Well, plus a new chain, seatpost, pedals, and brake cables, my hybrid Bianchi is ready for action. So, I rode it to work yesterday and used my lunch break as an excuse for a little test-piloting.
I'd been eyeballing the stairs that ring Ilus Davis park, which sits directly north across 11th St. from City Hall. I'd been going to try them out with my mountain bike for quite some while and never got around to it, so I figured, in my infinite lack of wisdom, to go ahead and try them out with my “new” bike.
I'm here to tell you that both the stairs and the bike passed inspection with flying colors. Surely it would have been more comfortable to ride down the stairs on my mountain bike, but it wasn't bad at all. Not bad at all. I think, however, if I am going to keep riding down stairs, I might want to take up a single speed. It kind of makes my stomach cramp to hear that derailleur jouncing with each step.
After I got done playing in the park, I went on to check out the “race course” that we'd run on the Pirate Ride. It was still muddy down there, thanks to the rain we'd had last weekend, plus the clay dirt which is not so especially absorbant. The Gigantic Lake O' Mud was just a little puddle by this point, but where it had once been deep and sloshy was now slick as snot with sticky clay mud.
Then I swung by River Market Cyclery, to see if Billy was around, and if he was going to race in the next alleycat. He was and is. He greeted me by saying, “Hey, Trouble.” It's amazing how many people call me that. I'm not quite sure why, because I don't actually get into or cause much trouble, but apparently I give the impression that I sure could.
I decided, since I was in the area, to stop by that awning we all hid out under during the rainstorm that wound up the Pirate Race, and see if my headscarf was still there. I realized when I got home that night that I'd lost my scarf, and it seemed like that was the last place I remembered having it. So I swung by that particular veranda, and lo, my scarf was, indeed lying in a pile of leaves and rubbish. So I collected it up and said, “yay” because I actually really like this scarf…it looks especially good with a couple of suit jackets I own.
So, why I said that pictures are forthcoming is because I have been “redecorating” my Bianchi. The paint was in terrible shape anyway, so I decided to touch up rock chips with nail polish. Then, I just went kind of ballistic with the paint. Up to now, none of my bikes have names, but that changed last night. High on nail polish fumes, I dubbed my newest ride “Hard Kandi.” Anyone who survived 1990s fashion will remember Hard Candy nailpolish…whacky colors with silly names. I never had any of that particular brand of nail polish, but I've been a longtime devotee of weird nail colors. So I have a candy dish brimming with ridiculous colors of nail varnish, every one of which now makes an appearance on my 'cross bike. I varnished all the decals with clear glitter polish. It is…a sight to behold. It looks like it could belong in a circus.
I'll post photos tonight.