Last time I took my bike in for maintenance, the tech recommended that I cover up the many scratches on my bike with nail polish. I thought “nail polish?”, but once I got home I thought about it and it made sense that it would work. The nail polish gives the scratches a protective coating, prevents the paint from peeling, and prevents further erosion of the frame.
Above: Today, I got a chance to clean off the bike and coat the scratches.
However, I guess that not everyone thinks that using nail polish is the best solution. Here’s what this guy had to say:
Nail polish? Let’s get this right… rail riding the roofbars of moving SUVs, before trecking miles through the frozen Arctic wastes… then they go home and use their nail files to remove the rust, nail varnish to treat the scratches, and lipstick to cover unsightly marks on their seat covers? You guys are sooooo macho.
(That was sarcastic, if you couldn’t tell.) I read a few online message board discussions that dealt with this topic, and people presented several different solutions. Still, I think that using nail polish is one of the best (and easiest, and cheapest) fixes. I used clear top-coat nail polish, but I guess if you had colored nail polish you could use that instead. It would make the scratches less noticeable (you can still see the scratches on my bike, even though they are coated).
Exploring
on December 20th, 2006
These photos were taken on the same trip to the North Carolina mountains that I wrote about in this post. To get to the planned start of our ride on Railroad Grade Road, my brother and I had to ride all the way down the mountain, as we were staying near the top. Some parts were pretty steep, but it was a fun ride.
Above: Getting ready to coast down one of the hills.
On the way down, we found a trail that went off into the woods. We had some extra time, so we rode it for a little while. It was a pretty neat trail, and I’m glad we decided to follow it. It didn’t get too far away from the main road, but it sort of followed the main road from a distance. The whole area was really scenic, and this was a trail that most people wouldn’t notice as they are coasting down the steep hills.
Above: Exploring an off-road trail we found near Fleetwood Falls. (my old bike– it looks so small!)
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Last fall, my family and I traveled to the North Carolina mountains for a weekend vacation. We brought our bikes, and we (well, my brother and I) had a few chances to ride during the trip. On one of the rides, we biked along Railroad Grade Road, which connects the towns of Fleetwood and Todd.
As the name indicates, it is built on an old railroad grade, so the route is completely flat (no hills!). At first, we thought that since the road is narrow and has sharp turns, traffic would be a problem, but since we were riding in the early morning we did not see many cars. We rode the 10 miles from Fleetwood to Todd, which was a really enjoyable and scenic ride.
If you are ever in the area, this is a (relatively) short, easy, and laid-back ride you could try.
Above: Looking out over a barn at a “Share the Road” sign. The early morning fog is just breaking up.
Above: Taking a break at an abandoned country store along the road.
Above: A really nice route: great scenery and flat, open roads.