Not been very active due to Vals mother passing away recently after being diagnosed with an inoperable lung tumor. The service went well not withstanding cemetarys are busy places these days.
Not got enough miles in but other than that I think I’m OK ish.
More later including Andy,s 2 bin bags of weed find on Wirral streets.
What hasn’t made it to the blog but did appear on Twitter was I had a big off on last Sundays ride (18 Mar) out to the Ice Cream Farm to see the grand kids.
Had a leisurely ride out to the Eureka catching up with things with one of the CTC. Gary from the Sunlight came past and in normal circumstances I would have grabbed a wheel but let it go this time.
Had breakfast at the Eureka before setting out along the Dee cyclepath to Chester. Now it had thrown it down during the night but I awoke to rapidly drying roads so had set out on the Trek.
I’d passed three guys after Saltney Ferry bridge and the plan was to go around the Roo Dee Racecourse cyclepath using the River Dee Promenade whch is at the back of the new appartments and the racecourse stables.
Turned of the road and went past the first block of appartments but where it links to the back of the stables is a stretch of wooden decking. I thought nothing of it as I passed a woman walking a dog. Bang, a slit second later I had hit the deck and hard too.
I got up, with the dog walker coming back to see if I was alright, I said I was but I think I was putting a brave face on it.
I’d lost a water bottle and saw my Iphone skittle across the decking. The bike didn’t seem damaged so it I thought I’d continue the ride.
The cause was the sun hadn’t dried out the wet decking and it was like an Ice rink. I didn’t stand a chance. I’d managed to stop the tree cyclists from the cyclepath meeting the same end and continued on calling in at the Bike Factory to look at some bike. There’s a nice Madone 5.9 with Ultegra UI2 on it that caught my eye.
Got to the playbarn hurting a bit but nothing to bad. Had a few hours with the grandkids and opted to ride home, refusing a lift from Val.
Taking the canal path at Waverton proved to be a mistake as the sun had brought out all the prams and dogwalkers so I didn’t get anywhere fast.
Apart from the sore leg and and elbow, I had a pain in the chest every time I came out of the saddle. I threw the towel in at Upton by Chester and rang for a lift home. The damage is a massive bruise to the thigh an abrasion to the forearm and what seems to be a cracked rib as it hurts when I sneeze etc even a week later.
Final sections of the kitchen refurb on Friday and Saturday with two larder units being cut down to size. The back room resembling a sawmill. I missed a cracking ride day on the Saturday but planned to get out on Sunday.
Sunday Rose early to clean and fettle the bike. Hadn’t planned to rush out but one thing led to another. New brake blocks for the front with the chain getting cleaned with TF2.
6700 Chain I’ve read all the forums and tech articles about chain cleaning or the lack of it (Shimano recomend you don’t) and after using a good portion of a tin of TF2 I still wasn’t happy.
I’ve been using wax,s for the last couple of months but the slots in the link plates appear to by blocked up with crap.
The chain went through a 4 phase ultrasonic clean as follows.
- Water and Fairy liquid. Removed grit but not too effective on oil and grease.
- Water and Fairy liquid. Removed more grit but not too effective on oil and grease.
- Water and Gunk. Starting to get somewhere now but not 100%.
- White spirit. The chain came out clean but there are still residues that settle.
Lubed with Goldtop oil and set off for a test ride.
When I say test ride, it’s a test for next weekends CTC spring 50.
It starts with a mile and a half uphill drag out of Kinnerton and if I’m having trouble climbing I may as well not start. More later.
Frank Kinlan's Blog 