When Goal-less Is a GOOD Thing

   Now that I’m only one relatively short ride away from reaching my goal of 4000 miles, friends and relatives are asking what I am going to do next. I have thought about it a lot while riding this year and how sometimes just “putting in the miles” took away from the basic enjoyment of being out on the road. Too many times I was focused on what the cycle computer told me at the end of a ride, and I wasn't really even collecting the information to track my fitness.

   I think my solution next year will be to go computerless - and I don’t mean disconnecting the mounts, etc. from all of my bikes, I’m just not going to pay any attention to the miles or worry about the pace at which I ride. For the past couple of years I have entered every mile I’ve ridden on MapMyRide and recorded my personal best times for my regular routes. From now on, I’m doing none of that – I’ll keep the maps so that I have a way of telling Sue where I am going, but no more mile totals and no more average speeds!

   Having the computer available will still be useful in order to tell the time of day, how far I have left for some of the longer rides and maybe, if I'm occasionally curious, how fast I'm going. I have noticed how little I actually look at the computer when I’m riding, and it’s amazing how my average speed still ends up within my “comfort zone” around 18 mph. I’ve grown to have a really good feel for tempo.

   Down in the shop, I finished up the Orbea conversion, which was pretty straightforward. I did have some difficultly with the front derailleur that was for triple chainrings. I have found that setting the cable in the middle ring position and making adjustments from there is most effective, but it requires a third hand (Sue’s in this case) to tighten the mounting bolt while holding the derailleur cage in place and the cable tight over the bolt. It seems that with some brands of components, this is the only method that works to achieve smooth shifts and eliminate as much chain rub as possible.

   Mark had a chance to take the bike out for a spin the other day and expressed how much riding a correctly-sized frame made a difference. I expect the excitement of having a new toy helped put a little jump in his legs as well!

   The Colnago project has seen a bit of progress in that I purchased a (nearly) complete Campagnolo Super Record component group, or gruppo if you want to sound like a pro “wrench”. It unfortunately did not come with a headset or pedals, which of course have been the most difficult to come by at a reasonable price! There are a couple pieces that don’t quite match up with the era of my bike, but I intend to sell those back, hopefully make some money on the exchange and buy the appropriate part for my bicycle.

   The brake levers and front derailleur that came with my Nuovo Mexico were not Super Record, so I welcomed the correct versions with the group I purchased. Unfortunately the derailleur was a clamp-on type, and my bike requires the braze-on mount version, so the hunt for one of those continues.

   I also found a Selle San Marco “Rolls saddle, which is still currently in production, but I wanted a vintage look and found an original. Nuovo Mexicos came with these saddles or with a Concor model, but I think the Rolls is more aesthetically pleasing with its brass fittings.

   I also lucked out (didn’t have to mortgage the house) on a 3T stem with the Ernesto Colnago autograph engraving, which would have been original to the bike as well.

   I took the opportunity to install a few things and take some pictures. Note all of the decorative elements on the frame, such as the ace-of-clubs logos on the downtube above the shifter levers...

...and on the rear brake mounting bracket.

   You can also see the club-shaped cutout in the location of the bottom bracket, before I installed the part. This was not just a decorative feature; it also allowed moisture to escape the seat tube. This portion of the frame is usually a rusty disaster, but thankfully the person who owned the Colnago previously must not have ridden in the rain much, if at all!

Here is the bottom bracket installed - notice the white-filled “Colnago” stamping on the chain stay. The chromed stay has similar stamping on the side away from view.

This final pic shows the Super Record rear derailleur.

Next time I’ll introduce an additional project that will keep me occupied over the winter.