Cleaning, Overhaul, Pain

Overhaul! It's redneck for "take apart, put back together, and hope to hell it's nearly as good as before you started."

So I took the bike apart. Then I cleaned it using Simple Green and Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish. You know what? It looked better, but not noticeably.



Next I overhauled the headset. I'd never done it before, but I had a book! This is when the pain started.



You'll notice there are no photos of the overhaul. I was able to clean and lube the headset (that's the part on the front that lets you turn the fork smoothly).

But the problem is I have a cheap bike-repair stand. And you have to put your bike upside down to put the fork back in.

So I'm down in the basement at this point, and my bike is upside down on the repair stand, and the kids are napping, and I'm not BELIEVING how much stuff I'm getting done. I've just put the fork back in, and I hear my oldest son coming down the stairs. I turn to answer his plaintive calls, and as I do the stand loses control. The bike swings down and CLONKS me on the elbow. Blood--EVERYWHERE! OK, mostly on my elbow, but it hurt like the dickens. Ewa thought I should go to the doctor. Doctor!

Nothing a trip to CVS, where the wound-care section is disturbingly large, couldn't handle. And you know, it still kinda hurts sometimes when I lean on it.

I have since finished the bike. But I will try to continue the story first.