I think it was the 7th salty broth concoction of puddle, covering the full expanse of road, that rid me of the last bits of wax based lube. Each and every pedal stroke became a reminder that I should have lubed my chain before this ride. It was after all my 3rd outdoor ride this spring, after a long bout of indoor training. I even washed my bike each time to remove the grime but somehow overlooked the lube. My husband who had joined me this day felt the need to irritate me further by saying "aah the sound of friction." But what did I expect from a physics teacher? I know that an improperly lubed drive chain can increase your energy expenditure by 20-30% and yet I found myself without lube. Did I really need to add more friction while I was riding my knobby tired cross bike and he was riding his slick tired road bike...wasn't I already battling enough rolling resistance? Apparently not. Well I kept up and lead the way and persevered and irritated him back by looping around a very busy road that we had no room and no business riding on during "rush hour" if you can call it that. Okay I had no intention of riding on that road and may have been slightly lost but we made it back and it was fun to hear him complain about it. I called it my version of bushwhacking - urban style.
We made it and even my chain made it and you better believe I lubed each and every chain on my bikes after that.
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