A little over 57 miles. Two and one-half hours spent at bike shops, in all, a good day. The weather cooperated. There were predicted “scattered” thunderstorms, which usually means they scatter over me. It was my good fortune that I was behind them for most of the day, whereas I’m usually trying to outrun them. I followed one rainbow for at least twenty miles. Following is the summary of my day:
In the morning I rode to the local bike shop, (LBS), Rays Cycle, in Clare. They opened around ten and I was the first and only customer there. Jake, the only worker there at that time took my bike and worked on it while I went to the Cops And Donuts bakery. Weird name, but their tea and donuts were good.
When I returned to the LBS, Jake had some bad news for me. He had removed the front derailleur (the front shifter mechanism on a multi-speed bicycle) and found he couldn’t repair it. That, and he didn’t have a replacement in stock. He put it all back together, including the Bunji cord temporary fix I had instituted. I had him replace the chain while he was at it, it was nearing end-of-life. He suggested that they have a shop in Midland, MI, thirty miles (fifty km) up the road and I could try there since I was going that way.
The ride from Clare to Midland was a very nice and paved rail trail. Rail trails are good for several reasons. First, they usually are surrounded by trees on both sides, which shields the riders from winds, especially headwinds. Second, the trees offer shade when the sun is intense. Lastly, trains don’t climb steep grades so the trails are usually very near level. I made the thirty-mile trip from Clare to Midland in two hours.
The Ray’s LBS in Midland didn’t have the part either. Why, in the year 2018, are we still dealing with so many parts that do the same job but don’t fit all the machines? Didn’t we solve mass production problems such as these 150 years ago? They called their shop in Bay City, MI and that shop indeed did have the part. It was my lucky day, they were sending a vehicle up to the Midland shop and would bring the part along.
I took all the gear off of the bike (for the second time that day, having unpacked everything in Clare) and left the bike. I went for a walk, had some lunch and wandered down to the Tridge. The Tridge is a bridge that forms a three-legged bridge to three different points of land. It is only for pedestrians and bicycles. Years ago, maybe 27 years, we visited the Tridge as a family on a Michigander ride. The Tridge was reasonably new then and has just undergone total repair and refinishing and looks great. While there, Ray’s bike shop called to tell me the bike was ready. That was really quick, I don’t think I was gone much over an hour. The repair looked great and solved my shifting problem. Ray’s was very professional and speedy. I highly recommend them if you’re passing through the region and need bike service.
I repacked the bike and was off to Bay City, another twenty miles (33 kilometers). The second leg of the trip was hot and tiring, the directions were more confusing and I had trouble keeping to the bike route. At last, in downtown Bay City, I found a Comfort Inn and was there for the evening. I put the bike and gear in the room and then walked down to a local Asian restaurant and had a Weng Weng (Tequila, rum, grenadine and pineapple juice drink) and an orange crusted chicken dish. It was a Filipino dish and was a nice way to finish the day. I was too tired to even update this blog.
Rest up! Glad all is well.