I know nothing about horsesother than the community service I did at the Rock Creek Stables for kicking a car
I have very little experience with horses
yes, the author of Seabiscuit was in my high school home room for four years
but when she signed my yearbook with some horse references I thought that it was some kinky S&M stuff
horses have never been part of my life experience
nor has S&M
last night I did some work on my Jamis Exile
not major surgery
just some basic grooming
it is important to groom your horse
there were a few things that needed to be done
I had to fix the flat from last week's Wednesday at Wakefield event
through a quick diagnosis I found the thorn that caused the slow leak
a slow leak that forced me to get squirrelly on some turns early in the race
a slow leak that forced me to pull over and dig through my pack for some CO2 during the second lap of my race
a slow leak that held off just long enough for me to finish my single speed race and grab my geared bike to line up with the clydesdales
with the removal of the tire it was not long into the investigation that I found the root of my problem
it was not a root
it was a thorn
a long short prickley thorn
I removed the thorn then I replaced the tube then I aired up the tire
all as if I were grooming my horse
cleaning its shoes
getting something out of my horse's hoof that was impeeding its ability to run as it should
the grooming process is more than just maintenance
the grooming process is a bonding process
just as with the horse
it is important for a rider to get to know their bike
last night I got to be better acquainted with my jamis single speed
after the flat repair I went ahead and replaced the chain
not that I needed to replace the chain
but I thought I should
I am a bit of a beast
so by Spearmint's recommendation I went with a fat BMX chain for this single speed
this KMC chain is fat
I had my hesitations with this massive chain with its chainsaw like links... but it seemed to fit into place
it definitely seemed more solid than the skinny little weight winnie chain that came with the bike
it was a short grooming procedure
there were the standard delays in finding the right size tube, the floor pump, and a chain tool other than the crank brother's multi-tool
but it all came together in the end
giving me a closer bond with this moderately new bicycle
a bicycle that is still somewhat left out of the rotation
a bike that has been raced more than it has been ridden
a bike that is scheduled to be raced again with the singles speeds this Wednesday at Wakefield
I am not sure if that picture is of Seabiscuit
picture by bruce of me at wakefield
2007 W@W Results