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comment by raisin
raisin  ·  3108 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: September 23, 2015

I am trying to figure something out with my girlfriend. It's a long-distance relationship, and it hasn't been going all that well lately; I feel like she's distancing herself from me and I can't really blame her - this time we probably won't be able to meet for EIGHT MORE MONTHS. I have my studies, she has my studies, and the fact that she is on the other side of the Atlantic doesn't help things.

Anyway, I also want to pick up biking again. I haven't been on my bike (an old and atrocious piece of hardware) in the past couple of weeks, and I can feel that it's either that, or running (shoutout to flac), and I don't like running in the autumn. It's way too chilly in the morning, and the lungs hurt from the cold air. Perhaps I'm just doing something wrong, I'm not sure.





flac  ·  3108 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Don't have much help in way of the first problem, but I would definitely recommend taking your bike to a local shop to get it tuned up. Most places will do it for cheap, and it can make a huge difference, even to an old bike Or, if there's nothing too major wrong with it, I could point you towards some materials to teach you how to fix it up yourself, which can be a really nice set of skills to have, and save you some money in the long run.

As for running in the fall, I'm still at school, so I can run in the middle of the day when it isn't so cold out. It's definitely going to be harder once the temperature starts to drop more, though.

user-inactivated  ·  3107 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Would you mind also pointing me towards some materials re: bike maintenance? That would be super handy! :D

flac  ·  3102 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Here you go!

http://www.sheldonbrown.com

Ignore how ugly the site is, there is some great info on there. For me, what helped really understanding my bike was that I had to take it apart, ship it, and put it all back together for an internship. If you happen to have a junky old bike sitting around, or could borrow one from a friend, I would definitely recommend trying to take one apart completely to try and understand why everything does what it does.

user-inactivated  ·  3102 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Oh wow. I love the ugliness! :D

Thanks for that, I really appreciate it!