Finding a suitable set of wheels for Donna’s bike was my top priority yesterday. The Bontrager Race Lite wheels on her bike had cracks in the rear rim. She paid the entry fee and has been training for the El Tour de Mesa bike race that takes place April 5th. I had a spare set of wheels in our old cargo trailer, but those Dirty, Rotten Thieves took them. Her friend, Dara, generously offered a set of wheels for Donna.

I drove Mike Hall’s Jeep over to Dara’s house in the morning. Dara left the wheels in her garage and gave me a code to enter. At first look I said, “Wow!” They were Mavic carbon fiber race wheels. Then I realized they were tubulars. Tubulars are a type of racing tire (we used to call them sew-ups). Tubular tires have the tube inserted, then the tire casing is sewn together at the inner circumference. This allows very high tire pressure for racing. The tire is glued to the rim, which has a shallow depression to fit the tire.

Tubular tires are race specific. They are not an ideal deal choice for all-around use. If you have a puncture, you have to replace the tubular tire. In a racing situation, ideally you have a support person replace the entire wheel assembly so you can rejoin the race. It was very generous of Dara to offer her the wheel set, but I didn’t think it would work out for Donna.

I came back home and looked on the Internet and checked local bike shops for wheels. The local bike shops stocked both extremes of the market – they either stocked cheap wheels that weren’t suitable or they had high-end $2,000 racing wheel sets. We needed something in between. I bit the bullet and went to DNA Cycles to order a custom-made wheel set. Donna should have new wheels before the end of next week. Happy birthday Donna…your present is two months early!

I dropped off the Jeep at Mike’s place and picked up the scooter. Mike’s wife, Jodi, told me they would be at Baja Joe’s Mexican Cantina at 3pm and I was welcome to join them.

I rode back home and took prescription-strength ibuprofen for the pain in my left shoulder. Getting old really hurts sometimes. Between the mountain biking and the wash/polish job on the coach, I’ve aggravated a nerve in my left shoulder. I kicked back and read for a while, did a load of laundry and took a short nap.

At 3pm, I rode over to Baja Joe’s and found Mike and Jodi out on the patio. We were joined by Mike’s friend, Don, and his wife. Then Jodi’s twin sister, Julie, joined us. The tacos were great and the beer was cold. We sat outside and talked until about 6pm.

Last night, I watched some of the NCAA basketball tournament and nursed my sore shoulder. It’s still bothersome this morning, but not as bad as yesterday.

Donna is scheduled to fly into Phoenix around 7pm tonight. It will be great to have her back! I’ll tidy up the place today. I should check the electrolyte levels in the bank of 6-volt house batteries. I think a trip to the Jacuzzi to soothe my shoulder is also a good idea.