Bikes!

[Kitsune]

Damn you guys! After reading this thread, yesterday, I couldn't resist: I pulled the bike out, cleaned it up, and braved the roads and traffic. I only did seven miles, but it still felt great!

The bike had a little bit of "sand squeek" in the chain, which I managed to clean out with a bit of oil and a brush. While it still looks good, I think it might need replacing at some point in the near future. The brakes also feel a bit loose. Do you guys take your bikes into a shop to get them "tuned up" or do you do it all yourself? How often do you replace parts and what do you replace? Rather sadly, I always wait until something actually breaks before I replace it and since I started doing trips over twenty miles, I realize that isn't the best plan, anymore. Walking home that far with a broken bicycle really ruins a day.

Somethings, I guess, can't be fixed on the road. My friend lost a pedal while we were out on a long ride, once, and the crappy little toolkits we all carried didn't have what we needed to reattach it. Note: a leatherman tool is a really good thing to have on a ride.