2019/03/29 – 2019/03/31
This trip had a very inauspicious start. For various reasons, some of our own doing and some not, Andy and I got off to a late start. I was very excited to begin this trip. While it wasn’t Andy’s first time riding a long ways on his bike it was the first time tent camping for him. When he was about 7 we went with his friend and his friend’s father a trip around Lake Tamako. All in all, on that day we covered 40 plus kilometers. Being 7 years old there were many stops for candy breaks and what-not but he did the ride like a champ. It was on that day that I realized that children have the ability to accomplish a lot more than parents give them credit for. If a 7 year old boy can ride 40 K almost everyone can.
Day 1
I was so excited about this trip and things were so hectic before we left that Andy and I forgot to put our helmets on before we left. At least I forgot, and for Andy’s part he probably never intended to wear a helmet in the first place. By the time I remembered we were well on our way and I didn’t want to go back for them. My wife had forgotten her wallet and called me from the station to ask me to bring it to her. So we made a short detour to Kokubunji Station to deliver her wallet. By the time we rolled out of Kokubunji it was well after noon. I didn’t want to delay any further so we postponed having lunch until we were well on the road. Because of the detour to Kokubunji I threw out the first half of the route I planned to take to Sagamiko. Instead we rode west along the Tama River cycling path until we got to Tachikawa. I tried to map out the most pleasant route I could so even though it was longer we connected up with a multi-use path that goes along the Asa River. This is only my second time riding the Asa River trail and I really don’t remember most of the first time that I did it. It was a very pleasant surprise.
I appreciate how Japan treats its rivers. There is a tendency to not build in the flood plains and instead use that land for non-permanent uses such as biking and walking paths and sports fields. Low cost infrastructure that can be easily rebuilt after a flood. That means that most of the rivers are not walled in with concrete banks. There are exceptions to this of course. The Meguro River and Kanda River as they flow through Tokyo come to mind. But out in the countryside the Asa and Tama Rivers are mostly given free rein to flow where they will within their historical flood plains. A lot of work has been done to reduce flooding but it doesn’t include restricting the river to a concrete river bed.
From the Asa River we eventually connected with Koshu Kaido. Now it is possible to take Koshu Kaido all the way from not too far from our house to Sagamiko. But Koshu Kaido as it runs through the Kokubunji/Fuchu area is a very busy and unpleasant 4 lane road. Once you get beyond Hachijoji traffic lightens up and it becomes a very pleasant ride. It feels like there is a line drawn at Takaosanguchi Station where you leave the urban area and enter the countryside. From Takao there is a steady uphill climb as you go over the foothills surrounding Lake Sagamiko. Andy handled the 4+ K climb without any problems. I don’t think he climbed as fast as Pearl did but he didn’t stop for any breaks either.
We got to the top of the climb in good time and began the descent. 4 K up and 4 K down. The road is winding as is typical when it gets steep so you can’t just let the bike go at it’s own pace. You need to brake around curves. I may not be as fast on the climbs as my fit progeny but I descend a lot faster than they do. It’s like the old Jethro Tull song goes “roll us both down the mountain and the fat man wins”. Of course, I do have a little more experience descending than they do. In any case, it wasn’t long before I got far ahead of Andy. I started to worry about him. I could image him getting in an accident because he couldn’t control his bike or getting hit by a car. I pulled over to the side in a less steep part of the hill and waited for him. And waited for him. It seemed like I was waiting too long when he finally came cruising around the corner just as happy as can be. Undoubtedly, I only waited a few minutes but it seemed much longer.
The majority of the descent was behind us and we soon reached the place on the map where we were supposed to turn off. I wanted to map a route that took us through as much rural areas as possible to avoid the little town around Lake Sagamiko as possible. We turned off Koshu Kaido onto a back road that went down a very steep slope. It was fun to descend but we missed a turn off and had to backtrack back up the hill. We got off our bikes and pushed them back up when realized our mistake. When we got to the turn off it appeared as if the mapped route was on a private road which I decided to not go down. We returned to Koshu Kaido and in 2 or 3 KM we were at the Family Mart in front of Sagamiko Park,. We stocked up on food for the next 3 meals then went over to the park.
