It's the little things...
 

...like the first few rides with brand-new, squishy Campy gum hoods or a freshly-overhauled, uber-quiet drivetrain. These are just a couple of the little things I notice and appreciate on a ride.

How about you? What little things while riding give you pleasure? Annoy you?

DD

on those occasions when the bike just disappears underneath you, going on a ride/route you done a hundred time and noticing something new (was that cool bungalow always there?) . I ride to the local farmers market most Sundays and there a lot of vintage steel bikes in my neighborhood that are getting used and being useful, always like seeing that.

The creaking of titanium saddle rails :twitchy:

Finally getting the stem perfectly centered with the front wheel...

Realizing how much you love that early 60s cantilevered Rollfast with the chromed springer, front and paperboy baskets, Wellgo BMX pedals and 26"x1.95" MTB treads, because she's the fastest bike you own and it makes you feel wicked good and a little younger when you know you aren't.

Rosa is awesome. I ride her the most lately.

Zooming down that long hill to work in the morning, sun just peeking over the treetops and some little bird pops up out of the roadside grass to fly alongside you for a hundred yards or so.

(Can't really say anything about the bike itself; all my bikes are more or less rideable but nothing totally gee-whiz) ;)

Interesting idea for a thread... I guess we're all going to make lists like Sei Shonagon did a thousand years ago...

Descending on Chris King hubs, like angry bee;

Riding through fog on a Saturday morning...

A newly-tuned friction front derailleur...

Wool caps; gloves that are neither too warm or too cold...

Shimano Tricolor hubs, so quiet that I startle cats on my evening rides.


Edit: In case anyone's curious about Sei Shonagon, see: http://guerrillasemiotics.com/2013/0...onagons-lists/

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on the annoying side.... I hate it when when things don't work right. I recently did a retro-mod and it shifted horribly. Front and rear. I couldn't tell you anything about how the frame felt because I was so preoccupied with trying to find a gear. Wanted to pitch the whole thing in the trash.

The sound of silence from the drivetrain; in every gear.
Noticing the different tire sound when I am on the white line.
Forgetting about the water until the ride is over.
Being warm enough the wind doesn't matter.
Brake pads making contact at exactly the same instant.
Equal wrapping.
Glittering spokes in the sun.
A perfect pelvic weld.
Riding alone and suddenly smiling.
Climbing on a solo ride.
Riding so hard you can't climb stairs for 20 minutes after you are done.
Dripping sweat with 50 miles to go and it's no big deal.
Shifting ahead of the curve the entire day, without thinking.
Following someone who really does dance the chain.
Friends who get it, on bikes.
cehowardGS's hug.
Quick fixes.
Kids on bikes waving.
Taking a new route, and seeing a zebra and a peacock on different farms.
Smelling freshly cut hay.
Green lights that last.
Figuring out the squeak is just your new shoes.
Giving away a bike.
A fit so good you forget it.
That spot coming off the frame with WD40.
Having the part someone needs.
Clean white hoods.
Watching a steel C&V bike descend gracefully and quietly past loud carbon wheels.
The clean pop off a Presta.
New tires.
Cable housing bulges that match on each side.
Matching ferrules.
Smooth QR skewers.

Hauling @$$ in an empty lane next to traffic. Believing you can keep up with the car next to you.

Tire hum.

No chain rub, in any gear...

Cars that give wide berths and don't pass on blind curves.

Getting home to find you forgot your frame pump on the workbench, and feeling glad that you didn't need it.

Falling hard, and realizing your bike is still okay.

The many small gestures of kindness and generosity from fellow BFers who just happen to have an extra (fill in the blank) needed to complete a build.

Finally putting the chain on a new drivetrain setup and watching as it shifts through the freewheel up and down perfectly, no adjustments needed.

Sun reflecting off new spokes, perfectly adjusted shifting, perfectly trued rims and tires, shifting to the correct gear to maintain your cadence without thinking about it, realizing that you've completed your ride without any creaks (you or the bike), climbing a hill out of the saddle and your speed starts to pick up and before you know it you've crested the top, the fun of bombing down the descent seeing your speed work up towards 40 mph, a glass of chocolate milk at the end.

Seeing the BF sticker on the top tube and smiling that the whole project came together after all.

Losing miles in the 'Zone'.
The reassuring hum of tire savers on tubulars.

Top

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1564/...e9e71d86_z.jpg
P1030755, on Flickr

Rolling through countryside, enjoying the sights - farmland, trees, hills, streams, the clear sky and feeling no wind at all.

Tossing those flimsy training wheels away on a tykes bike and then running and pushing along them until they finally get that moment.... and away they go!