Spring is Here!

At least what passes for Spring in Colorado. It actually got above 70 today, warmest it's been since I've been here. But, it's also supposed to snow tomorrow night. For the year-round cyclist, it's time to catch up on bike maintenance, and oh, how I've been slacking. But it's just not worth trying to clean a bike when you're riding through slush several times a week during the winter months.

Now that the slush is gone for the most part, gears are back on the Pompino as well as road wheels and skinny slick tires. After that swap, I suddenly found myself going 4mph faster for the same effort. Tires can account for 1-2mph, but 4 was too much. I knew my average speed had been slow lately, but I attributed that to high winds, long hills, and possibly over training considering I've ridden at least 12 miles everyday for the last four weeks. While those reasons may have contributed, this sudden jump in speed had my puzzled.

Turns out my front hub on my cross/winter wheel was shot. Just turning the axle by hand felt like the ball bearings had been replaced with sand. It's currently disassembled on my bedroom floor. I couldn't find any visual defects in the cups or cones, so hopefully new bearings will solve the problem. Last time I had this problem, I tried to just clean the old bearings. A month later I wound up with a permanently damaged hub. I'm hoping for better luck with new bearings and proper degreaser. Other maintenance includes cleaning/lubing or replacing chains, re-aligning brakes, re-greasing pedal spindles, and a good wash. Fortunately, I enjoy these types of things.

I can tell I've been spending too much time on the road bike. My mountain bike feels weird now with wide handlebars and upright position. Spring also means I'll be able to ride the trails more though. The first club ride is Wednesday followed by the April meeting on Thursday. Both of which I'm looking forward too!