It was an off kilter day, with one boy in survival mode after a nasty tummy bug, and half the family awake through most of the night and stumbling through the morning. Luckily I at least got some sleep. Though I wasn't planning on riding today, two days of rest had me itching to go.Somehow the inevitable rain was slow to arrive, so I hopped on my trusty ride for a quick Lansing climb. What lucky timing! The gusts in Lansing nearly knocked me off the bike, and halfway to Searles Rd., I started to get pelted with rain. Fortunately the heavy rain held off long enough to not make the final descent too worrisome, especially considering the state of my rear tire. It was one of those memorable rides that almost didn't happen, and turned out to be a pretty fun and intense ride, battling fierce winds and rapidly changing weather conditions. It was gratifying to see the odometer click up to 105 miles...good to be ahead of my expected pace for this time in the year.
This pattern of tire wear is partly the result of just so many miles on hill climbs and spinning my rear tire on some climbs. The trainer did equal parts damage as well, and I was waiting to replace the rear tire until indoor cycling season was clearly over.
After a thorough cleaning, I struggled mightily with the cursed new rear tire, and kept pinching my superlight butyl tubes. Three patches and two wicked thumb blood blisters later, the bike is ready to go again. Sometimes I feel like a total fool when I keep messing up a simple tire and tube change. You'd think I'd learn something after so many years of this, but these Vreds are such a tight fit.
Stats:
Distance: 20.07 miles
Avg. speed: 18.7 mph
Vertical ascent: 967 ft.
Calories burned: 1103 kcal
Max. speed: 33.5 mph
Time: 1:04:28
Odometer: 105 miles
Cool, gusty, rainy Lansing loop
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1 comment:
For trainer rides, I'd definitely recommend getting some old junky tires. It looks like you have the same tires that I do, and I know I paid around $25 each for those. I usually give away my older tires (since I don't ride a trainer) after I get enough little slashes in the rubber from glass on the commutes. They are still perfect for trainer riding though.
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