Vehicle maintenance [bicycling, cars]
Jan. 16th, 2026 01:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterYesterday was Baby's First Time getting the annual (bi-annual?) vehicle inspection done. (I am the Baby). Thankfully, the mechanic that S identified for us in Albany could fit that in yesterday, along with an oil change. This mechanic is somewhat old-skool, but in all the best possible ways. I especially appreciate him after visiting so many different mechanics in so many different places in 2024 in the midst of all those road-tripping adventures. It's a relief to learn I don't need to go out and find yet another establishment to tackle yet one more car project. He also had a recommendation for place to ask about auto body rust work that I'd rather pay someone to deal with than try to do myself. It's going to take me longer to get to that task, though.
Based on the car logistics, I rode Princess TinyBike yesterday. I need to figure out a maintenance plan for the Princess soon. She's due for at least new brake pads, which are of a particular sort since the Princess is a Brompton. That just means I can't just walk into any bike shop and expect to find components ready and waiting for me. In December I tried to pay a visit to a new bike shop in town, Blue Tulip Bikes, located not that much further from home than the erstwhile Downtube Bicycles. The shop sign and internet both said the shop opened at 10 am on Saturdays, but the shop definitely wasn't open when I arrived a few minutes past 10 on a Saturday, and a street fight that broke out a block away made me think better of lingering around to wait for the shop to open, sigh.
So, I'm not yet sure what my target destination will be for Brompton components and repair. Annoying. My next stop will be a small shop in Troy. We shall see. I'm highly motivated to get the Princess in tip-top shape soannikusrex can ride her up to Montreal with me in June.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday evening I rode Frodo home (as usual) in a light drizzle, and when I got home, I was amazed to discover just how much sand now coated my feet, panniers, and bike. I got my footwear and panniers rinsed off promptly, but forgot I'd need to do the bike also until I was about to head out to campus this morning. The grime removal itself went fine, but I forgot to factor in that water applied to surfaces will freeze when the air temperature is 17 degrees F. That mostly just affected my shifting. Thankfully, by the time I was ready to leave campus for home, things had had enough time to thaw out and dry such that shifting function was fully restored.
All of which is to say, winter bike maintenance is a PROJECT.
Based on the car logistics, I rode Princess TinyBike yesterday. I need to figure out a maintenance plan for the Princess soon. She's due for at least new brake pads, which are of a particular sort since the Princess is a Brompton. That just means I can't just walk into any bike shop and expect to find components ready and waiting for me. In December I tried to pay a visit to a new bike shop in town, Blue Tulip Bikes, located not that much further from home than the erstwhile Downtube Bicycles. The shop sign and internet both said the shop opened at 10 am on Saturdays, but the shop definitely wasn't open when I arrived a few minutes past 10 on a Saturday, and a street fight that broke out a block away made me think better of lingering around to wait for the shop to open, sigh.
So, I'm not yet sure what my target destination will be for Brompton components and repair. Annoying. My next stop will be a small shop in Troy. We shall see. I'm highly motivated to get the Princess in tip-top shape so
annikusrex can ride her up to Montreal with me in June.Meanwhile, on Wednesday evening I rode Frodo home (as usual) in a light drizzle, and when I got home, I was amazed to discover just how much sand now coated my feet, panniers, and bike. I got my footwear and panniers rinsed off promptly, but forgot I'd need to do the bike also until I was about to head out to campus this morning. The grime removal itself went fine, but I forgot to factor in that water applied to surfaces will freeze when the air temperature is 17 degrees F. That mostly just affected my shifting. Thankfully, by the time I was ready to leave campus for home, things had had enough time to thaw out and dry such that shifting function was fully restored.
All of which is to say, winter bike maintenance is a PROJECT.
