Back in the saddle
Today was the first day on the bike since Saturday. It rained heavily on Monday. Tuesday was cold and windy, and it snowed starting about an hour before the library closed. The snow continued into yesterday afternoon.
I was kinda pissed that I had to take the bus again. It felt foreign, in fact. Then again, it was dry.
My new rainpants arrived today, but the bike is still fenderless, so it’ll have to stay home tomorrow. They’re calling for heavy rain. It is April after all. The rainpants will work just as effectively walking and waiting for the bus.
I’d forgotten how expensive Gore-Tex is, so rather than a whole new hi-viz rainsuit, I got just the pants to go with my raincoat. And that was $98. I remember now when I bought the coat that it was almost as much as my winter coat, which was why I didn’t get the pants at the time. Just too much money.
Well, they don’t have the same color any more, so I’ll have an olive coat and navy pants. I’ll be a walking Army-Navy store. For visibility I’ll have to make due with my lights and buy some armbands and Ankle-Biters. That’s the brand of legbands to keep your pants out of the chain that they sell at the bike shop. Cute name. And they come in yellow with reflective tape.
It was cold today, which made me glad I bought gloves. They’re not winter-grade by any stretch, but they kept my hands warm enough that they didn’t turn colors.
I finally found the right combination of adjustments for the seat. I’d made an adjustment on Saturday when I got home and it was real close. I stopped in the park on the way to the hospital today and tweaked it a bit more.
Well, what a difference! My legs don’t feel crowded and I can really put some push into the pedals without having to stand or gear-down. I don’t feel like I’m sliding forward and I can relax my arms and shoulders.
I also altered my route, taking Highland Ave to South Ave to avoid the hill on Elmwood Ave to the Al Sigl Center that gave me trouble last week. It was nice riding through the lower part of Highland Park. Nothing really to see there yet. The daffodils aren’t even up. But the Vietnam Vets Memorial worked just fine to rest the bike while I got out the tools.
On the way back, I stopped to get my glasses adjusted then went to the bike shop. From the day I got the bike, I thought the seatpost suspension was, well, a little tight. Like no give at all. I wanted to get the saddle postion dialed-in before going back to have it looked at.
Well, it wasn’t an adjustment matter at all. They ordered a new one from the factory. It’ll be in next week. Meanwhile, I’m getting used to the bumps with no seatpost suspension. My rump can take it, but given my age, I’d better be kind to my spine.
