Just when you think the ride is going to be just like any other... everything gets different!

For starters we had a totally unique route out of the Pat, dodging around a couple of sidestreets that I haven't explored previously.  One or two car-intensive bits in there, but it was all good...  Got ourselves into False Creek where Pops discovered his coaster brake clamp was long gone, his cone adjustment way out after the lever had spun around at some point in the evening... Uh oh...

Well, what to do what to do... Rod to the rescue!  We got a group tour of the World-Famous shop behind the man, the "inside" story so to speak.  And let me tell you, I'd KILL to have a shop like that... Plenty of space, more bikes than you can shake a stick at and probably enough parts to build that many twice over.  Kinda makes you feel like a kid in a candy store - only the candy is "some assembly required".

Rod took good care of Pops of course - I mean, how often do you get celebrity bike service!  We hung around there for a bit with everyone oogling and ahhgling, "drinking" it all in so to speak until the repairs were done and then made our disorderly exit back down to the bike path.

Next stop, in front of the Sylvia hotel.  Mark this one down as a new potential girly washroom stop!  Definitely gotta keep the ladies covered if you want them to keep coming out!  After a short break there we were back on our way around through the park to the roundabout, where we went round about 30 times - I pulled out when I stopped being able to tell which way was straight!

Said our goodbyes at that point, Rod thanked us all for coming out for yet another season of cruising.  Thank YOU Rod!!  Summer of 2007 couldn't have been better (even though I missed a few key rides) - but that doesn't mean the party stops!!  For instance there's the PoCo Trail Ride this weekend, and of course we're all still out and about just about every Friday.  If you don't know when and where, find one of us!

So from there A and I had our ride home ahead of us... Up and over Burrard has been the recent favorite.  Got over the bridge and just past 4th when "CRACK" and I'm suddenly not engaged on the drive side of things.  First thought was the hub I just laced in there... but (fortunately?) it turned out to be the drive pin on my crank.  Well, no more uphill for the ride home but the chainring still had enough bite to keep me going on flat land as long as I didn't try to push it too hard.  Ended up having to walk it up a bit but managed to make it most of the way.  On the upside I've got a CroMo crank off a Del Sol sitting on my shelf that I was ABOUT to put on anyhow, so now's the time, eh?

Keep 'em rollin'!