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I was finally able to pick up the new rear wheel for Frodo Thursday evening, but didn't have the time or energy to install it until this morning. It is a Velocity, per our local bike shop's recommendation, as they know my riding habits pretty well by now.
The rear cassette got a good cleaning as well.
Then I rode in to work for a student recruitment event, and then graded papers for a couple hours. I'd almost forgotten how much easier it is to ride a full-size bike instead of a Brompton.
Even though I tried to do a thorough job of rinsing off the road salt, I missed some spots.
If anyone ever asks me about winter bike commuting, remind me to tell them that the post-ride rinse is mandatory after EVERY ride.
-
Meanwhile, I am trying to think about how to plan out upcoming expenses. There are some dilemmas and things that aren't ideal.
Car expenses: I need to get an EZPass set up. I should buy one of those windshield ice scraper things. Probably a half-dozen other convenience items. Eventually, buying a hitch and having it installed. Possibly next winter, snow tires. All these things make me look at the money I spend on rowing and think, yeah, rowing is the hole I'd rather throw money into. I am going to postpone dealing with most of these things for the moment, because I don't really need to drive anywhere right now, and I'd rather not get the car covered in road salt.
My heart rate monitor died recently. It is not at all urgent to replace it, it is just annoying that I can't check it easily during rowing practices. I'll deal with it eventually. In the meantime, there are plenty of other training tools and metrics at my disposal.
Bicycling: Even after I take a look at S's Bianchi and then haul it in to campus, I am still going to be 1 bike short for my bicycling class this spring. I may have a lead on a possible bike that won't be horribly expensive, but the cost is still coming out of my own pocket. I realize this is pretty silly, but on the other hand I firmly believe this class is important for getting more people out on bikes, which is a big deal for the long term. It's just hard to shell out again, at a time when I know I'm looking at an expensive summer and fall. And this is an expense that can't really wait.
There are a couple of things for the cats that aren't strictly necessary either, but could be / will be improvements.
I have had to reluctantly conclude that some dress shirts I bought online in the fall are too small, to go along with a wool cycling jersey I bought last year that is way too small. I hate shopping for clothing online. Meanwhile, two of my older dress shirts have finally died. So I went ahead and bought the same shirts again, a size larger. They are all kind of niche designs (ants, bicycles, rowing) and come from overseas so I am not sure of what to do with the too-small ones now. Probably they will go to a thrift store. I have become One of Those People. My losses will be someone else's gain.
...at the end of the day, First World Problems, let's face it. There's plenty of food in the fridge, the bills are getting paid on time. The other things just take time, creativity, and patience, and more often than not, there's satisfaction to be had from finding clever solutions instead of just throwing money at every small problem.
The rear cassette got a good cleaning as well.
Then I rode in to work for a student recruitment event, and then graded papers for a couple hours. I'd almost forgotten how much easier it is to ride a full-size bike instead of a Brompton.
Even though I tried to do a thorough job of rinsing off the road salt, I missed some spots.
If anyone ever asks me about winter bike commuting, remind me to tell them that the post-ride rinse is mandatory after EVERY ride.
-
Meanwhile, I am trying to think about how to plan out upcoming expenses. There are some dilemmas and things that aren't ideal.
Car expenses: I need to get an EZPass set up. I should buy one of those windshield ice scraper things. Probably a half-dozen other convenience items. Eventually, buying a hitch and having it installed. Possibly next winter, snow tires. All these things make me look at the money I spend on rowing and think, yeah, rowing is the hole I'd rather throw money into. I am going to postpone dealing with most of these things for the moment, because I don't really need to drive anywhere right now, and I'd rather not get the car covered in road salt.
My heart rate monitor died recently. It is not at all urgent to replace it, it is just annoying that I can't check it easily during rowing practices. I'll deal with it eventually. In the meantime, there are plenty of other training tools and metrics at my disposal.
Bicycling: Even after I take a look at S's Bianchi and then haul it in to campus, I am still going to be 1 bike short for my bicycling class this spring. I may have a lead on a possible bike that won't be horribly expensive, but the cost is still coming out of my own pocket. I realize this is pretty silly, but on the other hand I firmly believe this class is important for getting more people out on bikes, which is a big deal for the long term. It's just hard to shell out again, at a time when I know I'm looking at an expensive summer and fall. And this is an expense that can't really wait.
There are a couple of things for the cats that aren't strictly necessary either, but could be / will be improvements.
I have had to reluctantly conclude that some dress shirts I bought online in the fall are too small, to go along with a wool cycling jersey I bought last year that is way too small. I hate shopping for clothing online. Meanwhile, two of my older dress shirts have finally died. So I went ahead and bought the same shirts again, a size larger. They are all kind of niche designs (ants, bicycles, rowing) and come from overseas so I am not sure of what to do with the too-small ones now. Probably they will go to a thrift store. I have become One of Those People. My losses will be someone else's gain.
...at the end of the day, First World Problems, let's face it. There's plenty of food in the fridge, the bills are getting paid on time. The other things just take time, creativity, and patience, and more often than not, there's satisfaction to be had from finding clever solutions instead of just throwing money at every small problem.
