Shakedown ride

38.3 Miles, + 2181 ft., Riding time 3 hr 42 min.

Today was my chance to try out everything before I ship the bike to Boston on Tuesday. Here’s what I tried out:

• Me and the bike
• All the panniers, handlebar and seat bags, packed with (almost) all the stuff
• Mapping a route using “Ridewithgps” to Edmonds and back home
• Putting the TCX file of the route on the Garmin Edge 820
• Transferring photos from camera to phone
• Writing a blog post on the iPhone, using the tiny little folding keyboard

Here’s what actually happened:

• Riding the first few blocks was kind of scary. I forgot how to balance the bike with all the extra weight. But I quickly got used to it.
• The Garmin froze up at about 12 miles. So I had to read the manual (I put it on Dropbox) to find out what to do. Hold the power button 10 seconds and it will re-start. Worked.
• I rode up all the hills using only the middle chainring. I guess I’m saving the little one for a special occasion. It will happen soon enough.
• I got a flat tire on the Burke-Gilman Trail in Lake Forest Park – on the front wheel. Rats. So I got some practice in changing a tube.

Overall a success. Here’s my bike in front of my apartment building:

Here’s the plan for the ride:

I had a few deviations from the route so my actual mileage was less.

Overall, everything worked pretty well. It’s going to be a great trip!