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Mystic Cycle Center did a pretty good job with the bike, though the rear tire still kisses the brake with every revolution. Nothing like it was, but I'm surprised it does it at all. It's not bad enough to slow me down, it barely even slows down the wheel when it's spinning freely, but it's not perfect.

The gentleman that I was speaking to at MC when I went in to pick up the bike (I think he was the owner) did a pretty good job of talking me into upgrading my components this winter. I'll bring the bike in when the season's definitely over, and they'll give it a complete tune-up, replacing the front derailleur, both shifters, and the brakes. He also talked me into clipless pedals (snap-in style) with riding shoes. Right now, I use clips and sneakers, which is real hassle with my size 15 feet!

He's trying to talk me into buying a much larger bike from a small manufacturer they work with that specializes in oversized bikes. It's tempting... their largest stock bike is significantly larger than my canondale, though it's almost $1500. If our finances are good enough this Winter, I'll do it. (About five years ago, I was very close to buying a Wiegel frame, one of the best in the world, hand made right here in CT. How much? $5000! That's why it didn't happen, though it was a tough decision at the time.)

The ride was pretty good. My speed was right up where it should be (that is, at the top of the performance chart), though it wasn't quite as long as it should have been.

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Blah. This ride sucked! I think I must be coming down with something... no energy at all. For the first time in years, I got off my bike and just walked. For almost a mile! On a fairly flat section! Just didn't feel like pushing the pedals down any more.

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My time was down slightly from yesterday, but not enough to worry about. Could just be due to the later time that I rode (I didn't even leave the house until after 6 PM). Still, I hit my highest speed so far this year: 45.1 MPH (while descending Pumpkin Hill Road).

Very good ride! It's extremely humid today, and in the 80's, but I still shaved two minutes off of the time for this ride, compared to Friday, August 4.

All I'd had to eat all day was a steak. Dummy.

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My first ride under the goal for the month of August went very nicely. My time was a couple minutes higher than I'd have liked, but I'm attributing that to the weather which kept me off my bike for most of the last 9 days.

Only 19 rides and 475.77 miles to go!