there it goes

Over the wknd I unveiled the secret weapon to an incredibly hudge audience. Let's just say that the ss class has gotten a bit spicier as the calender winds down. It works like magic. Saturday, rocked out for a solid 4:20, putting the rig thru the paces. Didn't quite manage the motor too well though; one gel, half a car baked Luna and a beer weren't quite the calories I needed to fully fund the day.

Recovery was a bit wanting on account of needing to replace the spoke I popped along the rail trail to the car. Head up valley to a shop I get a discount at, make it in before they close at five and get the random neo-sales guy to help me. Need a spoke, don't care about gauge, don't know the length, here's the wheel.....
Mouth breather dip shit takes wheel, heads back into 'the shop', I chit chat with owner, dude comes out with my spokes, I asked for 2 drive and one non-drive, so I'll have one each as spares. He leaves my wheel against the bench, I step into 'the shop' area to retrieve it. Then I get the explanation that since it's a 'singlespeed' wheel, the drive/nondrive spoke lengths are within 1mm of each other, so here's three of the same.

Uh-huh. I've tried to take a picture of my wheel, but the ExiWolf gets in the way. The wheel is off the Dos, it's a nine speed cassette hub with umpteen spacers on the body and a single cog in about the #3 position. That thing is about as faw away from equal dish as you can get. Whatever, dipshit. Then he explains to me about the Enervitene super cyclist crack in a pouch that I'm also buying....about how it's not a 'gel' and to be careful, cuz you can crash pretty hard off 'em. Yeah, thanks for the tip, spoke boy.

So I get home, and then realize.....I had to grab the wheel myself, which means he never double checked the spoke length.....which means the three spokes he sold me are probably wrong. Yeah, you guessed it, fucking lip spittal boy figured out that the spoke I needed should only be able to reach the end of the nipple. Must have forgot about that whole threaded portion that you can't see. I know I should have double checked it myself at the shop, but how fucking hard is it to figure out a spoke length when you have the fucking wheel right there!!!!! Reason #826,426 why I sometimes feel this intense urge to open a shop in Carlisle, cuz there doesn't seem to be a competent one within an easy drive of town. I shouldn't have to make a 'special trip' to go to the bike shop, or at least to one that I trust knows what the fuck they are doing!!!!!

Anyway, after looking at every other option, ended up yanking a spoke out of my LeMond's rear wheel, got lucky and it worked. That finished off my Saturday, along with a brake re-bleed and then out to BigFlat for the Sunday ride. Missed the memo on the venue change, Cupcake dysfunctionality at it's finest, and bumped into the Michaux Enduro at the turn onto the part of Wildcat that I've never ridden. Saw a lot of guys blast thru the corner, luckily none hit my bike, got to see a couple of elbows rubbed, then gingerly worked my way up Abby against the moto flow, skeeeeetchy. Out of the motos for the most part at the campfire ring, then found nice solo groove for a couple hours until I was bonked at the entrance to Lollipop. So I drank the beer I'd been carrying, felt kinda funny by the top of the climb and the descent was special. Opted to just ride the road back, but after stumbling upon the cars of the Cakes, I jumped into Hanzel & Grettal figuring to see them coming the other way. Didn't, so I bailed and bombed down Fegley then back up to the top for more moto traffic.

Dirtball!!!!