Sunday, April 19, 2009

Zen & the Art of Bicycle Maintenance

Oh, it's you...

::Blows the virtual dust from a poorly neglected blog::

My hands are soaked with chain grease, my finger tips are tender from rerouting derailleur and brake cables. I just spent another long afternoon with the Yoda of bicycle maintenance...


Dave Mann has been my bicycle mentor these past few weeks. He's biked cross country in the 80's from West to East. He's the go-to-guy for everything regarding bicycle maintenance. I've spent a few Sunday afternoons picking Dave's brain and working hard on outfitting my bike for optimal performance during the forthcoming journey. Most of the work consisted of tweaking of gears, truing of tires, etc. However, today's work consisted of totally refitting my bike from STI Shifters (or "Brifters") with new Shimano Dura-Ace bar end shifters and Cane Creek break levers. We also put on the new Speedplay Frog pedals and I'm already taken with them. Here's a picture of the new handlebar setup with the oh-so-sexy Brooks racing leather wrap...


To say that Dave's help has been an amazing blessing would be an egregious understatement. Dave's passion for cycling and the outdoors can only partially explain why he's been so helpful towards me. Dave would be quick to say that he has a load of Karmic debt to pay off from all the times he's been helped out, thus the cyclical pay-it-forward mentality must carry on through me. I can only hope one day that I shall be utilized in such a helpful extent as Dave's generosity has been to me. Speaking of selfless help, my parents have been so supporting throughout this entire process and this generosity was crystallized with their gift to me -- Arkel GT-54 Grand Touring Panniers. The inclusion of these panniers complete the load-out I will be biking with. Here is a picture that was taken a few nights ago:


Most parents would become quite enraged if you told them you were leaving your job and Grad school for 2 months of bicycling across a continent; conversely, my parents have been supportive since day # 1 and I am eternally grateful for their love and support...

Ok this a quick blog post, but I'll try to keep proactive in updating more often as trip logistics come to fruition. Oh, and make sure to come by campus on Saturday from 10am to 2pm for Earthfest events, including my workshop on basic bicycle maintenance and safe urban riding tips. Cheers!

0 comments:

Post a Comment

| Top ↑ |