9/10/11 Bike Ride

30.92 miles
1:47:09
17.31 MPH
1800 miles YTD

Today's ride was unique.  It was the first time I used my single speed for a "normal" ride.  On previous single speed rides, I had done mostly flat routes and not terribly long ones.  Today, I told myself I was going to "just ride" as if I was on a geared bike.

Earlier in the day, I took the single speed to Freewheeler Bike Shop to get my seat post fixed.  I guess "fixed" isn't quite the word but it will have to do.  The basic problem I was having was that I couldn't keep my saddle at the right height.  I would slowly sink down no matter how much I tightened down the QR.  The guy at Freewheeler said it looked like someone (possibly me) had tightened it down so hard at one point that it had bent the seat tube and made it look like I needed a 26.2 seat post when I actually need a 26.4.  My seat post was 26.2.  He took a screwdriver and basically bent it back into shape and then put a cheap 26.4 seat post in.  It fits snug but it doesn't sink.  When I asked him how much I owed him, he shrugged and said "Five bucks".  Pretty cool.  All of this took less than 10 minutes.

So now I have a fully functioning bike with a new rear tire, a new seat post, fenders, and a Jif peanut butter jar zip-tied to the saddle as a "redneck saddle bag".  I even got a mulit-tool, a tube, and a CO2 inflator, just in case.

I started up Baumhoff, to 10 mile, over to 8th Ave, down to 6 mile, over to Stage, back up to 8 mile, back to Baumhoff and then home.  A few notes on the ride:

• Baumhoff between 8 and 10 mile is quite hilly but it really didn't seem that bad.
• I was going down 8th Ave when I passed 8 mile (It's actually Roosevelt in Ottawa county).  I thought to myself, "you should turn down 8 mile and do the Baumhoff hill".  I kept going because I really hate turning around.  Then came the internal debate - "you should get home"..."don't be a wuss, do the hill"..."but it'll take extra time"..."it's only 4 miles"..."I don't know"..."You'll regret it if you don't"..."You're right, I will.  Let's do it".
• When I was going down 6 mile, I turned north up Stage Ave so I could get back to 8 mile.
• When you get to Baumhoff on 8 mile, you pretty much have to stop to make sure there is no oncoming traffic.  The intersection of 8 mile and Baumhoff is right at the very bottom of the hill.  Nothing like starting a long, steep hill from nearly a dead stop while on a single speed..  That one was definitely a grind.  I was just barely keeping the cranks turning by the top of the hill.
• By the time I got to 10 mile, I had pretty much gotten used to the whole "you can't change gears" thing.
• It was just about a perfect day to ride.  It was nice and sunny with essentially no wind.  It was warm but not hot.

I really loved my ride today.  It felt good and it felt like I accomplished something.  I had never ridden so far on my singlespeed.  I definitely could do more.  Maybe a single speed century.  Who knows?