One of [Those] Days

Sunday, 21st July, 2013

I love the weekend – but don’t we all. It’s especially awesome when the sun’s out, the sky is blue, so blue, and there’s that energy in the air. Heck, it’s so bright my sunglasses barely keep the glare out. Today is one of those days. I had planned to go out on Natasha by myself, but I noticed my son kicking around the lounge room and tentatively asked him if he wanted to come along. He jumped at the chance. Now anyone who’s had a 3-4 year old little boy knows what a handful they are – and how difficult to please. From a dad’s perspective I feel I’m engaged in non-stop discipline. Kids do take it in their stride though. That he loves being with me for this particular activity; where we can chat and just be together enjoying the outdoors, thrills me to no end. So I loaded Natasha up with 2 Kleen Kanteen water bottles – yes, you should ALL get rid of plastic – packed my backpack, slapped sunscreen all over B1 and little on myself and off we went.

It was 10am and traffic was noticeably light. I decided to go and visit the guy who carries Surly here in Singas on the off chance he’d be open, but no such luck. Nevertheless, a gorgeous day is too hard to pass up, so I decided to be bold and ride on. Singas is fast shrinking now that I’m riding all over it. So we flew down Lavender Street and on towards the park, along where the Formula 1 street circuit building sits. There’s a bike/people path that hugs the river/inlet all the way from Kallang Road right around to Marina Bay Sands. It’s a beautiful section right on the water which has a very holiday feel about it. Very tropical – lots of palm trees, grass and shade – and so perfect for a morning roll. I passed a number of bikes, a few with kids on the back all going at very leisurely paces. My pace seems to be on or about 30kmh these days – certainly much higher than when I started a few weeks ago. But that’s down to my comfort level being in the big ring. It just feels right. And smooth. Once I get into a rhythm I can practically switch off. Clearly my natural cadence sits at that level.

B1 was loving it and commenting on all the various interesting structures we were passing. Pure bliss. Out on a ride with my kid who was happy – it doesn’t get too much better than that. I’ve been contemplating organizing a Kidical Mass here in Singas – I’ve yet to sort out the logistics (and reasons why I shouldn’t), but I’ll see how it all goes. Right now, I was on Natasha and steaming ahead, enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze. Oh yeah.

Once we reached Marina Bay Sands, there is no way to make your way across to the Marina Bay Gardens – except under the MRT section, down lots of stairs, (or over through the Marina Bay Sands overpass). This time I chose the hotel option as I could put Natasha in the lift and not have to worry about pulling B1 off the bike. Anyway once we were down on the other side, it was back to clear paths with little to no other foot or 2 wheeled traffic. So we rode all the way to the Barrage and across, (passing a few more kids being hauled by their parents) into the East Gardens where we had a pit stop for a well needed cool drink. There are chilled bubblers there which enabled me to refresh our Kanteens with cold water – nice one Gardens people[!], and the bathrooms there are new, beautifully designed and extremely well kept [read, super clean].

I can’t describe the feeling of freedom on a bike quite enough. Being able to cut through traffic, whilst they are gridlocked – or in our case, just pushing up against the wind in a near-empty park with stacks of shade; is just amazing and something I could happily pursue all day. Natasha being the trooper that she is has shown no signs of fading or hesitation, a testament to her build and Shimano make up. Shimano is brilliant stuff. I had a brief affair with Campagnolo (Record) a number of years ago but that ended quite badly. I still don’t like talking about it. What an enormous disappointment. Shimano, like Apple, just works. I did get that mild squeak return briefly whilst in the granny ring going up a hill (cursed tin worm); but after spinning in the big ring for an hour or so post, the problem disappeared. I suspect the chain oil re-lubed itself on various other gears – and the problem solved itself. There is still a fair bit of WD40 on various bits and pieces which cuts through the oil. I will give it some more attention next weekend; when I plan to tackle the rust on the granny ring.

Riding back home from the CDB was interesting, I dog legged a bunch of streets – avoiding main streets where I could – just to not be sucking in fumes after the wonderfully clear air of the parks. It was awesome – I was able to see parts of Singas which I would never otherwise get a chance to. Nothing quite beats exploring. It was nearly 1pm at this point and both B1 and I were starving for a well-earned lunch. We made it home not long after – I was thoroughly drenched in sweat; and smiling ear to ear.

Put Some Elbow Grease Into It!

Saturday. 20th July 2013

Damn I love these things. They are so, so light at 305 grams PER PAIR!

