In Which We Await Bad News With Pleasant Rides

Late Sunday afternoon--my road bike Argent at turnaround point, a bit over 3 miles north of Hiawatha. Whatever that first parking lot you come to north of town is.

It was warm in Iowa this weekend. I didn’t have a lot of time, so Sunday was just a quick 16-mile ride before supper.

Saturday, I rode to a nearby park, about 4 miles away, with a daughter and granddaughter. Before that, in the morning, I encountered a snake on the Lindale Trail and took it’s picture.

Rode my bike to the gym Saturday morning, encountered this snake on Lindale Trail and shot images with my cell phone. After a short photo session, the snake on the trail moved back into the grass.

All weekend rides were on Argent. Francis went to the shop—brakes were stiff and the back wheel wobbled following Friday’s bike club ride. Sadly, the initial estimate at the bike shop indicates the cots to repair Frances—including a new chain, back wheel, brake pads and tune up—may exceed the purchase price of such a bike.

It’s possible this might be curtains for Francis. It’s frustrating, a little, that a 5-year-old bike with a perfectly good frame would be so costly to fix, but I await a more detailed estimate Monday.

The back wheel of the Beast will likely be fixed for around $25. I may soon enter a phase where only the old mountain bike and the new road bike are available to me, because it doesn’t make much sense, if I can make two bikes ride-able, to spring for a third.

Of course, perhaps I’m wrong and the estimate Monday will be low enough to save Francis. Honestly, I’m not feeling optimistic about that.

Well, at least the quick rides this weekend were very pleasant, in almost early summer-like warmth. I broke out the bike shorts for the first time Sunday, and rode about 3 miles north of Hiawatha on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. All in all, I put about 16 miles on Argent on Sunday alone.

So, if it’s the end of Francis, at least it won’t be the end of CR Biker.