getting the Specialized ready...

more than likely people are further along that I am right now
but honestly... I am pleased to be this close to things as I am
I am not them... I can only do what I can do

charm city is coming up this weekend
charm city? for many it is the season opener for cyclocross in the Mid-Atlantic
YIKES! racing this weekend?
neither the bike or the body are ready
hopefully I can get the bike ready
as for the body... I guess I will have to settle for "best possible"
there is not much I can do between now and then to make myself "more ready"

I think I am going to have to try and find my race licenses... I am not sure if I ever got mailed a race license!

the Specialized Tri Cross Comp has been collecting dust for two years
a combination of a certain dissatisfaction with a brake chattering issue and the fact that the brake boss came free from the fork when I was swapping out the stock shimano brakes for some frogleggs
sometimes things do not go as planned
this simple replacement of the brakes did not go as planned
the brake boss pulled free from the fork and remained lodged in the canti-lever which had me riding the Jamis Nova for all my cyclocross fun over the last two years


this was all well and good because I enjoy the Jamis Nova
even though I think that the Specialized Tri Cross may be a better bike
hopefully I will get things ready for a few days of commuting and maybe an afternoon or two of practice before Sunday
if the bike does not come together tomorrow night... I will then focus my attention on the Jamis Nova... which means I would be swapping tires and tuning things up
which of is fine since I know how I feel on the Jamis

the Nova may not be necessary... yet it is a solid back up option
tonight the DCMTB team held its monthly meeting The Family Bike Shop in Crofton Maryland
it was a good night for pizza, beer, and bicycle talk
some people brought their bikes by for some time in the stand
there were some like myself tried to gather some odds and ends for the bike
while there were others who were there for the pizza, beer, and team meeting

to make things right I showed up with a list
normally I use a mental list
the mental list never works

SHOES-TIRES-TUBES-CASSETTE SPACERS-PEDAL WASHERS-and FORK BRAKE BOSSES
the list may have continued... but my mental recollection much like the mental list is never complete

some of these things were more vital than others
I have been trying to get some shoes for months... there has been an issue with finding a shoe large enough for sizing
and as for the other stuff... I guess it had just not been a priority
it should be a priority.... as my shoes have been falling apart for months
yet somehow I have accepted this as "good enough"

well... tonight I showed up with a list and my buddy FBS Jonathan helped me gather all the things that I needed... EVERYTHING! YES! EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING ON THE LIST AND PIZZA AND BEER!
there was some question on the issue of the brake boss... so I left with three different brake boss sizes... sure enough... one of them worked... although I did not buy tires I did pick up some tires that I had purchased through a team order that had been made through the shop a month prior...
there were shoes that fit and all other things I needed both great and small!

CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST!
well... there was a swipe of the credit card... but there was also the team discount
after not being able to find shoes in my size or a shop that had fork brake bosses... well
it felt like Christmas in August

beer and pizza in my belly I left for the city with two fellow DCMTB teammates
Mike and Tris were good enough to give me a ride from the city to the sticks
it is not a bad drive... but no need for too many cars to go there with too few passengers

so... with new Specialized MTN Bike shoes on my feet I worked on the Specialized Tri Cross
although I did not put in the cables I did throw on some levers my brother gave me
the Tri Cross is being outfitted with riser bars... it will be like having a new bike
SHIT! this pretty much is a new bike
a new bike with a custom set up... flat bar cross bike... no not a hybrid... a flat bar cyclocross bike

it was a good time eating pizza and drinking beers at The Family Bike Shop
it is nice to know that I have a shop that I can go to and get the support and attention that I need
our relationship with City Bikes over the last ten years was "touch and go"
it was not always easy to get the assistance that I needed
things are different with The Family Bike Shop

I had the camera but I did not take any photographs
it happens... I live life and experience it through my own eyes rather than through the LCD display of a digital camera

http://familybikeshop.com/