From the park we called the campground to request a boat. The only access to the park is by boat. We waited about 10 or 15 minutes and a large skiff came motoring up to the dock. It was not what I expected when I was told we would need a boat ride to the campground. At first, I assumed that we would have to leave our bicycles at the park but when the campground staff told me we could take the bikes on the boat I expected something like a large charter fishing boat. So when something like an oversized rowboat showed up I was surprised and skeptical. But it turned out that there was plenty of room to get the bikes on the boat with room to spare. The boatman was friendly and we got to the other side of the lake in no time.
The fact that you can’t get to the camp except by boat made it feel very isolated. It is perhaps the nicest camp I have stayed in within Japan. It didn’t have warm showers or Wi-Fi but it was otherwise adequately equipped and the campground staff were very nice and generous. It seemed like we had the camp to ourselves. There were many bungalows but none of them seemed to be in use. When we woke up the next morning we noticed one other tent.
Our first night in camp was cold. We re-used the emergency blankets that Pearl and I used the weekend before. Fortunately, it wasn’t as windy so the night was tolerable.
Day 2
After breakfast, we took a short hike up the trail to the waterfall that the campground is named after. It was a steep hike that warmed us up. It was sad that there was so much trash along the trail. I grabbed a handful and brought it back with me to our campsite. I later learned from the boatman that 4 or 5 years earlier a truck carrying good toppled over on the road that goes on the road that goes around the mountain, above the campground. Camp staff are still clearing out trash from that accident.
We rented a rowboat and rowed out onto the lake a ways to do some fishing. We were only supposed to have the boat for an hour but since the camp wasn’t busy we were allowed to keep the boat as long as we wanted. We fished during the morning with very little luck. Andy hooked one, large nigoi. It looked like a carp to me. He brought it up along side the boat to unhook it. He was having a bit of trouble with it so he let go of the fish to reach for his pliers and that is when the fish broke his line and escaped. Somewhere in Lake Sagamiko there is a largish fish with a hook in its mouth trailing a meter or so of fishing line.
While we were fishing we saw the boatman go out several times and return with loads of campers. When we finally returned to camp we have a group of college-age students as neighbors and what looked like a group of junior high school students running around the campground. The campground had become more lively.
It still felt cold so we got permission to build a fire and warmed ourselves up. I bought a bag of marshmallows at the camp office and we roasted marshmallows over the fire. We did what our mothers always warn us not to do for fear of ruining our appetite. We ate our dessert before the meal. I didn’t notice any measurable impact on my appetite and Andy cleaned his plate of every forkful of pasta. So how do you like them beans, Mom!.
There was rain in the forecast for the evening so I was hoping to keep warm until the rain came. It started falling earlier that predicted and we took shelter in the pavilion area under the nearby bungalow. We cooked our dinner as the rain doused our fire. This would be my first time camping in heavy rain since I was a little kid. I wasn’t at all sure how our tents would hold up in the rain. It turns out my ancient canvas tent held up better than I expected and only the foot of my sleeping bag where it stuck out of the door a little bit got wet. The newer tent that Andy was using had more problems than mine did. I don’t know how exactly but Andy’s sleeping bag was wetter than mine was. It didn’t get soaked through so it was not a threat to life and limb. Perhaps it was the rain but I found the night was warmer and I slept reasonably well.
Day 3
By the time we crawled out of our sleeping bags on the second morning the rain had stopped and the skies had cleared. We lit a smoky fire from the soaked wood and warmed ourselves up and Andy dried his socks and shoes. We hung up our tents and sleeping bags to dry as best as we could before we had to pack them away. We hung out at the campground until about 9:30 or 10 then paid our bill. The boatman took us back across the lake to Sagamiko Park. We decided to fish a little bit more before we ate lunch at a nearby restaurant. The boatman gave us permission to fish from the boat dock which is normally reserved for private use. The restaurant along the shore apparently owns the pier and the campground has some kind of relationship with the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant unlocked the gate for us and we fished off the pier. Again, I didn’t have any luck but Andy landed another nigoi. This one smaller that the one that got away. To me, nigoi look like underfed carp. They have the same general body shape but they look undernourished.
Since the restaurant owners were kind enough to let us fish off their pier we decided to eat lunch at their establishment. The food was good. A mix of chuka and Japanese dishes.
