Bikes and Sand

Sand, its one of those things that seems insignificant, but it can quickly change a day of riding into a day of resting. Today, an important part of a bike has sidelined someone from participating. It’s frustrating as a cyclist to know that the weakest link isn’t yourself, but the machine.

The previous week, Sudan served us a big helping of blowing sand. Riders have been experiencing many shifting problems because of it. I spent a relaxing afternoon, cleaning and using several different methods to clear the shifter pods. At one point, I had to use the floor pump to flush out sand. After a thorough test ride and the always entertaining conversations with Kathleen [about her fondness for her bike] we brought her bike back from having one gear, to multiple.

Tomorrow, it goes out for a proper test, and will get Kathleen further down the road.