Life has been pretty hectic around these parts lately, and mostly for all the right reasons. A trip home to visit family and celebrate a marriage, concerts, hockey games, and visits from friends on top of my usual day-to-day routine has left little time for leisure in the last few weeks. I ended up unintentionally taking a week off from riding.
In some cases, errands had also been temporarily thrown by the wayside. I attempted to get back on track last Sunday by finally biking two weeks' worth of recycling to the center near our neighborhood:
That much recycling required two trips. You may ask, "Why didn't you just load it in your car and do it in one trip?" You know me better than that by now. Even though it may take a little longer at times, I'll always prefer bike transportation if it's at all viable.
That particular trip took even longer because I decided to do some maintenance in between trips, as I noticed my bike wasn't pedaling nearly as easily as it should have been. For one, the tires really needed air:
Since the last time I pulled this bike out (which again, had only been inside for a week or so), temperatures had taken a serious dive, and that can have some serious effects on tire pressure even with indoor bike storage. Colder temperatures can lower pressure, and lower pressure can add rolling resistance, so that was a no-brainer to fix. I also lubricated my chain and some other moving parts.
The second trip went much smoother as a result. For good measure, I did the same things on my girlfriend's and daughter's bikes (and they may not even know it) after I returned home. This small little event was a good reminder to myself to keep up with regular maintenance even if I'm not using my bike as often as I used to.
On a related note, I made an unofficial pledge to myself that day to make it a point to get back into a regular riding routine, even if just to drop off more recycling. Even the shortest of rides every day makes me feel more complete:
This pledge yielded dividends a couple days later, when I "stumbled" upon a new microbrewery that opened 5 minutes' riding distance from our house. Yet another thing that makes me feel whole:
It's called Somewhere in Particular, formerly known as Nowhere in Particular due to the owner/operator's habit of nomadic brewing (if that's actually a thing). Amazing beer and a small yet tasty food menu to boot. Also known as another place for me to blow my money without traveling far. ANYwho...
I've kept good on my pledge, riding almost daily save for the last couple days, when we were greeted with torrential downpours and gale force winds. They're gone now, and I'm getting ready to head out for this month's installment of the Roll: Pub Ride (the last of the year).
Cheers and have a lovely weekend, everyone. Remember as we head towards Winter to give your bike some love too.
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