Iowa-nderland

So I JUST got back from Iowa. I went up for Uncle Speed's 80th Birthday party. Good food, good to see the Iowan kin.

Also was going to pick up a part Bill ordered for me, and get a front wheel tightened up. Well, turns out the wrong part got ordered and the wheel was a bit damaged. Fortunately, Bill had a nice wheelset sitting around with an appropriately sized cog on the rear, so we popped them on there.

I get a new wheelset, & he gets a aftermarket-sellable wheelset (the wheelset is still perfectly rideable, and are the original set from his track bike he might sell).

Then, we went for a 14 mile ride in like 40 mph winds, during which time Bill and I did a couple of all-out sprints. Sometime during all this, it seems, I managed to bend my drive-side crank. That's right. Now, the tight-chain had something to do with it, I'm sure, but I still felt like Superman. However, we didn't know the crank was the issue, so we had to go through a series of part-swaps to find and eliminate the problem. Fortunately again, Bill had a cool, modern, light and stiff crankset sitting around.

I get a new crankset, & he gets an aftermarket-sellable crankset (the crank isn't TOO bent...) & good bike karma.

So, the weekend was a really good time, and we learned some lessons about chain tension / crank strength / chainring bolt durability / the wiseness of 14 mile rides in tornado-force winds.

Thanks Bill for the hookup on parts.

Thanks Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bill for hosting the party.