Hello dear readers. I had a lovely weekend. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the body remembers fast. My weekend was spent working on, and riding Natasha. I spent the majority of Sunday spinning the BIG RING. The middle and granny rings get almost no use now – except on steep hills (and that’s with the 21kg worth of kid weighing me down). But that was Sunday – this is all about Saturday. The initial rust damage on the cassette is superficial I’ve since realized. And it is all pretty much gone now (thanks to a bit of attention from yours truly). The crankset is another story. The first two rings are aluminum, but the granny ring is steel – and that is where most of the tin worm sits. I may have to pull the rings off to do a proper job on it. On closer inspection too, my front tire has chunks missing out of it – so I guess a new tire (may as well get a new matching pair) is in order. I pulled the rusted crankset bolts off to see how much rust I could remove. Whilst I got the top layer off, there is still a deep under layer well dug in. I think new bolts will be the best option. On the subject of bolts, I’ve noticed the odd loose bolt on Natasha of late – nothing serious, the water cage allen bolts for example have worked their way loose on the down tube – easy fix, but hammers home that a long stored, un-ridden bike needs proper sorting. You certainly wouldn’t risk touring on one. I’m guessing a month’s riding should have her perfect.

Sexy new HT Components pedals – check out those grommets and how high they are! They’re practically like having clip-ons. I’ve gotten rid of almost ALL the rust on the steel granny ring, courtesy of some skateboard grip tape and elbow grease.

But, to the riding. On Saturday morning I took my son with me to run a few errands. I’m using a Co-Pilot seat which isn’t too bad. It is supposedly rated to 22kgs. My boy is nearly four and very tall for this age. B1 is around 21kgs. That he is remotely comfortable in it astounds me. The next seat I get will have to be more suitable – as in, a bit larger with longer leg sections. I purchased this one in a bit of haste I’m afraid. I suppose it will comfortably take my one year old (B2). Anyway, this time B1 felt a little less like a purpose built de-stabilizer. Perhaps because I was prepared for it. My first stop was to buy some chain oil in a can (at a bargain *cough* S$19). I had to ask the guy twice what the price was because I couldn’t quite believe it. At least I scored a free rag out of the deal to apply it. Squeaky chain solved. For now.

Lots of manual intervention – and that’s just for the rust…….it’s at a point now where I think my wife wants Natasha back.

Another ride around my personal ring route to another shop-front, this time for some WD40 to help get some of this rust off (S$6 bucks!). I’m not so certain WD40 is designed for this job, but I’ve given it a shot anyway. Supposedly vinegar is efficient at removing rust but I tried it – it doesn’t work all that well. Maybe it needs to soak overnight? Back on the bike and I decided to explore a bit of the local location with the little man. He LOVES riding with me. Seriously. And damn if we didn’t find a bike/walking track along the river behind where we live. Pretty nice – and easy, good for kids on bikes…..too short for me however, I’m guessing it is barely 2 kilometers long – but it’s longer than anywhere Sydney would have. Sydney is starved for decent bike paths. I will further stick my neck out here and say that I feel infinitely safer riding around Singapore than I do in Sydney. Sydney drivers seem intent on killing you (sometimes on purpose). I find the complete opposite here. Drivers are very courteous (to bike riders) and I am more than happy riding on very busy main roads with B1 in tow. Call it a sixth sense. Bicycles make absolute sense in this country. They make sense in every country but I feel welcome on the roads here and I love that. But back to the track-by-the-river. It was fun and served its purpose of me stress testing the very unstable racebike/kiddie-seat set up that I currently have going. Don’t try this at home kids – get a proper, long wheelbase, stable bike to carry your little ones. I actually bottomed the rear Alex 300 rim out fairly hard on this particular run – how it didn’t get bent is beyond me. Lesson learnt however – CHECK YOUR PRESSURES. The overall kid-carrying experience has me thinking of the Big Dummy courtesy of Surly (so I can take both B1 and B2). Oh sure there are other brands out there with kid carrying/big load models but Surly has my vote at the minute. More on that later.

I spent the rest of the day trying to get the rust off with some WD40 and a toothbrush. I think I may need some wire-wool. I used some sandpaper on the crankset bolts – and whilst they no longer looked “flowery” I think the rust has permanently taken hold of them. They must be mild steel. I can see the steel granny ring is going to need something industrial to clean it up. On the flip side though, everything is looking much, much better, and best of all, the drivetrain feels incredibly smoother now. Amazing what a bit of tender care can do. Your local bike shop can service it – but they won’t love it like you can. And I know Natasha appreciates it.