Today was my first ride since last Saturday. Did 33 miles. Sure felt good to be out on the road.
Cooler weather is here and all the cool weather riders (who don't like to sweat) and nut cases were out. :twitchy:

There are a number of things that could be the culpret.
There are many questions that would have to asked.
What type bottom bracket do you have? Is it a sealed square taper?
Can you wiggle the crankarms? Side to side? Independant of each other?
Is the bottom bracket tight enough? Are the crankarms tight? How about the pedals?

Check these and you'll find your problem.

We had a customer with an odd tick. We couldn't find it. New BB, overhauled the cranks, pedals, rear hub all. Finally the boss jumped up and down on the bike and we found a crack in his frame. Thing was, none of us were as tall and big as this guy and we couldn't get his bike to make the same sounds the customer could.

Saturday 10/2/2010
19.0 miles today slow and easy
19.0 miles this month
5196 miles this year
168 ride days LY vs. 166 ride days TY
2303 miles needed to hit 2010 goal (7500 miles)
I am @ 69.2% of my goal.
3 miles ahead of last year at this date
19.0 miles average ride this month
31.3 miles average ride this yr.

My daughter came over from St Pete so we got out this evening for a real easy ride. The RR still looks bad but it doesn't hurt, the ribs hurt when I breathe so everyone just tells me not to breath...whatsup with that.

Alabama is laying the wood to the Gators tonight, not good
We canceled our trip to the Withlacoochee Trail tomorrow so I think we will ride The West Orange Trail.

I'm not sure if its sealed or square tapered .... The bike is a 2007 Trek 1500 with an Ultegra bottom bracket ....
There doesn't seem to be any wiggle on either side on the crank arms. They are tight..
I'm not sure how to check if the bottom bracket is tight enough or not..
Doesn't seem to be any wiggle at all on either pedal. Maybe i'll swap pedals for a test ride tomorrow..... just to be sure though.
Don't see any cracks anyplace on the frame...

Hmmm One thing I did forget to check was the chain ring bolts.

Thanks for the input though, much appreciated ...

30 miles in windy, chilly central VA this morning. Did I mention that it was windy? Fortunately I had the tailwind for the trip home. Now it's time for some lunch and some football.

Oh yes indeed, I've been riding. Thursday it rained on the way into work. LIghtly, so it wasn't too bad. It wasn't supposed to though so I was irritated that I hadn't been able to get my fenders on yet.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/...f4a05055a1.jpg

On the way home, I headed down Peachtree St. again. This time I took some pictures. Oh, and later it rained on me a little.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/...6912c86d19.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/...12690be21e.jpg

Finally we're getting some winds here. While waiting for a light, there was a strong tailwind at my back. And then when the light changed, it was somehow a headwind. How did that happen?

Friday there was an art event in a neighborhood around here, Castleberry Hill called Flux 2010. It's not far from my bf's place, so I talked him into riding with me. My first night riding really. At the event, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition had a free bike valet set up. Perfect! The traffic around there was terrible, so biking was definitely the way to go. My favorite piece was the film being projected on buildings.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/...8d799b5791.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/...cd9a7f649f.jpg

Not so nice, on my way home from my bf's I got my first flat. Actually, my second. The tube that was in the bike ripped at the stem, so I replaced it and that one flatted when I went over a terrible bump. Since it was after 11pm, I just called my bf rather than trying to fix it. So I got in about 11 or so miles total that day.

Saturday no riding but lots of bike stuff. Got another saddle to test from the LBS. And some replacement tubes. Then I spent hours wrestling fenders onto my bike. I bought the right size for my wheels, but still had to cut about a cm off the stays to get them to work. And those aren't easy to cut. Hacksaw + wire cutters got the job done. And now I'm ready for rain. Also patched my first tube and it seems to be holding air, so that's exciting.

Sunday morning I headed out to test out that saddle. It was 53 F when I left so I pulled tights on over my shorts and wore my jacket over my jersey. Also, it seems like when it's cooler like this, I'll get a headache if I don't put on a hat. So a beanie went on too. Except the one I have is ribbed. And it left some amusing lines on my forehead. For hours.

