It is funny how fast weeks are going this Fall. I’m not sure why that is, but it is, at least for me. This week has went fast, even though I was draggin’.
I’m heading back to the doctor this morning at 9 am. On Wednesday, he sucked a big syringe of goopy mess out of my knee and now I’m eating a handful of antibiotics every 6 hours. I think my knee felt better this morning, but I still don’t get what happened. Whatever it is, I don’t like it. I haven’t ridden since Tuesday.
Actually, I haven’t been riding that much this past month. I don’t think I’ve had much over a 200 mile week the last 4 weeks. Some of that is because I’ve been riding cross and MTB, but my hours are way down too.
After seeing the knee guy, I’m going to call a GP and try to see him. I haven’t been feeling very well since way before Chequamegon, so that is a couple months I thought it would just pass, but it hasn’t and it’s been way too long for that. I don’t have a regular doctor, so I need to get one.
Yesterday I did a bunch of auto repair. I’m pretty good at it. At least sometimes. I guess it is just putting in the time and having a good attitude. You figure they had to have put it together some way, so there is a way to take it apart. Sometimes I wonder what the engineers were thinking when they designed certain cars/engines. I wonder if they took repair accessibility into consideration at all. The Internet is awesome for pointers.
I was replacing the filler neck of Dennis’ pickup truck. I had just filled it up with gas and then got the part in the mail. It was totally rusted, so I had to drill the screws out to remove it. Then I proceeded to spill a 1/2 gallon of gasoline on myself while trying to loosen the hose clamps and install the new part. I have never had much problem with gas, but for some reason, the stuff was kind of burning my skin and when I looked at it, the skin was whitish. I took off my clothing and headed to the shower pretty quickly. I still smell like gas this morning, so I guess it permeated my skin.
I got lucky and loosened all the bolts to the power steering pump on the same car. I don’t have the pump, but am picking one up after seeing the doctor. I say I’m good at auto repair, but I’m not that good at diagnosis. At least good enough to be sure that I’m not wasting my time and money doing this. I’m pretty sure it is the pump, but probably only 70% sure. Guess it will be a little surprise.
Yesterday I also took a bunch of brake rotors to the recycling place. I’m not sure how many I had, but they weighed a little over 300 lbs. I guess I’ve done a lot of brake work the last 6 months or so. I got $12.75 for them. I got a better rate for cast iron, $85 a ton, compared to $65 for normal metal. Those recycling places are a trip. It is amazing what is there and the machinery moving the metal around. Something out of a sci-fi movie.
There are two cross races this weekend in Lawrence, but I’m not going to be able to race. For sure. Catherine texted me that she is going to race, so I’ll probably go help her. Hopefully, the doctor will give me the go-ahead to ride some. I think I could probably bend my knee enough to pedal. It was hurting pretty good yesterday, but like I said, today it seems a little better.
Okay, I better get going. I hate these semi-early morning appointments.
Gas filler neck I replaced. How rusted was this? I’m surprised any gasoline wen into the tank at all.
New filler neck. And a steering shaft piece I’m putting in later today.
I’m also changing the power steering pump. I have all the bolts loose. Just need to go get a new pump and then change it.
Pile of brake rotors I took to recycle yesterday. I guess I’d been stocking them up for a while.
Craziness at the recycling place.
Cash for rotors.
We took a bunch of old helmets over to the Bicycle Coalition last night. They can use just about anything extra cycling related.
Long time reader here, first comment, love the dailies on your blog.
As a amateur mountain bike racer who works on his own bikes, It amazes me that you consider your dual suspension Eriksen too complicated but you will replace a steering shaft and power steering pump on a truck!
$12 for all that scrap? Why bother? Just throw it in the trash.
And it only took $6 in gas to get it there! 😉
Where’s the picture of the goop?!? It’s Friday, man, get the party started!
Most people recycle for free!
Well, it looks like “pile on Friday” so here’s my contribution – if the gas filler neck is that badly rusted what does the rest of the vehicle look like? Is it safe to drive? Is the frame going to snap in multiple pieces if you hit a bump???? Will you take out hoards of people in a ball of fire on the interstate going to Colorado or Wisconsin? I have honestly NEVER seen a filler neck that bad………but it is a Chrysler product also………..
No Tucker pic?
No, they do not take repair accessibility into account during the design process.
They do take assembly time very seriously. That is why you see all kinds of hose quick disconnect fittings instead of threaded couplings for one example.
I put my rotors by the curb and put “free”. It is usually gone with an hour
I hope you’re feeling better soon. Re: a prior post about having a tick embedded, might be a good idea to get a test for lyme, couldn’t hurt right? On the other hand, that infection in your knee could have existed as a low-level infection for some time before it actually blew up, which could explain not feeling up to par prior to the blowup. I hope it’s nothing serious and you’re back on the bike in no time.
I’m surprised you didn’t manage to set yourself on fire, and then post a nice photo of charbroiled arms.
I’ve been doing my own vehicle work for 30 years. I have only once ever replaced a rotor due to it warping. I’ve had them turned plenty of times. Why so many cast offs?
It may be due to the fact all of the vehicles have zillions of miles on them……. rotors do have a minimum thickness and over time and literally hundreds of thousands of miles they get too thin.
For what it’s worth the scrap places in Denver would let you take anything you wanted OUT of their yards and just deduct the weight from what you were taking in there.
When steel got up over $200 a ton the rusted out old combines just poured in there from the eastern plains and Kansas and they all had to limit their receiving to three days a week.
Steve: You are one crazy mother ___. The part about the gasoline and your nonchalance about it is classic you. Easy to see why you are such a monster on the bike, but you probably should have been living back in the days of the mountain men trying to make a living in the Rockies.
Steve, you noted that “After seeing the knee guy, I’m going to call a GP and try to see him.” I have a suggestion for you, try to find a “her” instead. It is not that hard to argue that females face additional challenges/discrimination than their male counterparts during the education and college/med school admissions process so I the ones that do make it are generally performing at a higher level
To get rid of gasoline smell, after washing, use lotion. It’s the “oil on oil” I think, because unscented lotions work.
It’s not Europe. It’s Kansas. Somewhere over the rainbow, you know.
Kinda weird that last picture full of helmets considering what happened next day (or later same day). Life is funny and completely unpredictable that way. Makes me think weird things.
Steve – I am saddened to hear the news of your crash. You have been a loyal supporter of the Nosco ride for many years now. You’ve made the trip out to join the rest of us and I always looked forward in reading your blog about it.
You don’t have much time to recover, but you’ve defied the odds for the past several decades so nothing would surprise me.
You’re a genetic specimen and I’m confident you’ll rebound from this in a fraction of the time it would take the normal person.
God speed
Peace – Jack Nosco
President
Michael P. Nosco Foundation
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Yeah, he should have wore one of those helmets himself that day. Steve are you ever gonna learn? Same as Doug Siple on Flicker.