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I did manage to put new front brake pads on Frodo yesterday. This morning, shortly after I left the house, something started scraping on the front wheel's rim. Upon inspection, there was a lump of metal stuck to the rim. I had to use a knife to scrape it off. I'm not sure if it kind of froze there, or what, but the inspection also suggested to me that it's probably time to start shopping for a new front wheel for Frodo now, sigh, because the rim is very worn. This is only slightly complicated because the front wheel has a generator hub. I can either take the existing wheel apart and send the hub up to Peter White, or I can pay a couple hundred additional dollars to have a full replacement built. It's somewhat tempting to get the full replacement, because it, too, will have a finite lifespan, and then I'll be able to have a spare built up and ready to go. Before I contact Peter White, I also need to figure out what Froinlavin needs in terms of wiring work, so I can put in one order all at once. A project for tomorrow afternoon.
I also remembered this morning, the rule: always put on one more layer than you think you'll need to wear when it's cold out. So I did better on that front.
And also how in the winter, it's helpful to wear thin wool gloves inside the mittens, so that when it comes time to handle bare metal outdoors (i.e. bike lock), I don't have to touch the bare metal with bare hands.
When I was changing out Frodo's brake pads, I was also reminded that the daily campus bike rinse is non-negotiable; drivetrains start to rust instantly (and I mean, INSTANTLY) from how much salt gets applied to the roads around here.
I need a boot tray for my bike in my office.
And I was glad that there was still a handy little bottle of chain lube in Frodo's front basket.
Our closest local bike shop out here closed down suddenly last year. Someone was going to try and do something to get it to reopen, but I don't think anything has happened yet.
In the meantime, an REI has opened up at the larger of the local malls. Up until now I've been ordering some bike parts from REI online, but now I'll probably try to just go up there in person to stockpile what I can.
I do like the next-closest bike shop, but it's in a location that's annoying to reach by bike (or otherwise) from our house, and I don't yet have a fix on the hours, parts inventory, or turnaround time for service requests. The trouble with the bike shop being further away is that if I have to leave a bike there, I have to cart along a second bike to achieve the dropoff. You might ask, "Why not drive?" but the answer is, no, that's even worse.
I also remembered this morning, the rule: always put on one more layer than you think you'll need to wear when it's cold out. So I did better on that front.
And also how in the winter, it's helpful to wear thin wool gloves inside the mittens, so that when it comes time to handle bare metal outdoors (i.e. bike lock), I don't have to touch the bare metal with bare hands.
When I was changing out Frodo's brake pads, I was also reminded that the daily campus bike rinse is non-negotiable; drivetrains start to rust instantly (and I mean, INSTANTLY) from how much salt gets applied to the roads around here.
I need a boot tray for my bike in my office.
And I was glad that there was still a handy little bottle of chain lube in Frodo's front basket.
Our closest local bike shop out here closed down suddenly last year. Someone was going to try and do something to get it to reopen, but I don't think anything has happened yet.
In the meantime, an REI has opened up at the larger of the local malls. Up until now I've been ordering some bike parts from REI online, but now I'll probably try to just go up there in person to stockpile what I can.
I do like the next-closest bike shop, but it's in a location that's annoying to reach by bike (or otherwise) from our house, and I don't yet have a fix on the hours, parts inventory, or turnaround time for service requests. The trouble with the bike shop being further away is that if I have to leave a bike there, I have to cart along a second bike to achieve the dropoff. You might ask, "Why not drive?" but the answer is, no, that's even worse.
