Preparing to Ride

One of the reminders that I came away from my ride with Blue Jay was to be prepared. (Kind of Boy Scout-ish) To prepare with, not only a cell phone, helmet, and water, but with a tube replacement for each bike, a pump, bicycle multi-tool and a first aid kit, even on short trips. With summer coming we’ll also want to be prepared with sunscreen.

As Lucy has reminded me, first aid should come first.

I’ll have a waist pack by the bicycle helmets that contains a first aid kit of some large and small band aids, some anti-biotic ointment, some gauze, and iodine, alcohol, or peroxide, and some Purell. Also included in the pack will be tools and a spare tube. That way when we leave on a ride one of us can grab the bag and strap it on.

There are some things we should be looking at our bicycles for before leaving on any rides. Spin the tires to check for alignment of brakes and true of wheel, then a slower spin for a quick surface check of the tires. Tire pressure should be checked with a squeeze. Brakes should engage well before a full pull on the brake handles. Warning lights need to be checked for operation.

I didn’t make any progress this week on reducing my cycling load (i.e. weight). It might be the Benadryl. I don’t know how that stuff works, but allergy season is upon us. It could also be my weakness for M&M’s.

Silver Lining

A few days later, Blue Jay was asking to bicycle to the Dog Tooth Cafè. We call it that but the proper name is Dogtooth Coffee Company. It’s on the corner of North Corona and East Columbia, a really out of the way place, unless you’re on a bicycle on the Shook’s Run Trail. That is how most of those who don’t live in the neighborhood find it. That is how we came across it.

February has been blessed with many warm and beautiful days. On that particular Thursday we did don our bicycles and helmets. The whole family was invited to go but Pi Guy was busy with a computer basketball game and the ride wouldn’t be all that challenging. And, Lucy had some around the house stuff to do.

The trip to was uneventful.

Blue Jay enjoyed a pistachio gelato, my favorite. But being February she had exhausted the last supply of it. I had black cherry gelato instead. The girl behind the counter said that she was coming in early the next day to make a fresh round of gelato because the weather was so fine. She also joked to Blue Jay that she had sampled some avocado gelato to a boy about her age. Not something Blue Jay was inclined to try.

Blue Jay and I ate outside, enjoying the sunshine. We then mounted our bikes for the return.

On the way back Blue Jay began to waiver on and off the path. Since Shook’s Run Trail passes behind a Safeway we stopped to get water from a vending machine. We had not taken (my mistake) water bottles with us.

I thought her tires were unusually loud as we continued down the path. As we turned on to the Rock Island Trail, I realized that the culprit was a flat tire. It was a “goat head” flat. So we walked both bikes the rest of the way home.

Silver lining? Now we have a.) A “practice” flat to replace, b.) A reminder for me, to always prepare with cell phone, water, a tube replacement for each tire size, and a pump, even on short trips; and c.) Another reminder to stay on the trail to avoid what is locally known as “goat heads.”

Goat heads look like small pea seeds with spikes, they are sturdy enough to easily puncture the tire and tube of a mountain bike.