave in the morning -- presumably in case any burglers get a negative impression of our housekeeping habits while we're away.
