I've missed my bikes so much that I simply had to grab the C8 and take her out for a spin. I noticed during the last commute, though, that the brakes felt squishy and her stopping power was less than optimal. The front brake is now good and tight but the back break still needs some work. I haven't figured out how to tighten it enough without clamping the pads down so much that the wheel can't spin. There's a happy medium in there somewhere. It may be that the back tire stops spinning but doesn't have enough traction to catch hold of the pavement. Ah well, I can stop well enough with both brakes and they're soft enough that I don't think I'll be able to throw myself over the handlebars.
Knock wood.
I also noticed that with my new saddle position, it felt like my arms were at a full extension to keep hold of the grips. I raised the handlebars a few centimeters and that made all the difference in the world. My elbows can bend gently and I'm finally in a comfortable position for a ride.
This evening's quick spin about the neighborhood made me feel a tiny bit better about not riding to work for the past few weeks. The air temperature was in the lower 80s with a matching humidity. Guh. And that was post thunderstorm and with the sun down. Were I wearing a hat, it'd be off to you brave souls who stay in the saddle during this awful heat wave. As for me, I'll get back to bike commuting in September.
I can't say I blame you for trying to keep out of the heat. It is brutal. Fortunately, most of my rides are before 10a or after 7:30p these days, so that helps with keeping some of the heat off. Once I'm moving, I'm generally okay, but if I can avoid an afternoon spin, I will definitely do so.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you're getting things perfected on the C8... hopefully, you'll continue to enjoy it! :O)
Maybe you need to increase the tension on the rear brake cable by lengthening the housing. There should be a threaded adjuster, probably at the place where the cable comes out of the lever but possible at the caliper. Turn it a couple of times and see if things improve. If things get worse, turn it the other way.
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying your posts about the C8. I tried one in Philly and it is a serious contendor, although I will have to change the handlebars to something more North Road-ish.
I used the threaded adjuster when adjusting the brakes. It worked like a charm on the front, but I haven't found the sweet spot for the back just yet.
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