It is Thanksgiving weekend (Canadian style), and the last time the blue bike received any TLC was at 2,000 Km. It has provided a mostly trouble-free ride since then. You can see by the pictures that it has been ridden hard and put away wet. I’ve noticed a few things that require some attention, including a sticky rear brake cable (it’s binding in gunked up cable housing), loose brake callipers (cable stretch or pad wear), chain noise (lack of lubrication), low tire pressure (neglect), spoke tension (preventative).

I no longer think about the bottom bracket. That’s a good sign. The VP Modus sealed unit is silent, smooth, and so far in perfect operating condition. Ditto for the rear wheel, despite taking a pounding on a roughed-up commute route in recent weeks. I’m down to 70 Km per week on the commute. It’s cold in the mornings, only a few cyclists about these days. I even wore my long-legged riding pants for the first time yesterday. I made it to Thanksgiving in shorts.

Anyway, this maintenance was long overdue:

* Cleaned entire bike
* Inspected all cables, bolts, etc.
* Cleaned and lubed drive train
* Adjusted brakes/cables
* Lubricated brake cables with spray lube
* Adjusted spoke tension, rear wheel
* Adjusted tire pressure to 65 PSI (both were down to 50 PSI)

Once again, I was grateful for the birthday gifts my wife gave me this year: an apron (I came out of this one relatively clean!) and a small repair stand (allowed me to clean and lubricate the bike in the basement, suspended above the floor drain). Thanks, honey!