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After work today I took my single speed out for a test ride on the new wheels that I built for it. I started at the F parking lot of Stony Creek’s West Branch picnic area, rode up to the top of Mt. Sheldon, down the Roller Coaster, and then back up to the top of Mt. Sheldon after finding other routes that I’d normally ride to be flooded. This wasn’t a particularly long route, but as it was my first single speed ride of the year on hilly single track and I rode it non-stop it felt nice. Having forgotten to reinstall the wheel magnet after rebuilding the wheels I was unable to obtain a distance reading, but I figure it was somewhere around six or seven miles.
During the ride I kept trying to identify some new feel with the wider rims on the new wheels, but I really don’t think it made a noticeable difference. The wheels did work well, and despite my failing to go easy on them they stayed true and seemed to be exactly the same as when I set out on them. No spoke pops were heard, nothing went awry, and they Just Worked™. Maybe I did an okay job.
I still need to swap out the stem for a slightly longer Thomson that I picked up from a teammate a few weeks back and this should make the bike a bit more comfortable, but for now I’m happy. I can ride my single speed again. Yay!