Fun & Fitness over 50

When I picked up my new 6 speed cassette from Matt at Mad Dog Bicycles, he expressed concern (mock?) that I was going to put him out of the repair business because I was doing the job myself.

I don't think so.

Replacing the cassette is really a cake job. All you need is the little puller thingy and a breaker bar or ratchet with a 1" socket.

I did this recently when I replaced my rear wheel and again tonight so I'm getting pretty good at it. Only took about 10 minutes. I'm getting better at removing the rear wheel without touching the greasy parts. Almost. The chain still falls off the small chainring and I have to put it back on. No biggie.

I did a little test ride and it seems fine. Tomorrow I hope I will have time for a real ride.

I'm thinking I paid a lot for my cassette, $42. I was looking in the Nashbar catalog tonight and the Shimano XTR 9 speed is $170. Ouch!

Dana and Matt at the bike shop told me I'd love this cassette. It's nice and smooth and quiet. We'll see how it performs tomorrow.

Oh, mapmyride.com is going to credit my ride yesterday towards today's 9th TDF stage although they might not allow it to be a verified because the date is different. At least I'll be entered for a prize. I see 2 people from Albany won prizes for Stage 8, cycling shoes and a $100 gift certificate for TwinSix. Not bad.