Surgery

I've been grounded again, but it's not what you think!!!

I've been riding my bike halfway to work as often as I can. When I can stand this summer's intolerable afternoon heat (30 days above 90 already this summer!!!), I ride halfway home. Lizard picks up me and my bike at whatever point I can't push the pedals another round.

Last week he was loading my bike onto the bike rack on the back of the 4Runner, which incidentally had just recently hit 400,000 miles and then required steering fluid pump surgery (Owie in the bank account!!!), when he noticed we might be in need of yet another repair.

(On the bright side, the 4Runner is still a Runner, and by golly, that fuel pump was original factory install!!!)

As Lizard was preparing to mount my bike on the rack, he asked, "How long has it been doing this?"

"Doing what?" I asked.

He bounced the front end of the bike on the pavement.

"That. How long has it been doing that?"

"Um, I don't normally bounce it. I just ride it."

"Your headset," he explained. "How long has it been rattling like that?"

"Rattling like what???"

He bounced it again.

"I don't play basketball with it. Ever," I answered. "I promise. I just ride it. It might get a little bumpy on the train, but I don't bounce it."

He rolled his eyes and pronounced the diagnosis.

"You need a new headset. This one is gone."

Befuddled, I contemplated what he was telling me. He's replaced it once before, and after talking about which rides we did after he replaced it the first time, I realized this headset has lasted me eight years. When we got home, I tabulated 13,000 miles on the now Dead Head-set.

My spirits sank because I've really enjoyed my morning rides, and I don't want to miss a single day. On the bright side, the headset can be replaced, and I can find other things to do in the mornings for the next couple of weeks.

Including more tabulating!

3 Ride the Rockies, 4 Fall Blazes, 8 MS-150s and 8 Elephant Rocks. This headset has enabled me and my bike to climb Deer Creek Canyon 32 times, Vail Pass 14 times, up and over Colorado National Monument 8 times, up Independence Pass 5 times, up Pikes Peak and Squaw Pass 2 times each, and up Mesa Verde and Hurricane Ridge 1 time each. It's done the Tour de Lavender, a 1,000-mile month, 14 consecutive months with a 60-mile or better day (back when it was still an infant), and it's thrown me over the handlebars twice.

This has been a pretty awesome bike! This will be its 3rd headset. I bought the bike in April 2004, and although it's undergoing major surgery again this week, I will get to ride it again!

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