I had two bikes--the 1987 GT Karakoram and the 1982 Specialized Sequoia--in for work at Battle Road Bikes, and took delivery of both on Sunday afternoon. There was no daylight left for shakedown rides then, and Monday was dominated by non-bicycle priorities, but I was able to work a shakedown ride on the GT into the Tuesday afternoon schedule, and rolled out on the Minuteman to Lexington Center and back..
Along the way, I was pleased to notice that the Mile 4.0 Cairn Builders have realized a totemic image of Raven.
The temperature was dropping through the 30s, and folks were bundled up.
The folks at Battle Road Bikes gave the GT a pretty extensive overhaul, including the replacement of the cassette and chain. That ordinarily would be a quotidian bike tinkering task, but NOS 6-speed Uniglide cassettes have become scarce in recent years. Nevertheless, Jim was able to find a good one, and it's given the bike a new lease on life. They also put a new set of SKS Longboard fenders on, which miraculously enough accommodated the 55mm René Herse Humptulips Ridge Extralights that are currently mounted, but will be most important when I swap in the studded Nokians and the GT goes on ice bike duty. Any day now.
I noticed a problem with one shift, and stopped at the shop on my way home. Jim put the bike on the rack, adjusted the rear derailleur, then noticed something he didn't like about the front brake, and adjusted that, too. We went out to the parking lot to test the changes, which passed handily. Had a good chat with Jim, and then rode home in the dark, enjoying the snappy performance of the rejuvenated old mountain bike. More bikes are lurking in my basement, awaiting their turn for a trip to the repair shop; getting through the backlog looks like fun.
rod