Thanks to Derek

Last year Derek Hermon of Bear Valley Bikes (http://bvbikes.com), paced me round the lake to knock a few minutes off my best time.  He managed to coax my old frame to a 52:45.3 time, which I shall allow to rest and not try improve.  The heck with it!

Well, my bicycle is a 1991 Klein - the last hand assembled (hand built frame) bicycle in the US. It weighs a scant 23 lbs.  I estimate that it's done about 25,000 miles in its time and recently there have been a few problems.  Time for a visit to Derek.  He fitted new rims, new tires and with a new chain, a new rear cassette of gears.

The more observant of you will notice that there are now nine gears on the rear wheel rather than the original seven.  The chain here is on the sixth one.  The configuration is 36 - 11, meaning only 11 cogs on the outer gear, 36 on the inner.

This means that I can pedal going downhill - fast!

Beforehand I had a problem keeping up with the chain.

Now if you see me in the rear view mirror, watch out, I can still pedal at 30 mph.

Derek gives me a lot of grief riding around on a 21 year-old bike.  But, he also admits, it gets a lot of looks and comments when it's in his shop.  It's a classic.