Getting back on the horse
I decided that I was going to get on the bike today if at all possible.
Since it rained, I went to check over the recumbent and see whether it was rideable; it's much safer on potentially wet pavement. Flat tires I expected -- the back one is aging out but still has some life in it. It needs a chain job, though, and I should check whether the front wheel is actually warped or if it's just an uneven bead on the tire. So it went into the garage until I can put it up to clean the chain.
I proceeded to load up Opportunity with my phone and battery, took it down off its stand, and discovered that the front tire had had a sidewall blowout since I rode it last. I suppose I should be grateful that it didn't strand me somewhere... it's a rare occurrence, but when it happens to an older tire it often shreds too much for any but the most aggressive duct-tape repair.
At least I still had the matching tire from when I had to buy a new (smaller) back rim a year or so ago. I swapped it out, changed the tube, pumped it up with the portable compressor (the main one is still being repaired), and it was set to go. I ran off to Joann's in the car first, as I needed to get more lace, but after that I had a lovely little excursion down the canal trail. I smashed a few things in Ingress, claimed some portals, and idled my way back again. People told me that Pokemon GO and Ingress are no good for bike riding because you have to stop so often; I had trouble convincing them that that was part of the *point*. They're all people who ride at 20-25mph commuter-style, though. They probably haven't just poked around on bikes since they were kids.
I came back feeling a little better than when I left, which is a good sign. I need to farm some gear for Ingress soon, and none of the farms are in easy biking distance (well, maybe Markham, on a good day); I also try not to make too much noise around my house, lest enemy agents figure out my home portals and start giving me a hard time. But I can hit things around here once in a while, and it's a short jaunt to Todos Santos.
There's a green field over my house now, though, and that's gonna have to go. It means taking down one of two portals I've been trying not to target until now, as they're formidable and well-known. Maybe I can grab a team member to help me out.
I have an account as Torquill on Dreamwidth, and that's where I posted this. You can sign in with OpenID to comment on the original post, or you can go ahead and comment here; either way works.
Since it rained, I went to check over the recumbent and see whether it was rideable; it's much safer on potentially wet pavement. Flat tires I expected -- the back one is aging out but still has some life in it. It needs a chain job, though, and I should check whether the front wheel is actually warped or if it's just an uneven bead on the tire. So it went into the garage until I can put it up to clean the chain.
I proceeded to load up Opportunity with my phone and battery, took it down off its stand, and discovered that the front tire had had a sidewall blowout since I rode it last. I suppose I should be grateful that it didn't strand me somewhere... it's a rare occurrence, but when it happens to an older tire it often shreds too much for any but the most aggressive duct-tape repair.
At least I still had the matching tire from when I had to buy a new (smaller) back rim a year or so ago. I swapped it out, changed the tube, pumped it up with the portable compressor (the main one is still being repaired), and it was set to go. I ran off to Joann's in the car first, as I needed to get more lace, but after that I had a lovely little excursion down the canal trail. I smashed a few things in Ingress, claimed some portals, and idled my way back again. People told me that Pokemon GO and Ingress are no good for bike riding because you have to stop so often; I had trouble convincing them that that was part of the *point*. They're all people who ride at 20-25mph commuter-style, though. They probably haven't just poked around on bikes since they were kids.
I came back feeling a little better than when I left, which is a good sign. I need to farm some gear for Ingress soon, and none of the farms are in easy biking distance (well, maybe Markham, on a good day); I also try not to make too much noise around my house, lest enemy agents figure out my home portals and start giving me a hard time. But I can hit things around here once in a while, and it's a short jaunt to Todos Santos.
There's a green field over my house now, though, and that's gonna have to go. It means taking down one of two portals I've been trying not to target until now, as they're formidable and well-known. Maybe I can grab a team member to help me out.
I have an account as Torquill on Dreamwidth, and that's where I posted this. You can sign in with OpenID to comment on the original post, or you can go ahead and comment here; either way works.