It is said, once you have learned a repetitious habit, it will stay there for life. Like cycling. So, when I invested in my new bike last May, I wondered if it was true. I hadn´t cycled for 25 years. But once in the saddle, it felt like I had never stopped. Almost like I had added it to my genetic setup.
I have never been good at technical matters. I still don´t know today how to tune the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Since the daughters and I are heading for Khatanga, I realized I had to get back into the maintainence section of taking care of all three bikes. What to do if we get stuck in the taiga in the middle of nowhere? Oddly enough, as quick as I found my old tools, it felt….like I had never been away.
So I have invested in new tools, a stand, because I realize I have to do maintenance regularly on the bikes. Not only to keep them as perfect as possible, but to get the habit into my “genes” again.
It all went well until the other day. A bad nights sleep, frezzing cold outside, but I had to fix the bikes. The girls (read Dana) were complaining they didn´t run smooth enough. So went out and set up my stand on the balcony in -4 C. Danas bike was a mess. She is rough on everything. Evas almost looked untouched. Mine more like Danas. Due to tiredness I amde a mess of my own chain. But I had bought a new one for the journey, so I took that one. It didn´t do well. I was freezing, fingers stiff. Not my day.
So I had to leave it with a specialist. Other cyclists have told me that Musette in Malmö are good. They impressed me with their knowledge, service mindedness and thorough check up. He immediately told me that the cassette looked almost untouched after 2500 km. I have a Specialized Elite Kombu bike with SRAM gear. And he told me SRAM was way more sensitive than Shimano.
Yes, do laugh. I had put on the worng chain. Though I had followed the instructions from the Internet. I had completely messed up the disc brakes with the wrong liquid. Obviously being a specialist meant there was a cost to all these mistakes.
Note to myself. SRAM is not Shimano. Disc brakes are not rimbrakes. Kit has developed in 25 years. Wait for the next maintanence until weather is pleasant!
PS. I was happy to to talk to Lars Bengtsson, Sweden´s premier touring cyclist at the moment, who said he was a tech guy on my level! DS
For the tech people, this is the bike I have
Musette https://www.musette.se/
Lars Bengtsson http://www.lostcyclist.com/
The Khatanga trip with the daughters https://vimeo.com/481697863
