Trapped in the house today, with a cold rain falling that came very close to being freezing rain
(one year to the day from the worst icing event in Charlotte history) I decided to get out my
long-neglected mountain bike (anyone notice I haven't been around too much?)
Good lord. It's been stored in my shed for several months and the neglect shows. I didn't clean it
after my last ride, so the dirt and mud splats were like concrete. One thing that bothers me is the
fact the red grips had turned almost black (mold?)
I was worried that there was a haze of rust on my cassette (with cogs from a now-difficult to find
HG90 cassette) but that turned out to be red clay dust. I'll take the whole thing apart at the store
and restore it's nickel plated luster.
The PC - 58 chain was perfect. No stretch. Same to be said for the chain, which got a fresh coat of
Pro-link and a wipe down.
Cleaning the boots on a 97 Manitou SX Ti can be fun. They fit tight and are hard to turn!
The brakes took a good dose of lube. The rears (Avid 2.0x) were dia-comping (not centering) until I
got some lube on them.
Now I just need to get out and ride the damned thing.