Always check your axle bolts

So, there I was, getting my Gnar on yesterday. Just Riding Along, on my Transition Smuggler, in Wompy. I heard a clunk as I descended from mad air coming down prospect hill in a cloud of dust as I GiddyUp’d and put the hamma down🔥🤪. Ok I exaggerate alittle. But my AVS did turn out to be the fastest this year for a 60yo with bruised ribs and shortened T11, nevermind all the other geezer aches and pains. I will however give credit where it’s due, to Jeff G, a BikeBarnRacing.com buddy of mine, who I came across about halfway through. We decided it would be more fun to ride together rather than solo, it always is, and yeah, it’s always inspiring to ride with someone else, especially someone faster and more technically adept. Younger too of course. So anyways, back to the clunk. We had just been talking about rear shocks and my Fox Evol RP3 HIJKLMNOP or whatever it is. I run it on the middle setting mostly, in the ‘hardtail’ setting when the trails are smoother and I wanna go fast. But just to clarify, it was in the middle this time. The reason I don’t use the plush setting is because I inevitably pedal strike everything, which more often than not, I get thrown off. So this was the subject of conversation. That maybe I should seek and install a ‘volume spacer’. So when I came off that tiny lip, and heard the clunk, I thought of that and figured, yeah! That’s what I need, then I can run the shock full bore like it should be. Of course, I heard the wheel go ‘ping’ at the same time, and maybe shoulda suspected something else. But I was having too much fun at maximum warp, and the bike seemed ok. Back in the parking lot, off the bike, something was wiggly. Not the usual dropper wiggliness. And all the sudden it wouldn’t shift or pedal. Grabbed the rear tire, gave it a squeeze and wiggle, sho ‘nuf that was it. The thru axle was loose, hanging by a thread! So I tightened it, mounted the bike in the truck and headed home. When I got home, I figured I’d wipe and lube things down. NOW, the rear is locked up like a fixie. WTH??!! Shit, I broke the wheel, too??!! Visions of having to shop for a new wheel, spending more cash on a stupid mistake, but still drooling over pictures of expensive new wheels an how much faster they’d make me go. So I take the wheel off, put it back on. Still jammed. So I took it off again and removed the Eagle. All looks fine.....cleaned it all up nice .... then I pulled off the XD driver, and all those little clickety bits fell out. Or at least a couple did. Apparently, there was so much play in the hub/frame interface, a couple of them got jammed between the hub and driver. Have it all a cursory wipe, put all back together, voila! That was it. My 3 year old wheelset is still rolling, and I’m happy with it. Stan’s Flow S1, neo hubs. Ironically, I usually take pretty good care of my bikes. This one just slipped by me. And Mark, at BikeBarnRacing.com will take care of that volume spacer next week.

Social DisDancing

here we are what about 7 weeks into our Covid 19 Virus/Small Business Closure/Social Distancing/Economic 'Downturn', whatever the label, this staying home and not working, mask-wearing, social shaming, unemployment collecting, and most importantly, the deadly consequences of infection, WHEN'S IT GONNA STOP! Nobody seems to know, and I'm fine with that, as long as I'm collecting my hard earned tax dollars and can stay solvent. I've accomplished a few projects around the house, my family doesn't mind me cooking for them all day, and, I GET TO RIDE MY BIKE ANYTIME AS MUCH AS I WANT! I wanna retire someday, soo I guess in a twisted way, this is part of my RIT program ( Retiree In Training ) that I've been chuckling about the past few years. I'll be 60 in September, so I have a few more years to go, and a few more years for my mutual funds to bounce back before I really need.... So, yeah, over 100 miles/week now, at least 1/2 on trails. A couple of the Blue Hills roads are closed to cars for now, and they happen to contain most of the good climbs in the park. It's been a WET spring, and trails are suffering from the deluge of newly-found outdoorspeople who are traipsing ( and riding )around all the puddles and wet spots and blowing them out. Nobody likes their new running shoes to get wet and muddy, and there are still alot of riders who JUST DON'T GET IT! The good thing about BLue Hills, is that most of the trails are actually old carriage paths, built of hardened gravel and rock. So I have choices> Clean but boring solo road ride, or potentially ass-soaking trail ride. The Hills has some drainage problems, so much of this time of year, water is flowing on those hardened trails. The aforementioned mud spots, in defense of those who prefer to go 'round, are much a part of the drainage problems, and need to be remedied. But the Blue Hills despite its wild feel, is an 'urban park', and the DCR has many roads running through it, so ALL of their maintenance goes into paved roads and gates and stuff. ( somehow I got distracted and never finished this, so, "it is what it is" )