It's that time of year!

  

Trees are becoming more and more beautiful 

as each day becomes cooler and dryer.  

There is a briskness in the air and every where you turn there is 

some kind of pumpkin/nutmeg flavored pastry being dangled before us.

 

It's also a reminder to get a few things caught up before the snow flies.

My son has been having flats.  He came to me after the second one.

I went over the tire and could not find anything still in the tire, the tube I installed held air overnight and another day.  But the holes I patched were in identical spots, and I could not find a wire, nail, grain of sand or anything to have caused each of them.

Oh well, move on I guess.

The "other deal" I have sitting on the table is the front fork for my Hunq.

The paint has been marred badly since I first put 

Blackburn Lowriders on them.  

The wiggling around under load put some really ugly gouges in the paint.

Fortunately when I switched fenders, I discovered a perfect match in color.

Now that I am using the big Surly rack on the front, I feel safe that I should get that matter corrected.

I sanded them down to eliminate the gouges and painted about half of each fork.  Looking carefully under full light you can just barely tell the difference in sheen.  I will probably redo this in the spring and make sure I mask off the lugs so there won't be a noticeable break in color or sheen.

I had actually considered having the bike stripped and powder coated before I went to the country bike rally in Minneapolis.   While I was there all the Riv fans were fawning over the paint job and I realized it really is an interesting bike I should maintain.  Not only did I get it from the original Waterford run, it has the first chosen colors for the bike.  It's a piece of history in eccentricity of it's maker.  According to a Blug post, Grant and his painter went 'round about the orange and grey.  Grant liked it, but the painter argued the colors were from incompatible ranges of the palette and shouldn't  be together.  The painter insisted on lug lining to keep the orange and grey from touching.  Grant hates lug lining, but finally gave in.  Is it me, or does this sound like two crazy people trying to collaborate on a rational decision?  Well, now that paint job is a $400 option.

So, I got that going for me.  Along with the first purchased  Bosco Bars on my HIllborne,

I have prizes which should concern nobody, but do.

I hope a grandchild fits,