Giving in but not up

Well, it's not like the Honda Fit of Rage didn't already spend 99% of its sad existence in my driveway anyways...

I'm not a "car nut" (obvs), but having my car do little more than collect North Carolina's abundant pollen, sap, and the occasional ant farm made me finally pull the trigger on a cover.  I'm tired of washing this sometimes useful vehicle... like four or five times a year, to scrub off all the nasty shit.  It's been driven twice since this all started, once The Pie needed to borrow it, and the other time I let Nia practice driving around the neighborhood because the internet said my car would die a thousand deaths from lack of use.  The privilege of owning convenient transportation or a hail-damaged albatross around my neck part?

Member driving places?

I member.

So... a week or so ago, I realized the ByStickel Meatplow V.6 would serve me a hundred times better as a vehicle to get into the woods to do trail work than an urban get-arounder.  Leaving the Vertigo Meatplow V.7 locked to a tree in the woods while I wandered off to build shitty jumps was making me nervous.  Maxxis Re-Fuse slick 40s replaced with an Ardent 2.4/2.25 combo... because I had it in the closet and also nostalgia?

Problem being, the 38 X 16 gearing was now completely awful.  All I (thought I) had was a 32 tooth ring... so...

Thankfully, Mike Curiak was cleaning out his closet, and I was able to buy a 104 BCD 34 tooth ring... and a backup, almost-new 32 tooth Wolftooth for the Vassago Meatplow V.8, all at Mike's very best price.

But it didn't show up before last weekend.

With a damaged hand and the Backyard Trails closed anyways, I went out to grind greenway... and the greenway grinded the ever-loving shit outta me. 

About 110 miles over three days... and my legs were ded like SS and 26" and bike racing.  Pushing that gear on big knobbies was a no bueno.

Fortunately, the rings showed up Tuesday...

Spare Wolftooth shown as well as the too big for prime time 38... and the Shimano TL-FC20 that a whole generation of new cyclists might never have the pleasure of using.

Of course, while I was installing the new ring, I looked up and saw...

What are those and who put them there... and when did I ever buy AND use the 34 tooth ring that of course had been hanging there for the past two and a half years?

At least I now have a backup 34 tooth ring?

34 X 18 and ready to work on trails and still get beer and mebbe ride to Tuesday night trivia someday...

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Three dog damned inches of rain dumped Wednesday night into Thursday morning meant I got to repair damage in my backyard (again)... and face the reality of the trails being closed for... days?  This just after I finally felt like my left hand was back in shape to ride in the woods again after a solid ride two days ago.

At least my piece of shit car is covered now, so I got that going for me... which is nice.