Getting Coffee. Kind Of. Redux

I'm suspecting my cassette is going out on the Outlook. I'm experiencing a wierd slipping issue in my top gear out back and it's getting worse gradually. Remember, it's wearing the rolling stock that came on my Sorrento which definitely had quite a bit of (ab)use before I purchased it. The cassette was already kind of rusty and chewed up and as far as I can tell it's part of the Sorrento's original equipment.

So, my bus got me to within a mile of the bike shop and I swung by to price a cassette real quick. About $25 for the cassette and $10 for installation. I could make a chain whip myself and do it that way, but I'd bet Bike America will do the install for free, especially since I'm looking at buying another Sram powerlink chain and some other assorted goodies. Given the fact that it's warming up in Kansas City, though, I'd bet any shop I go to will have a few days worth of backlog as people are blowing the dust off their bikes, getting them lubed and tuned.

Fair-weather cycling. What a tragedy. :P

I'm currently sitting at Scooter's Coffee House drinking a not-quite-great Mocha to get some carbs and caffeine in before the 6:30 ride. Okay, I'm also here for the free WiFi that doesn't burn the batteries out on my cell phone.

On a "by the way" note, I am starting to see more bike commuters downtown. The guy on the Revive recumbent is back out in full force, and there's a guy I spot every once in a while that locks his bike up near Starbucks who I saw again this morning. The only commuter I know of who braved the entire winter with me was the gentleman that rides the Trek 820 to the Central Library. Whenever I rode past the library, I either saw him riding or saw his bike locked up. I'm not saying no other bike commuters braved downtown over the winter, but I didn't see anyone else regularly.