Took the weekend off to maintenance some of the fleet here. The Dos had dried up clay all over it and I cleaned it up and inspected it. The drive train is going to need some attention. That clay/water/gravel slurry did a number on things!
The Raleigh also got some love over the weekend. Cleaned her up, cleaned the drive train and looked it over good. Looks like a bit of paint is missing here and there. I'll need to touch that up soon. Put on a new to me Salsa seat collar on it, (Thanks d.p.!) and it sure looks sweet! Red anodized and it makes me want to get a red ano head set now. Hmm.........that'll have to wait, but for now at least my seat height shouldn't be changing during rides!
Ahh, the maintenance break! I enjoy getting things back into tip-top working order again. It's a satisfying endeavor. It pays big dividends too. There is nothing like a nagging mechanical problem to harsh your shred. Like the Raleigh, for instance. It wouldn't shift into the "granny"ring. Turns out the front mech was slightly askew, making it next to impossible to drop the chain into that gear. Too bad I didn't fix it long ago, but then again I learned how to suffer in the middle ring because of it. Hmm.....maybe I shouldn't have fixed that!
The bikes are working better, and that's the main point. Looking great is a side benefit, as is finding potential problems before they knock you out of your groove on a ride. I know it's tough to stop having all of this fun while the warm weather is here, but taking those necessary maintenance steps can not only save you time out on the trail, save your ride, but in some instances may even save your hide! Take for instance my changing out front brake pads on the Inbred. I never knew it could stop so well! Might have saved me some skin there when I ride the four man 12 hour race coming up Labor Day weekend.
You never know!
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