Spare

Dear J—

So right after that glowing report on reliability, it turns out the crash I had last week actually cracked one of the handlebar-to-stem welds. It’s a big unit – bull moose bars, widely spaced – and so since I have to replace the whole damn thing anyway (who can weld on that? I wouldn’t trust the results) I looked at all the pieces I’m going to need: handlebar, stem, quill adapter, brake hanger. I should just throw on one of the spare V-brakes I have hanging around while I’m at it, but no.

Today I got to ride the old bike, which I’d stopped riding maybe six months ago? It (and the knee pain) is a revelation: how did I ride something so small (it feels like riding a child’s bike, to be honest) and for multiple years at that?

Mike

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