Velowander

Fri 12/08; Farmer's Market, Santa Monica

Just 2 blocks from Greg's apt there was a farmer's market. It is nice that even here in this enormous sprawling megapolis they have such things. We bought some strawberries, oranges, and grapes.

We rode to Santa Monica which is quite a good distance by bike; perhaps it took an hour. There was a bike path on some of the route but on much of it we were riding with the cars and in some areas it was quite busy, but we made it.

We went to Performance bike shop in Santa Monica again. We spent several hours there, for much of it Jen was trying various saddles. Performance let us use the trainer so Jen was able to ride on her bike in the store. She found a Terry leather saddle with titanium rails. It was pricey (about $80) but the tag said it was discounted. If it is more comfortable for her when riding for hours day after day it is worth it.

However, there still remains a lot to do with her bike. It was quite slow working in the Performance shop because I had to borrow their tools; the front derailleur cable snapped from age and use, and the front derailleur itself isn't very good (it has a short cage and is not ramped, designed for double chainring bikes not a triple) and has a stripped bolt and needs replacement. She can't even shift out of the granny ring. We failed to find the Diacompe ferrule she needs for her rear brake lever, so she can use only her front brake. In short, her bike is a mess and we're out of time.

posted by David @ 5:00 PM