And another thing

 Or more specifically, another bike. I rode twice yesterday so I'll count that as justifying breaking events of the day into two posts. My second ride was to collect the bike I found in a free pile at the end of a driveway when my first ride, on a mountain bike, included a stint on the road. Old bikes that are new to me are technology of which I appreciate having more!

Yup, those bars are high, 

even by my post-broken-neck standards, 

but I had already offered that stem to a friend

 by the time I took this picture.

A couple decades ago, living in Manchester, Connecticut, I learned a valuable lesson. On my way home I saw a wonderful tool chest on offer in someone's yard. It was something I could really use, but too big bulky to carry on the bike I had, so I rushed home for a different set of wheels, possibly a trailer as well. I wasn't fast enough, and someone else beat me to it. That was when I realized the public woods across the street would've been a great place to stash the chest until my return. I haven't made that mistake again.

The bike that found me yesterday was just a couple hundred yards up the road from the section of New England Trail I'd early come down, so it was an easy ghost ride to a sylvan stash spot! Done and done, and a couple hours later, after lunch and a pop-up hard drizzle, I was back, with a more utilitarian bike, with a rack, with a front hub lashed to it.

It's a neat bike. I even took it for a hundred foot test ride (after checking the front quick release!) before squirreling it in the woods, like the nut that I am (couldn't resist that one). Raleigh made nicer bikes than the Team USA, sure, but there are also far worse ones out there. I like it. Time to clean up the inside of the seat tube so I can easily insert a 26.8mm seatpost, replacing the 25.4mm post and 40% of a 25.4 to 27.2 shim that came with it. Old bikes, and the work that was done on them can be interesting, like what was possibly the worst handlebar taping job I've ever seen! It's all in good fun, or at least better than a heroin habit.

Remember my Huffy 29er experiment?

That seatpost will be a big upgrade!