Really, as as a cyclist, you have to resourceful and ingenious

Wheels of Happiness

January 1, 2014

                                 The cleverly mounted flashlights

Happy New Year everyone.  We look at the new year with hope courage and much aspirations to be better.  And we look at the past year with smile and thought that it was satisfying year.

I for one feel that I have become a much stronger, faster and more patient cyclist. There were things that I did not learn early on.

1.  I now can pedal at high gear:   50 x12 for say a km or two.  Before I used to believe that such high gear is not for me.  I ride at 39 or 34 chain ring.  Therefore, these days, I can ride at 30+ kph

2.  I can surge, accelerate as I go hill climbing.  Before, I literally was just at walking speed while climbing

3.  I can ride longer at sustained top speed say 30+  without losing breath or painful thighs for 5 or more kms.  This used to be just 2 km or less

On Being ingenious and resourceful


 

I have become increasingly involved in repairing my bike and bike parts:

1.  My helmet.  I was planning to have it repaired by Gerry.  Some of the plastic parts that fit the helmet to the head broke rendering the helmet loose and useless.  Gerry discussed to me aloud what he was going to do, ie replace the entire assembly from plastic cut out.  I thought of better way joining the broken parts, using a cable plastic tie and mighty bond glue.  I had 3 tries and they were not good.  The joined parts kept coming apart after hanging the helmet at the wall or the bike (so do not hang the helmet from the straps).  After choosing carefully the plastic parts, roughing up the surface with sandpaper, and having concrete powder sprinkled on the mighty bond surface did the repair stay.    Congrats to me;  I do not have to buy a new helmet anymore.

2.  My bike mounted LED rechargeable flashlight assembly that cost less than P100.00.  I had this, with the assembly kit, as my exchange gift. Since it is rechargeable, the cost of maintenance, buying the expensive, AAA batteries  is ).  Commercial, ready to use unit cost P500.00 or more

3.  Repairing my foot pump.    I inflate my bike tires at home using a GTS bike pump.  But about 3 weeks ago, the pump kept leaking  -  it could not inflate the tires and sometimes instead of the tire getting pumped up, the tire goes limp because air was escaping somewhere.   And so I inspected the part that fits into the valve because that is from where I hear the hissing sound as I pumped.  And lo and behold, the O ring was broken into 3 pieces.  This was where the air leaked.  So I went to an auto supply to buy the O ring.  But after the O ring was replaced, the pump still leaked.  That was not the final solution.  So I wrapped the piston with 5 layers of teflon (I guessed the piston got loose from years of pumping)  And afterwards, I could inflate the tires again in less than 20 strokes.