Because I didn't bring my camera, I happened to ride past a movie encampment. A huge field full of RV's for Fast and Furious 5. They've been filming that one all over town. Just did a 17 mile loop up though the Emory campus then back through Virginia Highland. My butt and the saddle seem to be getting along pretty well. And the clothing choice was good. I was still comfortable on the way home when it was about 60 F. I'm definitely getting more fit. I busted it up a hill I hit 4 or 5 times a week that used to kill me and hardly had me breathing heavy today. W00t!

MS150 "Bike to Jack and Back" this weekend. Cool temps in the morning both days. Yesterday was a beautiful day as it warmed up. Today, it never really warmed up, overcast, chilly, and windy... was a super tough ride on the way back, headwind the whole way. Mileage came out to 156 for the weekend, 14.7 avg both days iirc. Saw one guy on a hand bike, and two guys on huge unicycles. Pics in the works...

I also did an MS150 ride this weekend! I was riding for a friend of mine who was diagnosed this year. Had a great time, and met some really cool people! And of course, rode my tail off.

Starting line, about 1200 riders
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4334818_n.jpg

My (not so) trusty steed. Yes, this is a $180 wal-mart bike. I got a lot of props from people commenting on the touring setup.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1646355_n.jpg

Beware of pirates! Arrr!
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5834863_n.jpg

One of the many rest stops. Snacks, drinks, bathrooms, EMTs, and bike mechanics at every stop.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...9_270036_n.jpg

Percy Quinn State Park, in McComb MS. Much partying going on, everybody was listening to the LSU game.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._8135026_n.jpg

There were a few tandems, and several recumbents, but I liked this bike a lot! It had a Rholloff 14-speed rear hub, too.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6461254_n.jpg

Sunset over the lake, a perfect end to a great first day.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6218795_n.jpg

More rest stops on day 2
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6610412_n.jpg

These guys were towing a trailer with a big stereo on it. They were team "Rum Runners"
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...22_51050_n.jpg

Sorry I didn't get more pics of me riding, but next year I'll put a mount on the bicycle.

Here's a friend's pic of me... and yes, I wore the Hawaiian shirt the whole way. Got lots of comments on it!
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6128677_n.jpg

I almost felt like a kid again, racing around the neighborhood like I did back in Jr HS. Ty and I talked before the start and had a plan. We lined up and off we went. Well he went, with the quickest clip-in as I fell through the back right off.

Ty got a gap and I ended up on the front of the group driving a steady tempo looking to see if someone was coming through. One guy tried to give me a break and I lost my line, hung in a lap or 2 and sliped out the back. Kept chasing for the last 4 laps. Almost got back with 2, and 1 to go at the last turn. 11 of 11, but I finished.

copied from my fb, too tired to edit now

heres inacurrate garmin
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/51601888

FunkyStickman... Awesome pictures, love the pic of the recumbent. Your bike looks really cool too specially with those bars...

Abracapocus.... Cool pictures as always.. And I didn't know they were making another Fast and the Furious movie..

Makes me sad.... that I didn't manage to get out and ride today.... <zzotherlandzz turns that sadness into motivation for tomorrow :D>

Ohhh did find one chain ring bolt that was a bit loose.... But didn't test ride after I tightened it.... I'll give it a go tomorrow.

Sunday 10/3/2010
28.0 miles today slow and easy
47.0 miles this month
5224 miles this year
169 ride days LY vs. 167 ride days TY
2275 miles needed to hit 2010 goal (7500 miles)
I am @ 69.8% of my goal.
8 miles ahead of last year at this date
23.5 miles average ride this month
31.2 miles average ride this yr.

Today was a beautiful day to ride. My daughter and I canceled our ride on the Withlacoochee due to my issues with my road rash. Instead we opted for a shorter ride on the West Orange Trail which we had not ridden in several months. We slept late on Sat. morning and after a late breakfast headed for Apopka with the bikes on the back of the car. We parked at the Apopka Trail Head and headed south along Lake Apopka.

