What stands in the way

My weekend, Friday evening to Monday morning, almost kept me from posting the The Horny Single Speeder's Guide to Single Speed Podium Etiquette.  I planned to put more effort into it, but other things got in the way.

I got very distracted Friday evening.  I had to work on something I'd been eyeballing for some time.

In the planning for weeks, it was time for execution.

Just like the Native Americans, I used the whole sticker.

I also got a package from Dan "The Man With No Plan" Hensley.

Inside?  My very own pair of FUCK YOU EVERYBODY collector's edition socks.

Apparently you need wider legs to pull of this look.

So after an evening full of excitement, I headed to bed for an early wake up call.  Kurt, Nick "Dip and Spray" Barlow, and myself were heading to North Wilkesboro to ride the Warrior Creek trails.  Weather was rolling into the area sometime on Saturday morning, so we were going to call an audible at 6:00AM.

The radar looked fine when I woke up.  Things looked clear just north of Charlotte.  It wasn't until 6:30 that I checked the Kerr Scott Reservoir twitter feed.

Shit.

Plan B.  We'll go to Lake Normal... but not before I get a chance to let the powers that be know how I feel about their preemptive closure the night before a rainfall that wasn't:

So I picked up the Mustaches, allowed them to get their Bojangles on, and we headed north... in sprinkles.

At the exit for Lake Normal, I checked twitter one more time.

Meh.  They ended up opening an hour later.

We were at the not-open-till-8:00AM gates of Lake Normal at 7:58AM... they were open anyways.  On the trail in minutes under the threat of the them closing on us while we were out there, we committed to the longest loop.  At the point where we were the furthest away from the car, Dip and Spray started to complain of a "noise" coming from his new bike  Upon further inspection, we discovered that a noob cog swap left him with no room for the lock ring to engage any threads.  It was just jangling aboot.

Sooo...

We scratched our heads.  We gave up.  I scratched my head again.  I removed one superfluous spacer and replaced it with a homemade rubber band from my Tülbag.  His bike worked again... until it didn't.

His chain broke.  Had he bought the quick link I suggested he pick up last week?

No.

I carry a spare PC-1 and a SRAM 10 speed link.  Kurt had a 9 speed link.  Nick's chain was an 8 speed.

Sweet.

We tried Kurt's 9... no go.

Eventually I was bleeding, I somehow broke my chain tool, and we ended up putting the PC-1 link in with no other option really available.  We won at half-assed repairs that day.

We got in a lap on every trail.  Thirty miles.  Still time for proper foodage before I rushed home for date night with The Pie.

Date night with The Pie?

First stop, the beer store.

This really exists.  Sad.

Date night was a success with much fun had.  I was up early the next day to get shit done.  First up, a Dirt Rag article that had been floating around in my head.  Sixty-four fluid ounces of coffee and then some bike work and maybe get into my blog post I so wanted to spend some time on before Monday.

I needed to replace the spare link I gave Dip and Spray.

I discovered I'm down to the last PC-1 in the case I bought years ago.  I shed a tear.

I also used this valuable time to prepare my bike for the upcoming top secret weekend.

Endless Kick Ass 16T cog and Fibonacci spacer kit to replace the worn out and undergeared 17T King that was on there.  I have some big plans and this was crucial to upcoming successes.  I shoulda had Dip and Spray over for a clinic on cog swaps and spacers.

And before I got around to working on my post, it was time to cleanup and get ready to build my neighbor's new Highball.

I needed to take this:

and for the fair exchange of this:

make this:

A 2-3 hour build extended into a 6 hour build with two trips to the shop in order to get the correct front and rear derailleurs.   Too many standards and a few shop employees who weren't quite sure what a 34.9 bottom swing is...

Anyways, I was glad Todd was out buying new gorillas while I was busy putting his shifters on reversed and backwards.  Beer fueled builds starting at 1:00PM and ending at 7:00PM are always going to have their issues.

I really need a Park Tool Power Lift Stand.

I just realized this morning that I was wearing my Santa Cruz Hell Ride hoodie while building up the Highball.  Serendipitous.

So, 7:00PM.  I needed to get my shit straight and get over to the Faster Mustache team meeting.  No items really on the agenda, so I loaded my jersey pockets with hard earned beer and got my meeting on.

Much later into the evening, seven pounds of General Tsao's chicken and a few beers in my belly, I really thought I would never be up in time to finish The Horny Single Speeder's Guide to Single Speed Podium Etiquette.
But somehow I did.

Bleary eyed and wasted from a full weekend, I forged through the morning and got it done.

And that was that. 

Well, except for this:

 and this: