Hope! Change! Chain lube!

No... still not talking politics on this blog.

Yesterday I (finally!) got back on the bike and commuted. New saddle, new shoes, and new shades. Lots of change. The new saddle was much more comfortable, and there was noticeably less pressure where there isn't supposed to be pressure. I still need to adjust the saddle tilt a bit. And, with more weight on the "sit bones" (where it's supposed to be), I'll need to get that area toughened up a bit as well.

The new shoes worked flawlessly, except that I had the left cleat installed a tad crooked. Fixed that on my lunch break, no problem. Walking is much, much easier in these shoes. I could wear them all day at work in a pinch, and they're reasonably fashionable in a "lightweight hiker" kind of way.

The weather was gorgeous. Mid-50's on the way in, mid-70's on the way home, sunny and a light breeze. A wonderful day to ride. In all, an outstanding November ride.

Looking forward, it's going to get challenging. Today is another gorgeous day, but schedule did not permit riding. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler and wetter (40's in the AM, topping out at 60, with chance of showers), and I'm sure next week will be cold, too. Still, it seems the hardest part of the whole ride is the part between the bed and the front door.

The other key thing is that while I was not riding, I managed to clean and lube my drive train. What a huge, HUGE difference that makes! Pedaling was nearly silent, shifting was quick and crisp, and there were no more problems getting into my #6 gear in the rear. It was like a bike upgrade for the cost of an old toothbrush and half an hour of my time. I'll write more on this in a separate post.

And so, there is Change - new stuff, new biomechanics, pressure relieved, wearable shoes, clean gears... and there is Hope - good weather and a promise of health improvement.