Yesterday was a good day in Seattle. I rode about a little and then met Keith and we did a lap of South Lake Washington. I never would have found or done that ride without him. It was a little heavy traffic, being Friday afternoon and all, but it was fine for just two of us.
I had walked to the Pike Market in the late morning to just sight see some. Man is that a tourist area. So crowded. Pretty interesting with all the different types of fish and vegetables, etc., but the crowds of people are kind of constricting.
On the ride my cranks started feeling pretty weird. Sort of wobbly, like my crankarm was loose of something. Then these loud pops started. With a titanium frame, the noises are all amplified. I realized that I was going to be a close to a catastrophic failure at any point. When we started back West, toward Mercier Island, I told Keith I needed to stop at a bike shop and get a new bottom bracket. I could feel a ton of play in my cranks, plus the sound was pretty horrible.
Keith’s team is sponsored by Veloce Velo, a shop just off the bike I-90 bike path, so we stopped there. They had a Dura Ace English thread bottom bracket. I just put it in my pocket with only a few miles to ride back into Seattle.
So, we made it back, just about sunset, which is like 4:45 here. Man, it is dark alot here in the winter I’d guess.
This morning we’re heading out to Kenmore to ride. The ride mets at 9 a.m., so we’re leaving around 7:30. Pretty ugly, but it should be a nice ride. We’re gonna stop at Fremont Coffee Company on the way. Todd Herriott took me by there a couple days ago. Super good coffee.
Changing the subject a little, or maybe a lot, tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. That was such a huge thing for the whole world and now it was a quarter century ago. I raced in Europe a lot when all those countries were “communist”. I did a whole stage race that was only held in West Berlin. It is amazing how quickly things change, even though they lasted so long.
Okay, I’m off to ride. Supposed to be nice here in Seattle today, then back to the normal wet weather on Sunday.
This is a photo from the Tour of Berlin I raced back in 1985. It is Andy Paulin, Jeff Pierce, Roy Knickman and myself. I wrote a post a couple years ago explaining a story associated with it.
Pike Market, the most famous place in Seattle.
A wall of gum in Post Alley, below Pike Market.
It is really sort of creepy.
Keith riding back on the I-90 bike path along the highway.
My bottom bracket when I pulled the cranks off.
And the shell.
The new Dura Ace bottom bracket from the store. You think that these things would last longer. I only put this bike together at the end of March, so I had maybe 8000 miles on it. That seems like not enough for failure.
I took a photo of this pothole in the asphalt. It’s too bad they covered up the bricks.
Back in Seattle near sunset.
Mercier Island… didn’t Poulidor use to ride Mercier? Anyway, back in the 80s there was a Mercier hanging at the local bike shop. Made me dream a lot. That DA BB seems lot weaker than my BB-UN54. Guess I made the right choice to stay square years ago.
“Mercier” Island ? Do you mean Mercer Island ?
I’m only reflecting on what Steve is writing. If he writes “Mercier” then it is Mercier. Me, I’m not from there… never been there… and don’t really care.
Covering up the brick is a step down in aesthetic –
but with the steep hill grades and water we have around here for 8 months of the year, it is a huge step up in life safety for cars/bike/pedestrians – that stuff is darn dangerous when wet.