Took the Surly Trucker DeLuxe and rode East on the last hot day.
Enjoyed the usual round of hill climbs and descents, interspersed with the delights of a little urban riding, which often seemed to recommend the Buddhist practices of compassion and detachment; an interaction with a wary dog with his snout poking out the window as I rode past his car on the right was a case in point. Hill climbs in the heat seemed ok as long as I paced myself, and descents seemed to go a little faster in the thin, hot air, not to mention bestowing the blessings of evaporative cooling. Topped out at 30mph, if the Pocket Devil is to be believed.
I was pleased that both the Fellsmere
jets d'eau were back in operation. Simply looking at them had a cooling effect. And while the weather didn't break while I was riding, from time to time a darker cloud than usual would provide welcome shade. Nary a raindrop, however.
I paused at the Kurukulla Center coming and going. This little pilgrimage anchors the ride for me.
Shortly after the second stop at the Kurukulla Center, I realized that my front derailleur had become mis-aligned. Rather than try to fix that on the spot, I managed to get the drivetrain operating more or less happily as a 1x9, using the middle ring. This gave me reasonable gear ratios for both climbing and descending, although not as good as the extremes of the touring triple. Thus equipped, I was able to complete the last set of hills--High Street, between Medford Center and West Medford--and wrapped up the ride with greasy fingers.
I've got some wrenching in my future. Or perhaps it's time to find a good bicycle mechanic with retro-grouch tastes...
rod