Real Geeks Ride

Day 14: Rain, Marlene, & Clicking Pedals

Posted on 04. Jun, 2009 by carlos in Tips, Touring

Rain

We biked 42 miles for 5 hours in the cold rain from Wooster, Ohio to Mansfield, Ohio.

The first miles are not as bad as one would think. Your body warms up and the rain has yet to seep into darkest places of your shoes. It’s actually quite nice until you hit mile 6 out of 42…

Imagine two bikers on a long-stretched country road, soaked from the continious rain and longing for dryness and warmth. Think about the scene with their heads down and the water sloshing up from the bike tires. Every small puddle adds a few drops into the shoes while the brakes work at about 40%.  We both had zoned out, turning our pedals over one at a time.

Marlene and Family/Friends

After a rain-soaked day of riding, our luck would prove itself again and have us stay with someone who went the extra mile to make our stay as comfortable as possible. We arrived in Mansfield, Ohio to an unexpected red carpet we appreciated with open arms. The warmth of the house and quips from her son, Jake, made us feel instantly welcome.

As a Pampered Chef saleswoman, Marlene took this opportunity to relive her work without selling anything to us. It was food ecstasy the entire night.

Leaving the next morning:

I decided to take the faster one:

A Clicking Pedal

I fixed the first maintence issue that was not part of a general tune-up. A clicking started in my Shimano SPD Pedal. It happened everytime I would get to the top of the pedal stroke. To make the matters worse, I could feel a vibration which started to drive me mad. I called Dave from Tsunami Cycles and he told me it was either one of two things.

1. The threads that attach to the crank need TLC. The solution is to dismantle to pedal and grease up what needs to be greased. Or..

2. Tighten the bearings inside of the pedal. To do this, turn a specific bolt (pointed to in picture below).

Tags: clicking, marlene, pampered chef, pedals, rain, soaked