Two weeks in a row now, I’ve been able to enjoy the treat of getting to ride during the day on a weekday. Last Thursday, I was going to work from home, since I had to take my truck into the shop to get some things checked out, but decided to rather take the day off, run some errands, and get a ride in. After getting some stuff done in the AM, I headed out to Stony in the early afternoon and got in a nice ride.
This week, I scheduled some late work on Thursday, and didn’t have to get into work till mid-afternoon, so once again, I headed out to Stony for a ride. Being able to ride during the day when the parking lot (and trails) are mostly empty is a real treat. And, I really don’t ride by myself that often, so it’s a nice change of pace.
One minor issue during the ride with my chain on the SS. Coming to the end of the pines, I felt the chain attempt to bounce off when I hit some roots, but then I felt it pop back onto the chainring/cog, without any intervention by me. Thought I was golden. Then, during a 2nd trip thru the pines, I dropped my chain 3 times. Rather then fight with it in the woods, I finished the pines, then stopped to take a look. The chain was rather loose, much looser then I remember it being, in fact. So, I pulled out the tools, loosened the rear wheel, and tightened it back up.
How did the chain get so loose? I’m thinking that the tensioner nuts weren’t fully tight up against the rear hub, so when I almost popped the chain on the first trip thru the pines, it must have yanked the wheel forward a bit, causing the chain to loosen up.
Either way, I finished the ride with no further issues, and I think I’ll take a look at the bike later tonight or tomorrow, and investigate whether it’s time to replace the chain. Can’t remember when it was last replaced, so it might just be time for a new one.