Yes, I've never seen machining on a TA. No obvious slop in the threads. Don't know the pitch offhand. I would think putting axial load on the system with the clamp would de-slop it, but what do I know?

I haven't and don't know if I will get around to it anytime soon.

This was the third time I attempted Vienna, OH home to Philly. First tie went fine. Second time a freak weather turn that developed between me picking up the rental car and me reaching OH caused me to abandon after 3 days of riding. It literally rained every minute I was on the bike. At times I was riding through more than an inch of water on the road. And it was cold. And I had a headwind. if that wasn't bad enough, I was heading towards the remnants of a hurricane. Got motel rooms every night. A very old friend--the guy who got me into cycling back in the 80s--drove over 5 hrs. to pick md up in DuBois, PA, and then another 4 hrs. back to his "country" place then home to Philly the next morning.

This trip I changed the route in places to make camping a little nicer. Stayed in two state parks and one county park that were new to me. I sometimes make meals logistically more difficult than they need to be because I will go out of my way or carry supplies instead of hitting up the Dollar Store. I usually eat out the last night for the sake of convenience, which I did again this time. But I also got prepared food the penultimate night. The night of my day off I tried to start a campfire using my stove fuel and ended up spilling some, so I was running low. In hindsight, I probably could have made dinner the penultimate night, but I didn't want to risk not having enough fuel for coffee the final two mornings. Over all, I don't think meal logistics were are tougher than usual. I have done touring in MT and ID that has required me to carry supplies a long way, including over a 16 mile, unpaved mountain pass.

One real bummer is that I trashed my Sony RX100 II camera. I got to the top of the "hill" that crosses the Allegheny Mountains. I was raining and very foggy. I took a photo and put the camera back in the chest pocket of my rain jacket in preparation for the 6 mile descent into Clearfield. The little case was not zippered (as usual), but I forgot to zipper the pocket. The rain and wind were blowing at me during the entire descent. (Conditions were so bad I had to wear my my glasses on the edge of my nose so I could see. Max speed on the descent was a bit over 27 mph. On a clear, dry day I would have probably hit close to 39 mph on the smooth, wide shoulder of U.S. 322.) Didn't discover my error until I stopped at a c-store in town. By then, it was too late. Hoping to salvage the photos off the card because I think there are some decent shots of one of the two bald eagles I saw on the second day of the trip.

I've got a couple rides on the EM Strada now and not only is the ride smoother than the Helix, it has characteristics of my favorite carbon build, a Storck Scenero G3. The Strada's frameset, with its geometry focused on comfort feels calm and predictable. But when picking up the pace or hard efforts out the saddle, it feels so lively and very responsive which I wasn't expecting from this frameset. Yet, everything seems to smooth out because of the steel tubing.

It's not quite biblical, but it's been raining since Friday afternoon and likely to continue until tomorrow afternoon. No riding tomorrow morning.

#FirstWorldProblems

I was just going to post that it has been raining since Friday.

Fancy

Barring rain, I will get out on the bike later today. It's been more than a week. That dynamo light test ride, last evening, reminded me of what I've been missing.
The Trek not only has the dynamo lights, but also now has two 32mm Gatorskins on it.

It's somewhat ironic that this person currently owns a Focus.

Soft focus. Just like all the women on Star Trek TOS.

Shaky start, but a solid finish.
Wordle 472 4/6

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Repurposing the Schwinn, yet again. This time it will be Mrs. rjones28's dedicated trainer bike.

Damnit! I got the 'Rona. At home feeling awful, and bummed that my recent fitness improvements are going to be slipping away.

We welcome you to the club. Take care of yourself.

Phooey. Most people these days have 1 day slightly crappy, 2 days very crappy, 1 day slightly crappy, and mostly better by the time the 5 day isolation is lifted.

Just say no to Paxlovid.

Mrs. rjones28 used the Paxlovid, back in June (that Corona had caused postponement of her surgery), so she could shed the virus quickly. The surgery center wouldn't reschedule her without a negative PCR test.

It worked. But, of course she had another bout a couple of weeks ago.

It might be too P&R, but I will speak my mind anyway. I am NOT a fan of Paxlovid. it's a dirty drug with lots of interactions and side effects. The emergency use authorization states it's for people who are high risk for hospitalization or death from covid19. The current strains and immunity mean that the virus nowadays gives you a cold. The chances of hospitalization or death from this is very low in healthy people and actually still reasonably low in patients with chronic conditions. It would have been a big lifesaver early in the pandemic, but at this point I actually think it does more harm than good.

That said, when I tell patients this they are angry and say I don't ******g care, doc....I want that medicine. So I sometimes have to order it for "customer satisfaction."

/end rant

My wife expressed some concern about the raised garden bed - evidently, a little red squirrel thought that it was good place to hide some walnuts, and walnut fruits are toxic to a lot of plants. I figured I'd take a few minutes and clear out the 'nuts - how bad could it be?

Oh, about 8 gallons bad.

They won’t slip away- just keep at it.

My oldest daughter was dragging ass last night at XC practice. Normally she’s pretty quick and front of pack, but last night she was at the tail end and seemed off.

She woke up this AM with a headache and a fever and tested positive for the rona. Pretty sure the rest of us are next, which sucks, because my youngest has a softball tournament this weekend.

That's nuts.

It’s been raining since Friday here as well. Rain doesn’t bother too much, but the wind has been out of control.

Time to ride

Black walnut? That’s $$$

Yeah, it's a black walnut. Think someone will trade a bucket and a half of nuts for some blingy bike crap?