2011 Streak 109/365: Bike maintenance

2011 Streak 109/365: Walk - 2 miles, time - 40 min, Weather - sunny with blue skies

Just like the day before yesterday this was a day with the minimum amount of exercise with the rest of my time was spent on bike maintenance.

And for the second time in three days I will say that there is something quite therapeutic about stripping, cleaning, and adjusting the parts of a bike so that they then run smoothly. However it can be time consuming, especially if they are old bikes that have not been touched in a long long time.

I have not been mountain biking for ages. For many years trails through woodlands and down hills was my main cycling pleasure but for reasons that are still not quite clear I changed and I now mostly ride a road bike. So in my garage there are two neglected mountain bikes - a hard tail that dates from the early 1993 and a full suspension from 2003/4;  that need to be bought back to life.

I was actually quite pleased with how well they both scrubbed up. To my great surprise a pair of 1995 Rock Shox Judy front suspension forks worked just fine.  The major problem was however the pedals. Unfortunately instead of buying Shimano spds, I chose a competing design by a now defunct firm. Of course I no longer have the shoes with the appropriate cleats and so the pedals are now useless.

Part of the fun of mountain biking in the early years was the number of small firms who would produce innovative components. An early flowering of creativity before it all settled down into an established pattern of a few market leaders.  Sometimes there was a pleasure in using something by one of the small guys but there was always the risk they would fade away and the product would become obsolete. Just one of those things.

I suppose I ought to have taken a picture of one of the bikes on the cycle stand to show work in progress but I didn't. Instead the photo is of a bluebell by a silver birch. It is a reminder of bluebell season and the need for me to go to Ashridge, where they are at their most magnificent. This photo is thus a taster for others.

Bluebell Woods

The bluebells have been spectacular this year. So yesterday I remembered to take my camera.

These really are beautiful beech woods and whenever I run along the footpaths I feel very fortunate. Whatever the shape I am in, however laboured the effort, it doesn't matter. Just being here, being able to move, to breath and to listen, is enough. (listening refers particularly to the birdsong , which can often fill the air).

The best time to run is fairly early in the morning before most people arrive. When it is quieter it is common to see the deer, as in this photo.


In parts of the wood there is just a carpet of blue.



At other times it looks like a lake.