Mindfulness to Maintenence

"Why is chain lube black?" asked my 7 year old sons' best friend, Park, as he watched me lube up the chain on his bike. I tried to think fast. "It has petroleum in it and petroleum comes from oil, which is black," I replied. Evidently satisfied with my hack of an answer, Park swung a leg over his saddle and spun off to join the pack of 7 neighborhood kids doing laps around the driveway.

I have always been honest about how mechanically under-developed I am compared to my level of experience (20 years of mountain biking) and the women I compete against (semi-pro and pro). I can even laugh at myself at times, like the time over the winter when I tried to thaw out a frozen bottle of chain lube by putting it in the microwave, only to have the thing burst into flames within seconds. Shouldn't I have know that lube is a flammable product? Or more recently, when it took me almost an hour to change tires on my bike stationed behind Onion River Sports, soliciting assistance from Kip, Phil, Zach and Tristen along the way (I still need to drop off that 6-pack).

But, there are times when I haven't laughed so much, like when I blew all my CO2 cartridges over two flat tires at the Coyote Hill Classic last Memorial Day and had a long hike out along flowing and fast singletrack. I've convinced myself that my brain is not naturally oriented or instinctual about these things (which is true), but the reality is that I've come to use that as an excuse.

The truth is that I am impatient. I'd rather get on with the "do-ing" of experiences, rather than futz around getting ready. Despite being an obsessive organizer of logistics, I'm not sure I enjoy the process as much as appreciate that thorough planning often leads to smooth execution. And, I want myself and those around me to get on with enjoying what we love to do.

So, I've decided that this is the year to learn bike maintenance. I've already started off by getting to know my new bike, a Trek/Gary Fischer Superfly 100 29er. I've researched tires for different conditions (spring in Vermont and British Columbia in summer; I got the tubeless thing down a few years ago, but now am discerning between 1.9-2.2 widths), pumped up the shocks, gotten a bike fit and tried to understand the best approach to making the adjustments. Next, will come some trailside practice - although I know how to break a chain, change a tube, adjust a derailer, my lack of application makes me slow and forgetful about the sequence of things.

I'll get there. In fact, I did buy a new heart rate monitor this year - I mean, really did the research, rather than just buy the first one I saw - to find one that didn't have a bunch of functions I didn't need and looked somewhat feminine. I found it in a Suunto M1 - it's white and still a "wrist bagel" but I actually read the manual. Hopefully, I'll have a better answer for Park next time, as well as be able to take care of myself and others on the trail.

Today, it is spring again and I should start getting really for the day's riding adventure with Mandy Wisell. We'll see how many towns we can hit as we circumnavigate the Northfield Ridge (Middlesex, Moretown, Norhtfield, Roxbury, Warren, Waitsfield). And, tomorrow's Mother's Day will find me on the trails, as Phil and the kids treat me to a trip to Pine Hill Park in Rutland. It should be at least 5 degrees warmer down there....