It has been a quiet week, which is a good thing. I focused on some simple, but, long overdue bike maintenance. I’ve been collecting the required parts all winter to give the Independent Fabrications Crown Jewel a drivetrain overhaul.

It’s crazy but two replacement chainrings for my Campagnolo Chorus 11 speed crankset were going to cost me close to $230. I found a brand new Chorus crankset from a UK website for pretty much the same price. So not only new chainrings but new bearings and the newer 4-arm chainring pattern.

I also made a concession to “getting older” on the new cassette. I’ve been running 12-27 in the rear for years now and with this new cassette decided to go 11-29. So I gain a bit more climbing gear and a slight increase in top end with the 11 too.

Lastly I replaced the pulleys on the rear derailleur. The pair that were on there were original and have easily 15,000+ miles on them. When I pulled them off I was thinking they didn’t look too bad. Then I compared them to the new pulleys and realized yes, yes they are pretty worn.

I really do get great joy out of working on my bikes. There is the Zen like mode that I enter when I am out in the garage and tinkering with stuff. I still recall as a 16 year old kid just getting into riding and the older guys hammering into my head the idea to learn to fix your own stuff. This sport ain’t cheap and the more you can do yourself the better.

Chocolate Chip Scones

Back to some Covid Kitchen action this week too. I’ve been wanting to make either biscotti or scones for a couple weeks now. I found this Chocolate Chip Scone recipe from King Arthur. The deciding factor for scones over biscotti was Mia needed half and half for something she was making and this scone recipe calls for a full fat dairy option. So there, simple choice made while in the grocery store.

Take note that these are fantastic right out of the oven. King Arthur recommends if you need to warm them up later to do it in the oven. I can confirm that they aren’t as fantastic zapped in the microwave the next day. Warming them up in the oven is the wiser option.

That’s about it for now.

Thanks,

-Pete