Thanks so much for that vote of confidence Larry ( and Tom). How can I ever thank you? Guess I have to 'fess up now.
I had just replaced the broken ASC hub on the Jack Taylor with a NOS one acquired on e-bay, and the second shakedown ride was at Cirque. I kept losing 1st gear on my first shakedown ride, a 67 miler that I'll be leading on the 18th (minus the big last hill that I was holding the cable for to get up in 1st). I think of myself as an excellent mechanic (for derailleurs) and have an incurable fascination with epicyclic gearing, having wanted an 'English racer' in my yout'h before I'd ever learned of 'ten speeds'. I know how they're supposed to work, but the insides are still somewhat of a mystery to me. I was pretty sure I'd taken care of the glitch before Cirque and was standing on it while climbing back up to the main stem of the W&OD from the highway underpass heading east from where we normally get on. If you haven't guessed by now, 1st let go somewhat spectacularly and I went down on my knee. Basically just some road rash, but it did look ugly. Larry had a pretty good view. I got back to Cirque, put the bike on a stand at Peter Koskinen's truck, shortened the shift cable and got it so far into 1st that I started to lose 3rd and backed off a tad. True'd the wheel back up (New wheel, 15 x 17 spokes), cleaned up as much as possible and went out for the fixed gear ride in the afternoon. That seemed to finally take care of it (the gears). Still had fun on all the official and unofficial rides for the weekend. I couldn't keep with the big dogs on Saturday, but hadn't slowed down and couldn't stop smiling all weekend. More soon.
Dan, happy to be a vibrant part of Larry World, Artley in Parkton, Maryland
Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:56:02 -0500 From: Larry Osborn <losborn2(AT)wvu.edu> Subject: [CR] CIRQUE XIII, or Leesburg 3-D
... A mutual lapse with another rider at low speed led to my first involuntary Artley acrobatic moment since age 5. A less than graceful three point landing on head, shoulder, and knee. (I'll take the blow to the head please). Stuff dripping from my head was only sweat, I was still seeing only one of everything, and most importantly the bike was okay, so off we went again. Other than temporary Tourettes syndrome (rediscovery of some favorite expletives), I must admit I found the whole experience quite unsatisfying. I don't know why Dan keeps doing it. What is the attraction? I must be missing some critical part of the exercise. I must be doing it wrong. Maybe I should get some pointers from The Master. I had that opportunity later in the day. Lucky me.
I get one ride at this particular low point in my ongoing 30+ year physical rehab program, and only one ride, so I have to make the most of each one. Grabbed some water & snacks back at the hotel and was headed out for a few more miles to finish myself off for the week. Dan felt like riding some more before the afternoon ride so away we went. And soon after that I received my personalized demonstration of how to crash properly. Not up to his usual level of self destruction, nothing spectacularly U-Tube worthy, just the basic dance steps, I am just a beginner at this. My memory is mostly visual so while Dan was picking rocks out of his shin I was quietly replaying everything I had seen in my head and saying to myself "Ohhhhh, so THAT's how it's done." I haven't signed up for the full course, but if I ride with Dan again next year I might get another lesson. It's like a bonus seminar ... I'll make him work for it!!! (D.)Larry Osborn Bruceton Mills, West Virginia - USA