Loss For Words

This evening I rode around the the neighborhood the long way. So many people were outside and I heard a lot of comments.

A lot of times people just talk to each other and I catch something about "unicycle!".

But several people said some strange things.
One guy said something close to, "You're missing a bike." I think he meant "wheel" not "bike"!

Later, another guy said something like, "You lost a pair of... bike." Huh? English was clearly a second language for him. Again... doesn't he mean "wheel"? But I'm not missing a pair of wheels. Maybe he remembers seeing me on a tricycle?

One dad had a bunch of kids near him and made up a story about how I crashed my bike up the road and I was just riding what was left over. hahaha!

I might have to bring a little pad and pencil with me from now on. It's hard to remember that strange comments people make.

Crappy Weather

If it isn't hot and humid it's raining!
Despite the call for rain and the dark sky, this morning I prepared for another long trail ride.
I got all ready to go and as soon as I walked out the door it started down pouring.

Damn.

The Long Way

The roads in my neighborhood for two loops, kind of like a squashed figure-8.
Tonight I rode around both loops... what we call "The Long Way" around the block.

I also rode once around the regular block, and up and down the street a few times.

It's probably time to stop posting about simple daily rides around the neighborhood. At this point it's a no brainer. I guess it's time to learn something new.

I think I'm going to focus most of my energy on idling.

Ditto

Same as yesterday. Another hot one!
Up and down the street and around the block once.

My knees are feeling ok.

Back In The Saddle

It's approaching two weeks since I had stopped riding because of my knee concerns. That's longer than I planned, but I got busy with work stuff.

Tonight I rode up and down the street a few times and then around the block. I didn't feel any problems in my knees, so that's great! Although, I'm icing them to be on the safe side. I supposed only tomorrow will tell.
I've also been starting to take a supplement that's good for joint health. I'm not expecting much from that, but who knows.

Syd as been trying her unicycle a bit, with Amy's help. Amy holds the unicycle while Syd pedals slowly.

Seat Fix

Tonight I took a closer look at the quick release on Syd's new uni. I figured out why I can't get it tight enough. The rod in the quick release lever has threads on both ends. The end that the nut goes on has few threads. So I run out of threads before it gets tight enough. The lever side has more threads, but for no good reason! Ahh haa!! The problem is the rod was assembled backwards.In my attempt to remove the rod to flip it over, I twisted it to the breaking point. I then drilled out what I needed to and created my own threaded rod from a screw. Now it tightens properly.

Then I worked on the seat post itself. I cut about two and a half inches off the bottom. This allowed the seat to be fully lowered without the post hitting the tire. Syd can now reach the pedals, but it still may be a bit too high.
I may end up cutting about an inch off the frame.

Maybe I should have gotten her a 12" wheel unicycle. But she'll grow into it.
Of course now my son Kyle wants to ride it. Maybe he can ride my learner if I lower that seat?

In any case, no one is riding anything at the moment. It's rainy and disgustingly humid outside.

Syd's New Ride

We got Sydney's new unicycle today.



It generally seems nice: 3-piece crank, sealed bearings, knobby tire, padded seat.




But there are a few small problems.
There is some chipped paint, but Sydney seems cool with it. We plan to put a sticker over it, or maybe some touch up paint.


The quick-release seat post clamp isn't threaded enough to allow proper tightening. So the seat post turns in the frame easily.

But the biggest problem is the size. At its lowest seat height Syd can't reach the pedal at the lowest point.
The seat post can't be lowered any more without coming through the frame and hitting the tire.
But at that point there is still about 3 inches or seat post still under the seat.
So I can cut the seat post to get the seat post down about 3 inches. That may be enough. If not, I could cut the frame some.

Poor Syd has to have a lot of patience waiting for her unicycle to be ready!