Before I could set out, I had to replace the saddle that broke during last week’s ride. I have another Brooks, a C15 that I’d used until my Lejog attempt ended in tears.

It took only a few minutes to replace the saddle, cleaning and greasing the bolts before torquing them to the correct specification. Then after taking the photo above, I realized the saddle was a bit nose-high, and so I did it again. I’d already put away the torque wrench so I did it by feel on the second go.

While I had Kuroko in the Workshop in the Sky, I also added a bit of air to the tires and then put her in the stand for some cleaning and adjustment. After cleaning and lubricating the chain, I adjusted both front and rear derailleurs following this guide by the Better Shifting guy.

Kuroko is quite splattered with mud following last week’s splash through the puddles, but I figured we’d be in for more of the same, so I didn’t bother with any washing up other than the chain.

Race to the bottom

Setting out, I immediately noticed how different the C15 feels from the leather B17. The plastic saddle is hard but supportive. At first I thought the nose was still a bit high, but I soon found a position that was comfortable.

The shifting was smooth and quiet, a definite improvement over how it had been for the last few months. I was soon cruising along at speed, enjoying the silence of the cogs.

Considering my options and given the late start (it was already after 10), I thought I’d head to Kawagoe and enjoy the cherry blossoms along the way. When I got to Arakawa there was a marathon in progress, but they allowed cyclists to ride through. As I turned upstream I was heading into the wind, but it wasn’t overpowering. For a minute or two I had doubts about getting to Kawagoe and back again by 4 p.m. as I’d promised Nana, but I decided I was doing well enough and continued on my way.

The sky remained grey and forbidding. I passed by little leaguers shouting and running in the dirt fields, men with gas-powered trimmers hacking back the grass and weeds, and even sheep out grazing on the banks of the levee.

Despite the lack of sunshine, Kawagoe was even more jam-packed than usual, with crowds overflowing into the street and bringing traffic to a crawl. It was too crowded to try to get around the cars as I often do, so I just sat up on the bike and patiently waited. I finally reached Toko-no-kane for a selfie before returning to the park on the outskirts of town for lunch. Along the way I stopped on several occasions to snap photos of the sakura.

With my goal of getting home by 4, I’d been taking minimal breaks along the way. I made sure that lunch was no different, and I finished three of Nana’s world-famous onigiri in just 18 minutes. I still felt a bit peckish as I mounted up again — I hadn’t picked up any additional food at the convenience store along the way — but the feeling soon subsided as I pedaled homeward.

The wind was largely with me on the way back downriver. My best 5km time on the way upriver was 14:54, for an average of 20.1km/h, but 18km/h was more typical. Coming back downriver and with the wind, I hit a best of 12:47 for 23.5km/h. Even in a segment that included the climb up to the UFO floodgate and a two-minute rest at the top, I still clocked 14:34.

Back into traffic

I got back to my starting point of the Arakawa at 2:43 and messaged Nana I would be home by 4 as I’d promised. I’d had my shades on for the downriver run as the sun had come peeking out of the clouds at times, but it was turning darker again. I removed my shades and turned on my lights before heading into traffic.

I felt stronger on the way home than I have in some time. Checking the clock at a traffic light, I saw there was a good chance I’d be home by 3:45 and bring the total ride time down below 5 hours 30 minutes. I continued on a steady pace, not trying to race home, and noting with satisfaction that my goal appeared within reach.

I felt a few sprinkles of rain as I climbed one of several hills on Yamate Dori leading home. Then I dodged around a police car blocking my lane on a swift downhill. I had to wait for the light at Miyashita, at the foot of the climb, and so had to make my way up to Nakano Sakaue from a standing start. But I got through the light at the top of the climb, and then had to wait for another light and then a line of traffic before I could finally get back to the tower.

Garmie showed me at 5 hours 8 minutes total elapsed time. But for once, Strava had the right of it at 5:20:09 as I’d left at 10:13 and returned at 3:33. That’s still a very good time overall. My record for this route is 5 hours 8 minutes, and I’d done it in 5:25 on my most recent go. That ride also shows the distance as 83.92km, and the gap in the GPS record shown above is about 3km.

Assuming a distance of 83.5km and taking the moving time of 4:11:45 from Strava (for a change), I get an average moving speed of 19.9km/h.

Other mechanical stuff

During the ride at some point I glanced down at the bars and noticed they were crooked compared to the front wheel. This must have happened when I retightened the headset recently. I could have taken a moment to adjust it, but the headset was perfect and I didn’t notice while I was riding — compensating totally unconsciously. After that first notice, though, I couldn’t help seeing it each time I came to a stop and checked Garmie. I’m going to replace the headset and fork sometime soon, so I’ll deal with it then.