Around 1:00 we rolled out of the park and headed for home. The ride home was mostly uneventful. We climbed the road out of Sagamiko without incident. We pulled off the road just shy of the top to take some photos of the valley below and the monkey-crossing sign. We came down the slope so fast I missed the turn off and we ended up on a very busy street. It was manageable so I decided not to backtrack. When we got to the Tama River I told Andy we had a choice. We could follow the river east to the place where we often picnic and fish which would be a detour or we could stay on the main road a follow it through Kunitachi to home. He elected to follow the river. I guess I neglected to mention how much of a detour following the river was. Andy was annoyed when he realized that the detour had added an extra 7 or 8 km to our route effectively doubling the remaining distance from the point of detour. I didn’t mind. I enjoyed the ride.
Lessons Learned:
Remember to wear my helmet. The efficacy of bicycle helmets is a controversial subject. It is clear that they are nearly worthless at preventing concussions and can make some types of injuries worse. But there are some situations where having a helmet is beneficial. Personally, I don’t believe we were in those kind of situations. However, wearing a helmet gives certain son’s parents a measure of reassurance.
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]]>2018/10/19 – 2018/10/22
My trip to Motosu-ko was maybe my best trip yet. It rained, the nights were cold, I had brake troubles, I lost my favorite flashlight, broke two tripod mounts and I gashed my leg yet still it was a wonderful trip. I spent a day and night with acquaintances old and new, I saw some fabulous scenery and felt real good about my performance during the trip. Heaps of Type II fun but even more fun of the first type. This was my longest trip ever in terms of days out on the road. Four days of riding three nights camping, 261 km traveled and over 3,000 meters of climbing.
I had originally planned to take a 3 to 4 day trip to Niigata that would include skirting the edge of the Japan Alps and over 200 km of riding. One of the advantages of this route is that I would have had a guaranteed place to stay in Niigata. Well, for reasons I won’t get into I changed my plan. There is a annual geocaching camping event at Lake Motosu at the same time so I changed my plan. I am glad I did. My overall goal is to build up my experience and skill for longer and longer trips. My trip to Boso was about distance and the goal for this trip was about climbing. On the way home I purposely picked a route that looked like it would have some very steep climbs. I wanted to challenge myself. I did not have a good experience with the few steep climbs I encountered in Boso due to the heat. This time I wanted to seriously test myself in the mountains.
Day 1: Home to Yanagawa
The first day out took me around Lake Sagamiko. Sagamiko is in the western part of Tokyo Prefecture in the valley below Mt. Takao. I stopped at a convenience store across from a park on the shore of the lake and ate my lunch in the park. Because it is so close to Tokyo, Sagamiko is popular place for day trips. There are several camp grounds nearby and it is only about 30 km from home so I can see myself taking some overnighters to Sagamiko in the future. When I left in the morning there was a forecast for rain shortly after noon. My intent was to get to my campsite before the rain started but I got off to a late start and I always underestimate how much time I fitter away taking videos and photos. As I realized I was getting behind schedule I checked the weather. Each time I checked it showed that the rain forecast kept being pushed back. That was good for me. Finally, when I was about 4 kms from the campground near the Shiotsu station the rain began to fall. Fortunately, it wasn’t a heavy downpour. I found the campground easily enough but there was a chain across the road leading into the campground. It was already around 3 pm, it was raining and the next closest campground was too far away. The way I saw it, I didn’t have any other options. I rode past the chain into the campground. It was completely deserted. There were many downed trees which showed some attempts to clear them away. There was white tape to show where the driveway had been redirected around a huge fallen tree. It had the feel of a place that had been shutdown for the season. I set up my tent under a roofed picnic area that was just large enough for the tent and my bike after pushing aside a wheelbarrow and some rotten chairs. It was stroke of luck because it kept my tent and gear mostly dry. Just a stone’s throw from my tent was a small pond with a pipe dropping runoff from the mountain into it. It burbled all night and the sound was almost indistinguishable from the sound of the rain. When I awoke in the middle of the night I couldn’t tell if it was still raining or not. The rain did stop sometime in the night.
Day 2: Yanagawa to Motosuko
The second day was definitely the most exciting and a perhaps the most dangerous. It started out fairly normal. I awoke early as it seems to be my habit when camping. As I was starting to get ready to pack up the kanri-nin, camp manager, came by. He looked at me, he looked at my tent and my bike, held out his hand and said, “1000 en wo itadakimasu.” He wanted me to pay the fee for camping. I was okay with that as I had intended to pay anyway. Of course, if he hadn’t showed up I would have been happy to camp for free. After handing over the money he told me that the water was delicious. I had already tried the water and agreed with him. I thanked him and he went about his business. I think the only reason he showed up is because a young couple rolled in with their car and started setting up their tent. I suppose they had made a proper reservation. Unlike me who just showed up. Just showing up at a campground doesn’t seem to be the proper way to do camping in Japan.
