Another exciting bike day!

First I put toe clips on the big bike. I knew I had the clips from the old bike but I didn't relish mounting them on the pedals so I had been putting it off. But then Sunday I went looking in the shed for some velcro and there were the toe clips...still mounted on the old pedals after two years! I have a pedal wrench and grease sitting on a shed shelf so I swapped pedals in under 10 minutes. I didn't even unlock the bike! (See photos)

So this morning I hopped on and headed for the trails...didn't even have to adjust the straps. I did encounter a VW that suddenly accelerated down its driveway as I approached. The AIrzound Airhorn helped. (See video)

I have a co-worker who last week had asked where she could find an inexpensive but good bike for her husband. I pointed them to there-furbished bikes at the local co-op and she popped in to tell me how thrilled she was. They bought one and were able to go riding immediately, since the bike was already up to snuff. She then mentioned she had ridden her bike to this work for the first time. It was a $75 Marketplace find but the rear brake wasn't working. I asked to take a look at it. It's a late '90s Cannondale 3x7 700Cx38 hybrid with a low bar...almost a mixte. The paint was rough, and it was a little dirty, but it was in decent shape with wide gear ratios from stump-puller to fairly high gearing thanks to what looks like an 11-32 in the back. There was a rack, rear fender, mirror and bell.

The rear brake had a cable but one of the cable housings was out of the frame guides. I grabbed an allen key, re-inserted it, and adjusted the brake. The seat was slammed and I helped her get a more tailored seat height. She was thrilled.

I had a stiff breeze against me on the way in to work, but despite that the toe clips seemed to add 1-1.5 mph to the bike over the flats. And for the ride home I had a tailwind, but also a faster average speed for the conditions.

The toe clips encouraged a little more hustle and abandon, but for the first few miles I was worried about my knees, as the pedals kept my feet in one position. The knees seem fine. I just wish the pedals were chrome like the platforms. I may end up getting metal clips and putting them on the chrome pedals.