I should add that winterizing didn't just come out of the blue; I managed to get to lakeshore bike & tune after work yesterday for a pre-winter Frankenbike tune up. Good times, explaining just what my plans were and how it's possible that bike is still rideable. True to my post-BTD fears, the bottom bracket was completely shot. What really shocked me though, was that the original wasn't even a sealed bracket, it was open. The bike is 3-years old and it's got a bracket straight out of the 70's. Which is kind of poetic when you think about the amalgam of different parts it's got on right now. Had a good laugh over that one we did. Especially when I demonstrated just how much the cranks wobbled.
It would have had me kind of upset, if I didn't already realize what a piece of junk I had been riding. In retrospect, I shouldn't have even been surprised. Between the original components, stuff I salvaged, and things I bought second hand, it does have parts from 4 different bikes right now. The new cables and bracket are the first new components I've been able to afford to put on since I've had it. And it showed.
So with that replaced, I have the major mechanical issue facing the winter-ization process out of the way. The wife met me at the path with the dog to walk home so I didn't have a chance to ride it last night, but I have a feeling Frankenbike will be riding better than it ever has. Not that I'm looking foward to winter, but this year I say bring it on.
Current beer-scale: 2.2
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