Tag: Mechanical
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International Twist Your Seatpost Day
Happy International Twist Your Seatpost Day to all who celebrate! And that should include everyone who has a seatpost. It’s very simple to play along: It’s important to do this on a regular basis — at least once a year — to avoid having the seatpost seize in the bicycle frame. Take it from someone…
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Catch-up potpourri
I’ve been quiet over the past couple of weeks as I’ve struggled with the aftermath of a self-inflicted mechanical, something that I really should know better than to have allowed to have happened. I was able to get home with no trouble, but when I hit a roadblock in sorting out the problem, I got…
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I’ve been told I’m cracked
Following the fight last weekend to release the bleed screw for Kuroko’s front brake, I rode the bike to the office on Monday. All seemed well at first except the front brake was pulsing: grabbing and releasing. This is often associated with a loose headset, and when I got to the office I had a…
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Splittin’ heads
It’s been seven weeks since I put new wheels, tires, cassette, chain, brake pads and disc rotors on Kuroko in one big maintenance session. After a huge fight to get the tires on the rims, the stopping point in the end was the front brake caliper, which wouldn’t expand enough to allow the wheel to…
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I’m Back, B’s!
It’s just a week to go for the Tour de Chiba and I haven’t been on the bike since the Heat Wave ride in June. (I did get in a few commutes on Dionysus.) I got the new fork and headset sorted out just last weekend, and meanwhile between the heat and the rain there…
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That’s just swell
Following the Edogawa Century, I charged up all my GoPro batteries in the dual-battery charger. Then in the process of swapping one into the camera, I dropped it on the floor — just a simple drop of less than 60cm. But then when I picked it up, it wouldn’t fit in the camera. I had…
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Well that sucks
The forecast today was for warm weather with light wind, following several days of rain and gale-force winds. Ever since I discovered the entrance to Tamagawa Sky Bridge, I’ve wanted to try starting from there to go to Yokohama, and I thought today might be the day to do that. Nana had not prepared any…
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Lotus Power
I set out in spring-like weather this morning to see the kawazuzakura in bloom along the Tamagawa. In fact I should have gone last weekend — I’ve missed the peak, but there were still many blossoms on display. I had a bit of a mechanical before I even set out this morning: when I picked…
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Auntie Clockwise
I’ve ridden Biwaichi — the route around Biwako, Japan’s largest lake — once before, in 2014 with Fearless Leader Joe and Sanborn. I’ve had a number of invitations to join rides since then, and finally decided my holiday this week was a good chance. José hadn’t done the ride before and quickly agreed to join.…