I rolled out of the campgroung around 7:30. This is when I saw my first interesting wildlife. A pair of what I think were quail waddled into the brush at the sound of my bicycle. At least, I think they were quail. When it comes to birds there are a lot of species I don’t recognize. The route was a steady climb for most of the trip. Even so, it was a nice ride. Like the day before there was rain forecast for the afternoon so once again I intended to get to the next campground before it started and once again I underestimated how much time I would waste taking video and photos. But again, like the day before, as the morning wore on the forecast for rain was pushed back to later in the day. I wanted to get to the campsite by noon because I was going to attend a geocaching camping event that was scheduled to begin at noon. It was potluck style. Since I couldn’t pack a lot in my panniers I wanted to stop at a grocery store about 10k from the campground to pick up some meat to barbecue. I realized that I had somehow missed the store altogether when I got to the edge of the national forest that surrounds Mt. Fuji. I stopped to set up my camera to take some video. As I was walking back to my bike I heard some rustling in the trees. I caught a glimpse of a deer running through the brush. It wasn’t one of the those shaggy, grey kamojika that are tough as an old leather boot and about as ugly. It was a sleek Nihonjika. I couldn’t see it well enough to tell if it was a buck or doe. I tried to take a video but all I got was a fleeting glimpse of it running through the underbrush. That was the second wildlife of the day.
The sky was getting grayer and grayer as I rolled through the afternoon and up the last big long slope before rolling down in the valley where Lake Motosuko is located. I entered the Fuji Panorama Line which is really scenic road that is wide, only moderately busy and recently re-paved. I came to a greengrocer slash restaurant and stopped to pick up 4 ears of corn. They didn’t fit in my panniers so I dangled the bag from my handle bars.
A little further ahead at the 102 km mark I expected the route to descend at a side road that appeared to be a shortcut. From there it would only be about 4 or 5 more kilometers to the campground. I need to say something about the mapping application I was using. Ride With GPS is a very capable route mapping app which choses routes with cycling in mind. It uses OpenStreets Cycling maps and USG topographical maps. It tends to favor less heavily trafficked routes and shorter routes which is great if you are cycling. However…..it sometimes routes you onto less than ideal tracks as in the aforementioned side road. The side road turned out to be a very rough hiking trail which had been severely damaged by the typhoon. Under good conditions it might have been barely passible on mountain bike. It was a bad place to take a fully loaded touring bike. I was expecting a nice 2-lane rode so I missed the turn off at first. I doubled back and couldn’t believe that the trail was actually the rode but it was where the map said there should be a road. I decided to take it anyway. Sometimes, the trails that Ride With GPS leads me to are real gems. This was not the case. I was hoping it would get better. It didn’t. By the time I realized this was a bad idea I was so far along it was easier to continue than to go back. In several places over the next 3 km I had to get off the bike and push it. The way was littered with fist sized, sharp volcanic rocks and downed trees. It would have been a bad place to get a flat tire. Additionally, my brakes were in real bad need of adjusting. They had almost no stopping power. I was using my feet to slow me down in places were I could still ride. Finally, to make matters worse I started to hear thunder off in the distance. With each rumble of thunder “Not yet. Not yet. Please wait just a bit longer. Please don’t rain yet.” It would have been very unpleasant to get caught in a downpour. I gashed my shin somewhere along the way. I didn’t realize it until much later.
Fortunately, bad paths don’t last forever and the rain held off long enough for me to get out of the woods. I went to the campground on the shore of Lake Motosuko that I had mapped out and to my surprise it was closed. I checked my geocaching app for the camping event information and found that I had mapped my route to the wrong campground. I had a brieft feeling of disappointerment. It was good thing the right campground was just a couple of kilometers back the way I came. I did find my friends, set up my tent and patched up my leg. And then it began to rain but I didn’t care. I had made it to my destination with 4 ears of corn dangling from my handlebars.
I ate very delicious and varied campfire delicacies and dried my wet clothes and saddle cover by the fire. I talked about geocaches and other geeky topics with my friends. I came to the conclusion that geocachers are just people who like to spend time outside and use geocaching as an excuse to get off the couch.
Thus ended my second day of riding.
