So it’s 2013, and I’m still riding. A lot has changed with my riding routine this year. For starters, I’m no longer recording ride stats in a spreadsheet. I am using RunKeeper instead, and it’s been a great time saver. I still plan to keep track of mileage for each of my bikes separately, though, so I’ll know when to replace tires, chains, etc.
I am also commuting to a new office, on the 6th floor of the Administration building at UMBC. This requires me to ride the elevator to get in and out of the building, a prospect I was initially dreading. However, so far it hasn’t been too bad. The wait for the elevator isn’t bad, because it tends to be going the same direction I’m going, that is, up in the mornings and down in the evenings. Although the elevators are sometimes crowded, I can wait for the next one and it’ll usually be empty. The elevators aren’t huge, but the bike fits inside just fine. Granted, it’s winter session and the campus isn’t crowded to begin with. My tune may change in a couple of weeks when the spring semester starts. We’ll see.
And finally, I’m trying out an Osprey Momentum 34 backpack, in lieu of panniers. I really like the pack so far, and will write more on it after I’ve been using it for a month or so.
This winter has started off warm, similar to last winter. I’ve been riding my road bike almost exclusively. The past few days have been wet and drizzly. A couple days ago, my rear fender started making this insidious rubbing noise. It sounded like a leaf was caught between the fender and the tire, but I couldn’t find one. It kept getting worse and worse, until finally I took the wheel off to get to the bottom of it. It turns out that the silver mylar lining on the inside of the fender (Planet Bike Cascadia) was starting to peel away from the fender, and the loose end was rubbing against the tire. I pulled on it, and about half of it peeled off the fender. Now I have a fender that’s half silver and half clear, but no more rubbing noise. I wonder how long before the remaining mylar starts to peel away. The mylar seems to be totally cosmetic, and the fender is 5 years old and still fully functional, so no complaints.