After recently commemorating four years riding a bicycle every day, and before that spending 15 years being car-free, I know there are lots of big moments in my journey. But it’s the small pleasures of bicycling that satisfy, sustain, and sometimes surprise me. Thanksgiving is a time when gratitude gets more attention, but any time is a good time to be grateful.
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If you’re a loyal reader of A Dude Abikes, this may seem like a little deja vu. On October 24, 2019, I wrote Sophie Gets a New Drive Train, and She Rides Like Buttah. Many thousands of miles later (6,666.66 in 2020 alone), she was past due for another replacement of some very worn and pretty filthy parts. You could say that Sophie has been a dirty girl. Grit and grime attach themselves to the oil on the chain, chain ring and cassette. The teeth or cogs wear down, the chain stretches, and tends to slip off when changing gears — especially on hills or high pressure. So I took her to the friendly neighborhood shop that’s been serving the University of Texas for about 20 years, and let the pros at Clown Dog Bikes take care of bidness.
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