Day 3: Motosu to Seseragiso
The third day was a smorgasbord of beautiful scenery. I had breakfast with the Pork Queen of Japan (She even went to America to “meat” the Pork Queen of Iowa) and her husband Bun-san. I warmed myself by the fire for a little bit and then headed out. The rain had cleared up during the night and the morning dawned clear and crisp. Some of my fellow geo-campers took off by car to catch a glimpse of Diamond Fuji. As far as I could ascertain Diamond Fuji is a phenomenon you get when the sun rises directly behind Mt. Fuji giving you the typical sun flare that occurs when the sun is partially blocked by something. I did not join them.
I packed up my gear and left about 7:30. I made brief stop to tighten up my brakes which I should have done before leaving the campground. I planned to ride about 60 km. I was expecting this day to be the hardest day of the trip because my return route would take me up a very steep climb. After a brief ascent out of the Motosuko Lake valley I would descend quite a bit before ascending again to my campsite at the end of the day. Ride With GPS told me the ascent would max out at 22%. I was fully expecting to walk up the steepest parts. More about that in a bit.
The route followed the northern shoreline of Lake Saiko and Lake Kawaguchiko. The scenery was magnificent. From many places along the road I got amazing views of Mt. Fuji rising above the lakes beyond the southern shore. The sky was blue and clear as a bell after the previous day’s rain had washed the air clean. The 15km along the lake fronts was flat and easy riding. I made good time. The area is dedicated to tourism so there were many rustic and delicious looking restaurants and cafes but it was still too early to stop for a meal. I wish I had taken time for some touristy activities. The area around Kawaguchiko is particularly oriented around tourism. There was even a bicycle path along the lake and I saw people with rental bicycles. I thought I might stop at the east end of Kawaguchiko for lunch. It was still before noon. Despite that I stopped at a cafe that promised German sausages but they weren’t open yet. I decided to keep going until I found a convenience store where I could sit down for a bit. The ride from Kawaguchiko was a fast 20km roll downhill. I feel like I barely pedaled for most of the way. My speed frequently topped 30+ kph. I picked a Family Mart that happened to be at the corner where I would have to leave the main road and start the 7km climb up to the campground.
What I didn’t realize was that I was headed to the wrong campground…again. By “wrong” campground I don’t mean that I was going to miss a campground that I had a reservation at. I didn’t have a reservation. It just wasn’t the campground I had originally planned to stay at. It turns out that campground was still 15 km further down the road and up the expected 22% climb. Don’t get me wrong. I still had a steep climb ahead of me. It just wasn’t the climb I expected. I arrived at Seseragiso Auto Camp without much trouble despite the steepest ascent of the trip so far. The camp seemed to be run by an administrator that lived on site. There was a pen for a couple of goats and there were futons airing out in front of the big house. There were small one room bungalows that could be rented as well as barbecue areas. And no one was around. The main house was dark and looked empty and the goats were kind of smelly.
Since it was still early I back tracked about a kilometer to an onsen and enjoyed a hot bath and a grape ice cream cone. While I was looking for a place to charge my phone and batteries in the main rest area an old lady invited me over to sit next to her. So I did. She seemed to be a local resident and regular patron of the hot spring because she talked on familiar terms with the staff. She wanted to tell me that she had family in America and asked my the usual questions. I told her about my trip and showed her my photos of Mt. Fuji that I had taken from earlier in the day. She showed her appreciation then left me to my thoughts and battery charging.
After the bath I returned to the campground but still saw no signs of anyone around. There were no campers and no staff. I picked a spot near the noisy stream as far away from the big house as possible. If nobody noticed me I would get a night of free camping. Nobody noticed me. The stream was pleasant but camping so close to it may have been a mistake because it was very noisy, especially in the still of the night. It kept me awake later than I would have liked. With the added elevation the night turned cold making it hard to sleep. I had forgotten to bring a long sleeved shirt and a jacket so I put on my rain poncho and hunkered down in my sleeping bag. It was tolerable…just.
This is how the third day of cycling ended.
Day 4: Long ride home.
