Another week has come and gone

It was not the best week for cycling to work. I did get to ride to work twice, though. My hopes for riding Friday were dashed by a lunch meeting that was announced on Thursday--I wasn't really ready for an extra round trip over the bridge that day, and as I mentioned, the low Friday morning was a bit below my usual minimum.

I wound up driving out to the bike shop after work to work on a bike that had been damaged in the owner's garage. It's amazing what a slight bump from a car can do to a bicycle frame. The bike needs a new wheel in addition to the cold-re-forging of the rear frame triangle. I also collected parts for a wheel set ordered by another customer. I found out today that the customer had intended to build the wheels himself, but was discouraged from doing so by the shop owner--who himself has not mastered the technique--in favor of having me build them. I got them laced at home this morning, only to find that the spoke nipples are an odd size for which I do not have the correct wrench. Took them to the shop and did what needed doing there in the afternoon, and while at the shop, started buying parts and accessories for Jenn's commuter rig.

I mentioned her "new/old" bike in another post here. She bought an early-1980s Peugeot mixte frame ten-speed bike that frankly looks like the ancestor to today's hybrid bikes. Like me, Jenn loves her recumbent bike, but also like my 'bents, her 'bent won't fit on the TARC bus bike racks, and she wants that "multi-modal" option for her commute. Today's haul included a scrapped derailleur for pulleys for her existing one, a rear rack, some fenders, a light set, dual-use pedals, and a few cold-weather clothing items. She'll do a guided tune-up on the bike tomorrow and we'll install the rack and fenders so that if weather permits, she can start biking to the TARC route this week. She is excited about this--if the weather is decent, she can ride all the way home from work, and use the "Bikes on Board" feature of TARC buses to get to work clean and fresh. Very cool, indeed.