Since I’m on about every bicycle oriented mailing list that exists, it
didn’t suprise me that BuyCycling started sending me unrequested copies
of their magazine a few months back. I must admit, upon receiving
editions like this in the mail, it was pretty easy to resist the
subscription come-on letter:
why I find cycling so compelling. Such enticing imagery.
Obviously, this is full of information and resources which I had not
considered before today.
Now, where did I put my checkbook?
Maybe if I hang onto them, I can put together a “flip-book” from the covers….
Felt the sky getting a bit damp last night here in Nor-Cal, and sure enough the ground was wet enough to be awakened by the sound of car tires spraying through puddles. 
Wet enough that the big-eared dog (at right) didn’t really want to get soggy feet out back. In short a perfect morning for a post-Thanksgiving ride on the cross bike. But, the Poprad mocks me from the other room - crankless and waiting for the fine folks at Ritchey USA to decide that I wasn’t fibbing about them slipping and/or not lining up. And, it’s been a couple weeks - well a bit more, actually, as they received it back on the 4th. I’ve been pressing my luck a bit by keeping the cross bike inside, as we’ve agreed upon a two-bikes-inside-the-house rule, unless I want to clear out the corner area and install another two-bike wall hook.
As the dog and I wander back into the house, I realize that the minor scale infestation on the back porch orchids has spread significantly across to a couple more plants - through my own laziness in not giving them the the superfine oil regimen. Way out back, the weird and wacky weather has the cymbidiums popping out flower spikes already - I guess having decided that the last rain we had a few weeks back was winter and the t-shirt and shorts warmth we’ve enjoyed means that spring had arrived. They are in for a rude and brutal shock when the real winter* hits.
*Yes. I realize that Northern California does not get “real winters”, and I’m a bit embarrassed to even use that phrase in describing it. But, it’s more of a “from the plant point of view”…
On the other side of the balance, I had reached the “giddit dun dammit” phase on the Zeus and it’s regained momentum nicely. Took a long lunch on Wednesday and wandered over to Mt Tam Bikes, where they kindly, quickly and cost-effectively installed the headset and fork crown race. The modeling enamal paint is not pretty, but at least it covers the worst of the rusted spots. The wrench was kind enough to ask what type of frame it actually was, as I still had all the decals masked and wrapped from when I’d planned on spraying it.
Got a good pre-Thanksgiving ride in on the singlespeed - having crawled up into the rafters to get one of my backup front wheels and re-rigged things. I don’t know where I got this - certainly I didn’t build it up - possibly someone just gave it to me. This is one I’ve never ridden, with a large diameter White Brothers hub lashed to an old Mavic 217 rim by purple nipples. It was perfectly true, but there was loose “click” sound that came from the seam area. I poked a thin wrench up through one of the nipple holes and felt something slide slightly. Then it was dead quiet. I’m not sure if I convinced myself that it was stiffer, but the front end felt a tad different on the downhills. Aside from that, I grunted and portaged my way up to the ridge, gave thanks that I could do that (and many other things that too often get taken for granted) and coursed through the trails before heading home to help cook.
More good - the western skies have blued up some, and although the clearing seems to be pushed by noticeable wind, it may dry up enough to squeeze in an after-lunch ride. Just need to avoid the parade of deal-chasing shoppers…