That was the week that was

Well, not entirely. The title I've used is not original--there was a news review show by that name in the 1960s. Some of the music for the American version was written by Tom Lehrer. Some of the writing for the original show (on BBC) was done by chaps that went on to join Monty Python's Flying Circus.

In any event, it was a hectic, confusing week for me. I got to ride to work a few days--Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all on the Ryan. On Monday, I was still feeling the after-effects of my recent cold, but as noted, it felt good to ride. Tuesday was the second of my four classes I'm teaching, on most basic bike maintenance (same thing happening tomorrow night and next Tuesday night). I went out to Crestwood Thursday, Friday and Saturday to work on various projects--two rear wheels and a major overhaul for three different customers.

The major overhaul is one that has been needed for some time. If I'd done this a year ago, I might not have had to replace as many parts, but who knows? I'm sure the owner of this bike will enjoy the results--riding the bike will be much more enjoyable with all the systems working to the best of their capabilities. It needed parts that we didn't have on hand, and I lost the weekend to shipping schedules (can't order parts after 8:00 PM Thursday for Friday delivery). Hopefully those parts will arrive later today, and I will be able to make progress on the bike this evening.

I enjoy building wheels, and especially enjoy building wheels that I know will be ridden. Both of the wheels I built focused on durability, although the respective owners came up with different ways to get similar results. To be honest, their needs differed a bit as well. I was pleased with each wheel in all stages of assembly and truing. I think each will serve its owner well.

I finally got the handlebar issue on the Raleigh resolved. However, I had been concerned that I would have to replace my brake cables, due to the different placement (taller and longer stem). The brake cables were fine, but the shift cable is too short. I've not been able to find cables for Sturmey-Archer 3-speed stuff in either of my main sources for such things. The current cable was purchased at a bike shop that will for the moment remain nameless, and the owner of that shop has accused me of speaking ill of his shop, so I figure I'm persona non grata there and will have to find another source for my gear cable. Oh, well, they are out of my way anyway. I'll stop at Clarksville Schwinn later today and see if they have any.

The shift cable is not short enough that I can't ride the bike, but I'd be happier if it had a bit more length. After riding the RCCS ride yesterday on the Vanguard, I felt like a change of pace for today's ride to work, and brought out the Raleigh. My legs felt pretty good, despite their joy at arriving at the car after the 48 miles or so of "gently rolling" terrain with a few steep hills tossed in for fun.

Jenn started the ride yesterday, but quickly found that a) she's not up to riding lots of hills yet this season and b) her BikeE doesn't climb as well as she'd like. She stopped to rest under a tree for a bit, and rode back to the starting point on her own. She then went out to explore a couple of places near the starting point (she loves to shop at thrift stores, and there was one close by), and found a couple of nifty things to get. After the ride, we enjoyed socializing at Charlestown Pizza Company.

I have to give a tip o' the helmet to Charlestown Pizza Company. I'd heard that they served beer instead of swill, and was far from disappointed. They don't seem to offer anything from the mass swill producers. At all. I had a couple of fine brews that I'd never seen prior to yesterday, and will be seeking said brews on my own in the future. Their pizza was pretty tasty, too.