I realized on Saturday that no matter how many tools you carry with you on your rides, you will not have the one you need. We had a group of about 10 show up Saturday morning to do the same loop we did the previous weekend. I think my body is still in shock from all the training I am doing cause I was feeling good but didn't have much power. And what little power I did have, I used up in the first 10 mile sof the ride. After hitting it pretty hard on my favorite climb on Old Pike Road, I was done. From there on to Hayneville Road, I played chase with James and tried keeping Stan from catching me.
We turned onto 82 and I felt like my pedal ws coming loose. James, Stan and I were laying it down pretty good but my left pedal fely weird. We turned onto 37 and were about to catch ba ck up the main group and I decided I needed to stop and take a look. I pull my left cleat out and notice my crankwarm is about 1/2 turn away from coming off! Great! So I figure since it hasn't come off yet, it may stay like that for the rest of the ride... wrong! I put my foot back in and try to pedal and the whole thing comes off! That's REALLY great!
Since it wasn't the drive side, I figured I would try and one-leg for a while and see how that goes. Well, let me tell this, if you have any type of hip problems, knee problems, etc., don't pedal a bike for 8 miles with just one crankarm. During my 8 miles of hell, I stopped at 3 different houses, trying to find someone with an 8mm hex wrench. No luck. I figured people that had farms and big tractors had lots of tools. But maybe big tractors don't have 8mm hex bolts. And maybe that is why I ride a bike in spandex and I am not a farmer. I kept hearing those banjos from Deliverance playing the background and I walked up to each house and the confused looks I would get from the laarge manly men in their overalls. I ahve to say that everyone I talked to was very nice, it was just a little weird. And now that I think about it. it was probably kind of weird for them having some grown man come upo to them dressed in a ballet outfit wasking for a wrench.
Anyway, I finally came across a nice, big house with an older gentlemen in his driveway. I figured he wouldn't have anything and kept going. But I really wasn't sure when I would come across somebody else and I was hurting. So I turned around. I walked actross this field I guess he called his front yard and introduced myself and explained the problem. His name was Mike and was very willing to help. He told me he "might" have something that would work. As we walked into his gaarage, I realized I had hit the jackpot and that the good Lord was watching out for me. His garage was lined with Craftsman tool cabinets that had about every tool you could ever need to build whatever your heart desired. And to think I had ridden past this house and was about to not stop!
Needless to say, he had an 8mmm hex and I was able to tighten everything up and I was on my way. He ever let me keep the wrench even though I am going to put it in his mailbox the next time I ride by. The rest of the ride back was uneventful, the way I like it. I road down to Cecil and turned left onto 110 and took that all the way back to the CVS. Man, it was hot and I was tired but I actuallty made pretty good time on the way back.
I figured that I had lost about 45 minutes to the other guys and by riding straight down 110, I would probably catch them in the parking lot. As I pulled in the parking lot, Ken, James, Colin and a couple of others were there talking. We figured it may be a good idea to put together a phone list just in case this happens again and we need to call somebody.
I think I am going to work on my bike this week and make sure everything is tight. I am also going to call FSA and tell them how much I have enjoyed my cranks that won't stay tight.
