Month: October 2021
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New project: Switching to Glide
I’ve been contemplating for some time a rather involved upgrade to Kuroko: replacing the drivetrain (already upgraded on more than one occasion) with Shimano’s GRX line, and the electronic Di2 version at that. There are several reasons behind the desire to upgrade, including the fact I’ve become addicted to making over bikes since I had…
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A big push!
The day dawned clear and windy. Between the forecast for wind and some sneezing that started last night and continued this morning, I put off plans for a longer ride and decided to get out to the Arakawa and see which way the wind was blowing. The ride in traffic to the Arakawa was uneventful.…
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Got it in … two
I’ve got the week off work, so I set off this morning in perfect weather — if a bit chilly. I wore my obnoxiously yellow windbreaker over my usual accoutrements, and that did the trick. My goal today was twofold: get to the top of Otarumi Touge (in one go if possible) and then loop…
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Splish Splash Yokohama
I left the house a bit after 7 in a mist of fine sprinkles, which I guess fit the forecast of a 20% chance of rain. By the time I reached Futako to meet up with the Halfakid, though, the sprinkling was heavy enough that rain was dripping from my helmet and nose. I think…
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The Whole Enchilada
After yesterday’s learning experience, I was confident that Kuroko was up for a nice, long ride. The only question was whether I wanted to challenge Otarumi Touge once more, or do the length of the Tamagawa cycling course, which I haven’t done since January. Considering the relative amounts of climbing involved and my recent training…
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Learning experience
Last weekend, on my first ride on Kuroko in several weeks, the bell failed. Apart from being a violation of the law, this can be a fairly big safety issue when riding on mixed-use paths with pedestrians and other cyclists. I also noticed a rattling noise. It would happen in time with my pedaling, and…
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Stories I could tell
When I racked up more than half of my 400km ride total in September via commuting, I related a few stories of things I’d seen. I rode my first commute of October today, and garnered a couple of more tales on my way home this evening. But they’re thirsty! There’s a brief rise just about…
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Huh. Might wanna look at that
This seems like something I should have a look at before just replacing the BB following Sunday’s maraca ride. The forecast for next Sunday is it would be a good chance to get Nana to shut up about my hair length. So probably also a good chance to have a look at this before ordering…
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Hello, Old Friend
I’ve commuted with Dionysus eight times since I was last out for a weekend ride on Kuroko. Riding Dionysus is fun, but the moment I mount up on Kuroko it’s like putting on an old shoe: comfortable and familiar. I’d spent some time the evening before the ride putting a spacer in the rear cogs…