What A Drag!

So, I was procrastinating on Saturday and didn't get a ride in due to a mid-day phone call to fill in on guitar in the church band I play in. It wasn't my week to play, but the guy that was on for the weekend came down ill. That's what I get for not waking up in the morning right away and getting it done.

So, things were looking good for a ride to church on Sunday morning, since I would be meeting Mrs. Guitar Ted later and hitching a ride home. I looked around for a likely ride. I pulled out the El Mariachi for the job. Pumped up the tires and went on my way.

Now while it is winter, and the rolling resistance is up some, I knew that I was working way harder than I needed to. At first I thought it might be the Rampage front tire. I was running it pretty low and I could here the knobs singing when I hit the dry patches of pavement. Rampages are not the best rollers, and for maximum bite and traction on ice, I knew I was giving something away in terms of rolling resistance there. Still, it seemed as if I was pedaling far harder than I should have to.

For awhile, I chalked it up to just being way out of shape. But even though I have much to gain in that area, it wasn't all the fault of my low level of fitness now either. Nope! It was something else.

My rear brake was dragging. Really badly! I thought I had fixed it, and had parked the bike when I last worked on it sure that I had it figured out. Hrummmpf! I guess not! And my legs are still sore from the ride!

I'm blaming it all on "basement gnomes" for now!

Saturday evening I dug out a couple skinny tired, (for me) bikes to do some crummy weather training on. I know sooner or later that the snow will start melting, and the gravel will get peanut buttery. I grabbed the Ranier and the CrissCross and started setting them up as single speed, fendered, 40-ish millimeter wide tired gravel training rigs. I have one more set of fenders too, and one more bike that can get in on this rotation if need be in my Grand Prix fixie. So, I'll have no excuses for not putting time in on the gravel this spring when things get mucky. While one bike is getting re-habbed from a wet gravel mess, the others can be pressed into duty.

Well, it's a plan anyway!