Our first stop was to take some photos at the CHAU BÁO–AN Buddhist Center. This is always an interesting place for me. One of these days I am going to see if they will let me go inside. At about the 8 or 9 mile mark as we were riding through a wooded area and could hear music off to our right but could not see anything. This peaked our curiosity so at the next intersection we turned off the trail and went in search of the activity. What we found was a large Hispanic/Mexican music club that was having an outdoor dance and concert event in a big field. There was already a very large group of 4 wheel drive pickup trucks parked in the field around what appeared to be a rather large barn. Guys were dressed in tight jeans cowboy boots and 10 gallon hats with their girl friends wearing western style cloths that were about 2/4 sizes smaller that they should have been going inside. Well with SloSpoke Tina and I dressed in bike pants and jerseys and wearing helmets it didn’t take long for us to figure out that we didn’t fit in at that location. Besides neither of us speak Spanish. Sure wish I had taken a picture of that.

At some point after that the daughter broke another spoke (that’s 4 in the last month) but we didn’t discover it until we arrived in Winter Garden. However the LBS in Winter Garden (Wheel Works) had already closed so no help there. The good news was the free music festival that was taking place on main street. The entire area was full of people and food and craft vendors with 2 stages set up about 4 blocks apart. The first stage that we came to was featuring a Japanese Taiko Drum Team. This was a group that ranged from very young in age to about 70 and the only instrument they used were drums. There music was fantastic. At the other end of the street a Scottish Bag Pipe band that was cranking out some good Scottish music. (Love those bag pipers)

We pushed the bikes around through the crowd to our favorite French pastry restaurant which was very busy, but the food was worth the wait. I had a club wrap and cole slaw and SloSpoke Tina had a Cesar Wrap and chips. These sandwiches were so big that we exchanged half of our sandwich wraps with each other. Should have taken a picture of that as well.

After our late lunch we headed home into a head wind which wasn’t too bad because we wanted to ride slow due to the broken spoke. On the way home I decided to rename SloSpoke Tina to Princess Broken Spoke and she promptly renamed me from SloSpoke Jim to Chief Crashing Bull. We stopped at the top of the Apopka bridge over US 441 for a picture of Princess Broken Spoke.
It was one of those days that no matter what went wrong or could go wrong it was a great day to ride. I hope you have enjoyed our little trip.

LOL ----> On the way home I decided to rename SloSpoke Tina to Princess Broken Spoke and she promptly renamed me from SloSpoke Jim to Chief Crashing Bull. <---- I'm hoping that if your laughing at your crash that your feeling lots better and healing up ... :D Very cool pictures BTW ..... I ran out of things to take pictures of.... Same ole ride all the time... :(

I did manage to get a short ride in today... It was 68deg when I took off this morning. My plan was to ride to town pay a bill and ride back. Ended up riding to town paid the bill and rode to the nephews place. Where I got picked up and went grocery shopping LOL. I never have enough time on Monday's, even when I wake up and get gone for a morning ride... Ended up riding 14.38 miles... Was a really nice short ride...

The bottom bracket (or something) is still making a slight ticking noise when I accelerate or ride up a hill... Sooo might take the bike to the shop tomorrow .... not sure yet...

Monday 10/5/2010
20.6 miles today slow and easy
67.6 miles this month
5245 miles this year
170 ride days LY vs. 168 ride days TY
2254 miles needed to hit 2010 goal (7500 miles)
I am @ 69.% of my goal.
42.5 miles BEHIND :eek: last year at this date
22.5 miles average ride this month
31.2 miles average ride this yr.

Motivation meter today 8.5 on a scale of 1-10

Nice weather for a ride today but as I was walking my bike on to the patio I noticed the back wheel rubbing against the brake pad so I spin my wheel and it has a definite wobble. Guess what ...BROKEN SPOKE... go figure.:notamused::notamused::notamused:

Well, summer is over. :cry: I toughed it out today and did 25 miles. My first COOL ride of the season. It was a balmy 62 degree when I left home (11:45AM). No arm warmers or base layer undershirt. Kind of chilly when I was riding in the shaded sections of the road. Got all the way up to 67 by the time I got home.
How many days until summer returns? :rolleyes:

Slo Spoke... or is is really Slo Broken Spoke?? :D I think you and your daughter have what they call in the old country "Spoke Gremlins"..... errrrr something like that..