The cold and the hard ground got me up early. The temperature had dropped to 5 degrees Celsius during the night and it was still cold when I woke up. I decided not to linger for breakfast. I had can of pineapple, packed up my gear and left. The steep slope I had sweated up the day before nearly turned me into and icicle on wheels on the way down. The wind chill factor caused by the 35+ kph wind from my rapid descent numbed my hands and the exposed skin on my legs and face. I couldn’t wait to get to the bottom. I was still wrapped in my rain poncho for warmth but it wasn’t entirely successful in holding back the cold. At the corner where I stopped for lunch the previous day there was also a Mickey D’s steakhouse. I pulled in there for breakfast. A McDonalds breakfast is one my favorite culinary delights. The hamburgers I can take or leave but I am a push over for a Sausage Egg McMuffin. My electronic devices were still low in juice so I plugged in while I ate and waited for the day to warm up a bit before I continued my journey home.
When I got back on the road the temperature had risen enough to shuck my pancho. The ride started out swift as I continued to descend but I soon began the climb I was expecting the previous day. It was certainly steep. I kept turning the cranks all the while expecting it to get worse and telling myself that it was okay to get off and walk if I had to. I didn’t. Though quite steep, it turns out that I was offered a cheat right where I expected the climb to be its steepest in the form a tunnel that cut through upper part of the mountain. From their the descent was fast but because the road had many sharp turns I found myself braking a lot. As the day wore on so did my brakes. At the top of one the last steep descents I felt my brakes give out. I was already going to fast too stop but luckily there was a side road ahead thayt climbed up the draw that I was barreling down. I pulled in fast and let the incline slow me down. Whew! That was a close one! By chance, a custom roadster convertible that had passed me a few kilometers back had also pulled into this side street and the driver was doing something, I don’t know what. When he passed me earlier I thought to myself that I wish I could have gotten a picture of the car but there was no time to get the camera ready before he was out of site around the next curve. I knew I would never see him again. But here he was on the same side street that save my caboose from a serious wipeout. I had a second chance to get a photo and even talk to the driver. I didn’t take it. I concentrated on fixing my brakes. When I was ready to go he drove off just as I was pulling out me camera. Alas, a lost opportunity.
All along this descent there were little villages. They didn’t seem to have much to offer. There were a few shops but it was mostly houses. I wondered what the people who lived in them did for a living. For the most part, the land was too steep for farming. The area had a very isolated feel even though it was only a few kilometers from the main road. I passed the campground I had originally planned to stay at. I came to the conclusion that I would not have wanted to make the steep climb then sharp descent at the end of the previous day. It was more enjoyable to do it in the morning. The rest of the trip from their to Lake Sagamiko was pleasant. I bought lunch at the same convenience store that I had on the way out and ate it in the park across the street. The sun had come out and the day was warming up nicely. After lunch I lay down on a grassy slope facing the lake and took a short nap.
The rest of trip home from Sagamiko was urban riding and something of a let down after the beautiful scenery of the previous 2 days. It was a very dull and uneventful.
Home again. Jigetty jig.
Lessons Learned or Re-remembered.
Fact One: The mountains get cold at night. Remember to bring a jacket. Gloves might be a good idea too. The mornings are cold and it appears that I am an early riser when I camp. Maybe my sleeping bag is not adequate for really cold weather. There is a significant temperature difference between the Tokyo Bay Area and inland. Even just a 100 km away.
Fact Two: The map is not the land. As good as a route looks on the map you still don’t know what lies ahead until you go there. Sometimes a shortcut takes longer.
Fact Three: My air mattress seems to have a slow leak. It starts out fine but in a hour or two I find myself on the hard ground. I don’t sleep well on the ground.
Fact Four: Rivers are noisy.
I am glad I had a rain poncho and first aid kit along on this trip. I used both for the first time. Besides my shin the other casualties of this trip were my flashlight which I lost at the second campsite and 2 iPhone tripod mounts which rattled apart from vibration and fell apart while riding. They are littering the road somewhere between my home and Lake Saiko. My tripod with the phone mount was bungeed to my bike rack so I could take it out quickly. I didn’t notice when the first one fell off. The second one I kind of noticed. I thought I had heard something drop onto the road while going downhill. I made a cursory check of my bike from the saddle but nothing seemed amiss so I continued on. I didn’t want to lose my momentum so I kept going. That was a mistake, I should have stopped and went back to the place where I heard the noise. The other and most serious casualty of the trip were my brakes. After a day or so of intense use they go out of adjustment. Plus, my cables are fraying at the place near the brake housing where they bend. I should have them replaced at the bike shop but in the meantime a turn of the adjuster screw brings they back into working order again. Mad Max the Surly Blue Beast Road Warrior has disk brakes. When they are in working order they are fantastic. Even in the rain. When they go out of adjustment they are no better that ordinary caliper brakes.
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