~o~
Sunday 23rd 48F. Rather heavy overcast after [forecast] overnight rain. A new regime of showers and lower temperatures has taken over from the endless sunshine. No free heating then.
The thermometer beside my computer desk is reading 73F. Yet I need a jumper. Normally I sit here for hours in a t-shirt at ten degrees cooler. It makes no sense. There is no heat gain from the computer due to distance. I sit on the north side of the attic so this area never gets much direct sunshine. Radiation to colder conditions outside?
The batteries are fully recharged and I have duly anointed the wide saddle with Brooks Proofide. My hands were getting a bit dry from wearing gloves. So it probably helped in that respect. The saddle showed no sign of change. The glossy surface seemingly ignored the expensive grease.
I have to go shopping again. Or suffer the pangs of coffee withdrawal. I have three cups per day. Whether I need them or not. There is just enough for my second cup. Provided I do some washing up. The third cup remains vapourware. Unless I can find a Coop open on Sunday. It seems they are open. Eeny, meany, miny.. I have tried alternatives to the magical, organic Arabica, but always find them wanting. Where is the pleasure in imbibing imposters?
7.30. Stop dithering! Time for a walk!
8.30 A brisk walk to the lanes in a cold, south westerly breeze. The wind has turned 180º. Quiet Sunday traffic. Hardly any birds.
I want to change the handlebar stem before going shopping. With luck I can do this without disturbing the accessories fixed to the handlebars. I was lucky and found my tub of stems and extensions in the shed. A 65mm, with a slight upward tilt, transformed the ride. After replacing the 85mm stem fitted at the factory. I could ride hands off and was comfortably balanced. I still have an even shorter stem if I need it. A ride will confirm it.
There was further fine adjustment of seat height. With my heel on the pedal at the bottom of the stroke. I can now put my foot down on the ground at dropper post minimum. The upper limit may still need slight, further adjustment.
No padded shorts today. Just trousers to see how it went. Painfully! The Proofide grease made the saddle grip instead of sliding. I found my stock of Proofide in the shed while looking for something else. The excess load on my hands and wrists is better but not cured. Lifting my hands off the bars did not cause me to nosedive. I'll try the shortest stem to see if that does the job.
I fitted the shorter stem but have yet to try a test ride with hit. I am now down to 50mm. Which must be close to the minimum possible length without the holes intersecting. I gave the saddle another dollop of Proofide. I'll polish it off tomorrow if there is still a residue. The weather is changing. With showers and even higher wind speeds. 17m/s gusts x 2.2 = 38mph.
Dinner was my typical Sunday dinner. The carrots and potatoes could have done with five minutes more. I was too impatient. They were fine at 30 minutes but just not optimum. Or even perfect. Slightly too many potatoes again. I was too mean with the gravy. No idea why.
~o~
No comments:
Post a Comment