Thursday October 23, 2008

Today was sunny, windy and cool. The morning routine was normal. I did sign up to give blood Saturday morning.

This afternoon I waited around for the furnace repair man. He arrived around 2 and performed a preventative maintenance check. Everything was normal so we are set for another winter.

Tasha gave me a bike frame and I have been trying to find parts to make me a super-duper city bike. I stopped by my favorite lawn mower and bike repair shop to see about buying a coaster brake assembly.

A coaster brake was the only brake system on bikes when I was a boy. They are still being made for fat tire bikes but are hard to find. A coaster brake works by pedalling backwards. The brake is located in the rear wheel hub. The beauty of the coaster brake is that the entire assembly is within the wheel hub with no exposed part. The brake lasts forever. The shop owner said he knows nothing about bikes and the repair man only works mornings. All questions fell on deaf ears.

So instead of pedalling home with a coaster brake I decided to relieve my frustrations with a ride around Reeds Lake. Despite the high winds it was a great day for a bike ride. We are losing tree leaves rapidly. Next week the trees will be bare.

Nancy and I went to Great Lakes Shipping for dinner. The place was empty so we got a seat near the fire place. I hope the lack of customers is not caused by the bad economy.