Finally … Friendly, Fixie Friday

This Ride: 36.8 miles
Month: 274.4 miles
2011: 5,391.9 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 11,511.6 miles

This was an event filled ride.

Once again, it was pouring down rain when I got up, and I pushed off in the rain, this time wearing my rain jacket.  Part of the trail has been closed due to a washout, and part of the parallel road was also closed due to a sinkhole.  We’ve had over 15 inches of rain this week.  I explored those before showing up at our alternative starting place.  While waiting for the others to show up, I used the time to raise my seat on the fixie about 1 cm.  I could tell the difference immediately, and liked the new higher setting.  By the time we were ready to start the ride, the rain stopped, and I stowed my rain jacket in a pocket.  We didn’t need the rain gear the entire ride.

Moving down the trail in the dark we suddenly came across a log that had fallen across the trail, and three of the seven of us couldn’t stop in time and plowed right through the rotting wood.  The others stopped, cleared the trail, then caught back up.  We had an easy pace into Annapolis.  Across one of the trail bridges I encountered two huge spider webs with gigantic spiders in each one.  I was picking web off me all the way through breakfast.  On Boulter’s Way, there were three deer spotted.  On the approach to the Naval Academy Bridge I achieved my fastest speed yet on the fixie.  I clocked 29.3 mph with an RPM of 141.  I did bounce a little in the saddle.  On the other side of the bridge, suddenly ahead of me there was a terrible noise, and it turns out that Clint dropped a chain on his fixie and it caught between the wheel and the frame.  That was a quick fix, and soon we were back on our way to breakfast.

Myna at the Hard Bean was organized this morning, and we all had our food in record time.  We called Chip for the dreaded “breakfast call”.  Mike B. stopped in wearing civvies, he chose not to ride this morning because when he woke up it was raining. We also invited George, the city employee who is a crossing guard at the bottom of Main Street, to have coffee with us.  We learned a little about his job, and he learned a little about these crazy bike riders who say hello to him (by name) every Friday morning.

On the way back from breakfast there was more deer sighted (4), a brief discussion with the Park Ranger about the washed out section of the trail, and Evan had a flat that was changed in quick order.  I extended the ride just a bit, and could have gone a lot more but a long list of tasks awaits at home and I need to get to them if I have any hope of making my way through the list.

There were a lot of good comments about the fixie from the SPP crew.  When I told them it was 27 lbs, they didn’t believe me and had me doubting it myself.  Then, when they hefted it, they agreed that it was at least 27 lbs without the water bottle, and made the appropriate comments about hauling that kind of weight around.  The rear wheel is out of round (I knew that when I brought it home.)  A new one is being made by the factory and I’ll have it once that is done and shipped.  The constant bump, bump, bump is distracting on smooth roads.  Good thing most of the roads are not very smooth!

I hope the weather clears either today or tomorrow so I can get these bikes clean.  They are full of sand, grit, dirt, and oil.  This has been one very wet week of riding.