Cold.....very cold

Snow and more snow

John, one of my instructors, demonstrating how
to align a dropout

Me and Teak

Hi everyone,
ever since last Friday, when it started snowing, the temperature has been getting colder and colder. The temperature drops to -0 degrees celsius once night falls, so there is basically nothing to do except stay in the room and keep warm.

The last 3 days have been quite busy for me. The topics covered during the last few days concern the drivetrain, which is basically the heart and soul of the bicycle. The efficiency of the drivetrain will determine whether you have a great ride or a lousy one. The key to getting the drivetrain to be as efficient as possible involves finetuning the front and rear derailleurs so that everytime you press your shift levers, you get smooth, accurate and crisp shifting. I was determined to get this right because to me, the mark of a good mechanic is one who is able to get the shifting right.

I was pretty stressed up initially because I was a bit lost during my first practice. However, I made some effort to practice during the free time and realised that it wasn't that difficult after all.....all I had to do was just follow the instructions outlined in my lab book.

However, I was still a bit worried last night as I was going to have my drivetrain test. In fact, I was going through my notes last night, trying to visualise every step. Thankfully, during the test this afternoon, I did not have any problems and managed to get my bike to shift right. Plus, I did not finish last! :)

Thanks for reading........more to come