Extra Mile Pointless Prize
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One of the great things about Freezing Saddles is that it makes us do stupid and sometimes brave things to keep riding. I want to hear about, and reward, those things.
This prize goes to the person or people who have the most compelling stories of how they overcame challenges to get their daily mile(s) recorded, or to fail gloriously while trying to do so. The prize is a donation in the winner(s) name(s) to the bike-related charity of their choice. Past winners have shown grit and determination by using children’s bikes on icy driveways, renting sketchy bikes from sketchy people, and riding through personal and literal darkness, all just to get their daily miles logged. I want to hear what you will do this year to keep the pedals turning!
Please post your entries in this thread or on the Discord channel (better for posting photos): https://discord.gg/m9nhFdzda. I monitor both and announce the winner at or before the final Happy Hour.
I look forward to hearing how crazy/stupid you are willing to be; just be safe out there!
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My entry for the Extra Mile pointless prize:
A 7:00 am Massachusetts sleaze AND extra mile on dad’s 1987 bike wearing sister’s 1990s helmet starting the ride on my parents’ black ice driveway and avoiding the street ice by staying on the salt trail from the day before, all before a storm hits my old hometown. Temps in the 20s and didn’t pack my cold weather biking gear. 🥶 😱 Also, single speed coz my dad’s bike can barely shift since it’s probably never had a tuneup.
After nearly a month of daily riding in Sedona, AZ, (a retirement celebration trip) including at least 100 miles of single-track dirt riding without incident, I had a cursed ride that nearly side-lined my equipment for the rest of my trip. I managed to salvage things, but only to keep doing sleaze rides until I get home.
First off, my mountain bike is an old Trek hardtail that I bought off a coworker for $100 five years ago. I rode it daily here on a trip in 2021, and it worked great then, but I have since replaced all the drive train parts with used parts from Phoenix Bikes. To say I am a cheap bastard is an understatement.
The ride started well enough, leading my visiting friend John on a 20-mile trek from Uptown, down to the Bell Rock Pathway, then a loop around the Big Park Loop and then back. We made it about 6 miles before I flatted (fixed and back rolling in just a few), but it was just the start. We made it down the Bell Rock Pathway, and started on the Big Park Loop, when my chain snapped on a climb. Oddly, it was the Quick Link, and we found half of it in the desert sand. After 15 minutes of searching, John rode to the nearby Village of Oak Creek to buy a new Quick Link, while I did the “Walk of Shame” a half mile back to the parking lot. John was back 20 minutes later with the new link, and we headed out again. Then for the second time, very near the same spot, my chain broke AGAIN in a differ place. Only this time, it half broke, with the metal post popping of a link enough to get snarled in the derailleur, and twisting it into the spokes. My ride was done. Fortunately, our wives were nearby hiking and had the car. I managed to untangle the chain/derailleur mess from the wheel so I could to my second roll/walk of shame. (John rode on to finish what we started, and I thank him for his endless patience). We drove to the same bike shop, where I bought a new chain (they were too busy to handle my repair that day. I got back to our rental, and I put on the new chain, and tested it in the garage. It all was shifting great and the derailleur looked to be pretty straight. I only needed it to last a few more days. I took it for a quick street test. Everything worked great as I shifted through all 8 speeds with no problems, then did it a second time, when SNAP, GRIND, SCREECH, I came to a stop. The entire derailleur had broken clean off and was again wrapped up in the chain and frame.
I gave up doing anymore repairs. My only recourse (not wanting to buy a new bike or parts out here), was to convert it to a single-speed with the old chain. I’ll do Sleaze rides for the next few days until I get back to Arlington, then donate this and the brand new chain to Phoenix Bikes. Here’s the result:
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