Ouch!

Last night I decided to take my mountain bike out for a shakedown ride. Sunshine had just overhauled the bike last week. The bottom bracket was replaced along with the cables and shifters. Things seemed to be in working order. So I hit the trail.

Since it was turning dark, I put a light on my helmet. Before the ride was over I definitely needed it. Thankfully, the battery was still good after sitting for several years without use.

Timmons Park was not good. Now I remember why I stopped riding there. I think lots of other people have stopped going there as well. In some cases there is no trail where there once was one. The hill sides are simply eroded to the point where it is mess. The roots that have been exposed make it not fun to ride.

Even with my full suspension bike I was taking quite a beating. My fingers had been feeling much better the last couple of days, but that ride really stressed them. This morning I'm feeling it.

I was picking my way through some of the remaining trail and recreating a trail where there once was one. In some cases, I was just pointing my wheel through some trees and hoping there was an opening on the other side. In some ways that was fun but I had gone out there hoping I would be flowing along some single track.

The bike needs some adjustments. The gears were garbage. I had to fight them into each ring and it was making a racket. The rear brake worked just fine, but it sounded like it was screaming as the pads gripped the rim. I'm not sure why. I do recall that my son had poured chain lube all over my back wheel. Maybe some residue remained.

I know this sounds negative, but really I got enough of a taste to remember what riding my MB used to be. It is going to be fun to get the bike out to a place like Paris Mountain State Park. I'll have to get the gear issues resolved and then give it a try.