I got my bike back from the shop, and I’m thrilled to finally ride it. After a hectic evening spent installing the new tires (which I did myself in order to save $20), it was too dark to ride it anywhere. So I had to wait until the next day. Sandra and I rode to brunch at Fiddlehead, about a mile away, mostly uphill. During this time I learned that the brakes really needed to be tuned, because I barely had enough hand strength to stop the bike on the steep downhills.
Today I cleaned of all the crud on the rims using aluminum foil and a bit of vinegar. I also bought some new brake pads. The bikes stops much better now. But the brake pads still aren’t quite the right size, and I can’t adjust them to be closer to the rims. Oh well. Looks like a nice little project for tomorrow.
Here are some photos of the bike in its almost-current state.
