Dustin and I had planned to go mountain biking with some friends at Little River Park near the Eno River on Sunday afternoon, but our trip was rained out. We also had a bike maintenance demonstration planned before the ride, and this was not rained out because it was indoors. Dustin and I gave this demonstration for some kids that we have been riding with during the past few weeks.
Above: Dustin showing how to change a tire
We used an old Mongoose mountain bike that Dustin and I had completely disassembled a few years ago. We laid the bare frame of the bike along with all of the parts on the table. Dustin and I took turns talking about what each part did, where it fit on the bike, how it could wear or break, and how to fix it if it did break. We’ve done a few of these demonstrations in the past, so we knew what we were doing and had it worked out. After we went through the parts, we talked about differences as far as parts and maintenance between road and mountain bikes, and then showed how to fix a flat tire. Finally, to wrap things up, we went over a short list of parts you should check before you go on a ride.
We talked about a few situations that we have been in where different parts have broken and we needed to make repairs. When we went over quick release tires and tire bearings, we talked about the time when Al had just finished the Tobacco Trail and was going to get lunch when he had a problem with his tire. His bike stopped, but his front tire kept on rolling. The problem was that he had recently changed tires and had incorrectly secured the tire’s quick release. (This was funny to watch, but not for Al)
While this demonstration was short and only went over basic maintenance tips, I think that everyone was able to learn something from it.
Yesterday, I rode from Woodcroft in Southwest Durham to Mebane over in Orange County. I went with Jim and Dustin, and we left a friend’s house in Woodcroft around 2pm. We had expected the ride to be close to 25 miles, or about the same distance as last weekend’s ride. However, when we finished it came out to 32.5 miles. That’s a long trip! We arrived in Mebane a little after 5pm, so we rode this in a little over 3 hours. I don’t think I’ve ridden this far before, so this was definitely a good practice ride for our 50 mile trip next month.
I don’t remember the exact route we took; I know we left Woodcroft and then rode over to Garrett Road, and then rode through Garrett Farms to Pickett Road. Once we were on Pickett heading west, we turned right on Randolph Road, which we took to Riggsbee Road and turned right. This became Erwin Road, and the next turn we made was a left on W. Cornwallis Road. We kept going straight on this road for a while, and by then we had crossed from Durham to Orange County. I’m not too sure from there; I know we went through Hillsborough, crossed I-40 and I-85 a few times, and then ended up in Mebane. We returned home by car later that evening.
Once we left Durham and got out into Orange County, we were riding on a lot of small roads and small highways. The route was very scenic. We were out in the country, crossing through open fields, little farms… and all this was only the next county over from where I live. We had a chance to catch a glimpse of rural life: old folks sitting on their porches sipping lemonade, horses and all kinds of animals roaming around the farms: you get the picture. There were some interesting moments too: we passed Coach K’s house in Orange County, and we saw people who had pet llamas in their front yard.
Overall, this was a nice trip. The weather was not bad for a weekend in October. It was a little on the windy side, but nevertheless a nice sunny day. Jim was surprised that Dustin and I hadn’t ridden this far before; he thought when we told him about our cycling trips we were talking about longer distances, when we were talking more about mountain biking trips and fun rides around the city on weekends. Anyway, I thought we did fairly well for such a long distance, and we had a great time.