directions_bikeDancing Through the Night

Work swallowed time like a black hole, and suddenly I"m scrambling for daylight, decided to do a quick spin before the sun calls it quits. The Raven was fresh from surgery and flying, though I"m still babying it through recovery rides – need to verify all the parts are playing nice together. Already plotting the next round of mechanical therapy: that derailleur"s been ghost shifting like it"s channeling spirits.

Running sketchy low pressure – comfort over confidence. Every corner felt like a negotiation with physics, wondering if I"d peel the tire clean off the rim. Rocky sections? Pure Russian roulette with snakebite flats. Each impact had me waiting for that telltale hiss that never came. Lady luck was on my side – made it through without drama. Sometimes you gamble and win.

The darkness brought the forest to life – deer materializing in my light beam like apparitions, other creatures rustling just beyond visibility. Every maintenance session transforms this bike exponentially; tonight it was dancing over terrain like it had just discovered rhythm. Winter riding means winter neglect, and now I"m paying the maintenance debt. Now it"s like 90% about that bottom bracket and maybe 10% about the rear wheel. Fix those two and this machine becomes poetry in motion.