speed freaks

Man oh man, I might be in a spot of trouble during Bike the Drive in a few weeks. Yesterday out in the burbs with the in-laws (who have finally talked me & the wife into the entire thing) we were talking about how they wanted the day to shape up and basically, we'll be meeting up with them at the rest points as they try to see just how fast they can do the entire ride. I know, if you feel slow blame the rider not the ride, but somehow I think their much pricier high end road rides give them a slight advantage over my frankenbike and the wife's hybrid. I'm not in it for speed either, but don't really want to spend the rest of the day hearing about how the kids got smoked by the parents.

Whatever. I get passed enough just while I'm commuting to not feel bad about it, and don't think Bike the Drive will be any different. Hopefully the weather will be nice and I can get some good pictures of LSD packed with bikes instead of cars.

We did hit some bike shops out in the burbs, which always makes me feel ridiculous as we drive all over to visit these shops. The shops out there are pretty good though. Overall my experiences with shops in the city that are in the neighborhood have been positive but occasionally I'll come across someone with an attitude that rubs me the wrong way. I commute on the cheapest bike I can manage b/c I crashed twice on my first bike, and didn't see the point to spending a grand on something that I was going to beat the hell out of on a daily basis. I've had frankenbike for over two years now, and have made a lot of "special" modifications myself over time. Currently it's a 7-speed, since when the front derailluer broke I didn't bother replacing it and left the 52 cog gear on the inside. I actually really like it as it is right now and am thinking about leaving it for the summer. Going in to a shop for a part or some advice is always a mixed bag. Sometimes it's a breeze, sometimes someone is asking me why I'm bothering and if they can show me this year's models. No thank you. Maybe I'm just going to the wrong shops, but when you're looking in the neighborhood sometimes your options are limited.

But this hasn't happened yet in my few trips with the in-laws. I ask for a part, if it's there I pay for it, and that's it. Plus, sometimes the in-laws even pay for them so it's a win-win. Now I get to spend my next day off tinkering, which is always fun. If I knew what I was doing, that would be even better.