Hills...

Got back on the bike today, with the explicit goal of climbing Washout Road. All that remained was finding the way there and the way back. The way there was pretty basic - SCCC to Exit 26 bridge via bike path, to Rte 5, to Washout, and up, up, and away. The way back was less obvious. I planned to go from Washout to Ridge to 147 to L on Dawson to R on Crane to L on Newman to Swaggertown, and back down to Rte 50 to Vley and back via the Exit 26 bridge and the bike path. Memory failed, and I went L on Crane to Charlton to Swaggertown, but didn't really add that much. The overall distance was 29.3, quite a bit longer than I originally had in mind. Hasty planning, and no actual measuring...

On Washout, the 24-tooth front chainring got its first workout. Once I started the 2-3 mile climb, I was pretty much down there for the duration. Only used the lowest combo once or twice, but it seemed adequate, with my speed dropping under 5 mph at times. Front derailleur shifting performance (upward) was not a problem, as long as I kept in mind that the chain needed to be somewhat slack. Had to get off and walk a 50-yard section because of a suspect dog ("He won't hurt you - he'd like to kiss you" - yeah, right.) Not taking any chances at 5 mph, even though it was a pretty old dog. Another dog came after me on Dawson, but I hammered it and got out of the way, though not without some minor leg cramping. All in all, a good and satisfying ride, and I know now that most hills will NOT be a problem.

No commuting this week, since I'll be helping Katy get to work and back. Maybe next week...

Tried adding front rack today, discovered I was lacking the proper Allen-head bolts, went to HW store, solved one half of the problem, but forgot the other. Looks like another trip to get that installation resolved. About 5 trips there now for various bolts and attachment hardware - lots of spare (read: useless) stuff. Hope to get it all installed sometime this week.