2008, to date Okay, so I'm slack. I haven't yet gathered all the data and done the math to determine 2007's mileage - but I can estimate it was something like 3,100 miles, which isn't bad considering how much was going on last year. Figure in the sale of one house, the purchase of another, home renovations, living in an apartment for a while and two moves, along with some other matters ... well, it gets kinda hard to get out and ride sometimes.

I did, however, get a few rides in earlier this year, including a couple of leisurely fixed-gear rambles to Ninety Six and back and several woods rides aboard my battered old Trek single-speed. The most memorable of the latter was the Tuesday night Ainsley and I set out from the Rock. Ainsley was irritated because his new light system hadn't held a charge, so he was wearing his older helmet-mounted light. I hadn't charged my lights enough, it seems, and they started to fade out at the T, so we stopped and jury-rigged Ainsley's spare lights onto the Trek and pushed on. We made it to the road right before the last section and turned back, only to find ourselves on the Memorial Bridge section with dying lights. Right on cue came Pepe and Grattan, with superior lights to guide us in - thanks, guys.

Yesterday was a wash for riding - rain that allegedly would be followed by snow, so I wound up taking Julius the Mercian fixed-gear down into the basement for some long deferred maintenance. It had been a year or more since I'd had the chain off, so off came the cranks, the chain went into some hot soapy water, and months of mud and grit were washed off the bike. I noted the bike has traveled 8,007 miles in the five years I've had it, with about 5,500 on the current chain and crankset. The left bottom bracket retaining cup had worked itself loose, but I think it's tight enough for Monday's ride. We'll see.  ¶ 4:59 PM