Car-Free: An Update
It’s been a while since I last detailed my adventures in car-free commuting. And, while there’s not a whole lot to talk about, there’s been a few changes.
I’ve been reassigned from II MEF Family Readiness to Camp Lejeune’s Installation Personnel Administration Center (IPAC) located further into the base. The daily ride is 22 miles (11 miles each way), which is just about twice the previous distance.
I was worried about my body adjusting to the distance and longer ride-time (just short of an hour), but all is well. My legs were tired at the end of the days during the first week, but last week, I felt pretty good after the ride home.
Thanks to the longer ride, I’ve ridden over 700 miles this year and over 2000 miles total (2005.02 to be precise). The good news is that I should be able to easily beat my goal for the year. The bad news is that my chain is stretched and has damaged the rear cassette (thingy with all the little gear-sprocket-things). I saw Jack at The Bicycle Shop this morning and he recommended that I get a replacement within 500 miles (about 4 weeks…). It’ll cost about $80, but with proper care, a new chain should last 2000 or more miles and the cassette could last pretty much forever.
So, that’s that. Now you’re up to speed.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:48 am
That’s a nice daily ride. (I’m only 650 miles from catching up to your mileage for this year.)
I was off the bike long enough this winter that I’ve noticed aches and pains I didn’t have when I was riding several days a week. I expect they’ll go away soon enough … still, I could do without them. (Mostly because they remind me of my age.)
April 15th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Thanks, Delmer.
I’ve got a few new aches and pains, but they really deserve their own blog post.
I’m getting my rear cassette and chain replaced Fri/Sat. The LBS (The Bicycle Shop) will get the bike on my way home Friday evening and have it repaired Saturday. This is faster-than-usual service, but they understand that my bicycle is my only mode of transportation.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I met, I think Jack, the owner of The Bicycle Shop a couple years ago out at Trek World in WI. He’s a nice fella.
Cassette’s won’t last exactly forever but if you can catch your chain before it wears into the teeth on your cassette you can normally get 2 or so chains to a cassette. Even more if you spin and don’t hammer.
Have you checked out the new site – TheCyclistSite.com yet?
April 16th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
My use of “forever” was liberal…But so am I, so…:) Cassettes won’t last forever.
Jack is a great guy and The Bicycle Shop is a great shop, though, I do wish they had more commuter-specific stuff.
I haven’t heard of this new site, The Cyclist Site. I shall check it out. My new job is more structured and provides less opportunity for scouring the interwebs for new stuff.
Thanks for the tip!