More Substantial

 I watched the temperature numbers on the cycling computer tick down - 96 - 95 - 94 - 93 - then finally 92. And I wasn't even finished with the first half of the first loop.

As hot as it may still have been outside at 6:15 in the evening, it was clearly even hotter in the garage. The rapid drop reflected that fact. No surprise there. I was not even sure if it was the heat or something else, but I was expecting something more substantial out of the ride; it seemed as though I was riding in third gear and, no matter how much I tried, I could not get the transmission to shift into fourth. And out of the saddle, where that shift often tends to take place - UGLY. I was probably two and a half laps in when I finally resigned myself - it just was not going to happen.

I kept trying to figure the reason - look down at the pedals; "hmm, do they seem kind of loose, does my foot always move like that at the bottom of each rotation?" Then consider my position; "am I sitting further back on the saddle than normal?" That last time I did maintenance; "maybe the bottom bracket is seizing up?" I couldn't really pin the problem on any of those.

Oh well, so it's not going to be a substantially satisfying ride, at least it's a ride, and hey, not being able to get out of 3rd gear means I have more time to look around at stuff. Stuff like the, now finished, new sign for the Botanic Garden. I was expecting something more substantial, as I watched the area being cleared for construction, something like a low stone veneered wall with the sign. Oh well, it is still nice, just not so substantial as I was expecting. The California Botanic Garden, you can see it in Claremont - you might remember, there is even a great bike lane leading right up to it.