Yep I rode today... Just got back.... It was one of those pissed off at the world days.... Took off didn't tell anybody where I was going and stayed gone all day... :D Had a pretty great ride on the Palatka Lake Butler trail. Quite a few people riding the new paved part... Makes me happy seeing it being used already!! Ended up riding 31.73 miles.... Rode faster than I normally ride.... I guess cus I was angry... but after awhile I wasn't mad .. but kept riding pretty hard.... Feel good now.... great ride!!! Except for the scary chickens at the end of the trail..... I don't like any chickens that aren't cooked :P

zzotherladnzz, it must have something to do with Halloween "spooooooke gremlins" whatever it is it is starting to get expensive.

To all that completed the MS 150 congratulations on a great effort for a great cause. You have my admoration...

Thursday 10/7/2010
25.2 miles today slow and easy
92.9 miles this month
5270 miles this year
171 ride days LY vs. 169 ride days TY
2229 miles needed to hit 2010 goal (7500 miles)
I am @ 70.0% of my goal.
38.3 miles BEHIND last year at this date
23.2 miles average ride this month
31.9 miles average ride this yr.

Beautiful day, did a solo ride, temp 68/79 great day

Did my usual 33 mile route today. I left home at noon. I was waiting for the temps to warm up so I wouldn't need arm warmers. Big mistake. I usually leave home around 10:30. Leaving at noon got me headed home in all the school traffic -- lots of buses and moms picking up the kiddies. :notamused:

I guess from now on I'll be leaving at my usual time and donning the arm warmers on cool mornings. :innocent:

Tuesday was a car day but yesterday and today I rode to work. The bike commuters have thinned out a bit with temps in the 40s in the mornings. I like it. Now i'm riding in regular pants and just changing my top. Doing a lot of twilight and dusk riding now, and some in the dark. Overdue for a better light.

A tweet from zzOtherlandzz reminded me that my bike had no mascot. I remembered that I had a light up blinky spoke spider so he's now my copilot. And bonus, extra visibility! He's no narwal, but he'll do.

Congrats to all the MS 150-ers! You're all awesome!

LOL .... That narwal was/is still a bit creepy.....

Friday 10/8/2010
25.2 miles today slow and easy
118.1 miles this month
5295 miles this year
171 ride days LY vs. 170 ride days TY
2204 miles needed to hit 2010 goal (7500 miles) (not looking good)
I am @ 70.60% of my goal.
13 miles BEHIND last year at this date
23.6 miles average ride this month
31.1 miles average ride this yr.

Beautiful day, did a solo ride, temp 72/83, low humidity and blue skys, what a great day great day .

Yup, rode today! 30km ('bout 18 miles) to work. Crazy-beautiful weather in Southern Ontario today (esp. for October!), should have skipped work and just kept riding!

Yep... FINALLY got a ride in today.. after 2 days of NOT!! Friend that rides with me once in awhile wanted to go ride the PLB trail (Palatka Lake Butler trail) ... We rode the whole paved part of the trail almost exactly 20 miles, his longest ride yet.. He did really good.... he faded a bit with about 3 miles to go.... But he enjoyed it!!! I still think one of these days he is going to buy a good (non Mart) bike.. LOTS of people on the trail.... which was cool!!!

where exactly is this trail? do you have a link to info on it? like a map maybe?
posting whatever i find during a quick search.

http://www.wctv.tv/news/headlines/10...ySection=story
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/state...ka/default.htm

I'm miserable... haven't ridden since Monday, and my bike still isn't finished. It's 90% done, I still need to adjust everything and maybe replace a cable... the wife is giving me grief, but I need my bike running! It's not optional.

Ugh. Hopefully tomorrow evening it will be done. I'm sick of not riding!