December 10, 2020 - Preparation for the trip December 11-13, 2020

Sometime after returning from my three-day trip to New Paltz in early November, I planned another three-day trip so that I would be ready to leave on short notice if the weather forecast were to become favorable. The first day I would take a subway from my home in Chelsea to Washington Heights and ride 75 miles from there to Milford, PA, and spend the night in a motel. The next day I would ride 77 miles to and around Lake Waullenpaupack and back to the motel. The third day I would ride the 75 miles back to Washington Heights and then take the subway home. I created a route for each of the days, marking them with places to stop for hot chocolate. I also chose a motel and noted some locations of nearby restaurants.

By Monday, December 7th, the next weekend's weather looked promising, and on Thursday the 10th I decided to leave the next day. I made a reservation for two nights at the motel I had chosen and packed my gear. Because the temperatures would be as low as the mid 30s and as high as the mid 50s, I would take biking clothes for both warm weather (shorts, t-shirt, socks below the ankles, fingerless gloves, and a windbreaker) and cold weather (tights, two long-sleeve wool shirts, socks extending over the ankles, fingered gloves, a jacket, a neck gaiter, and a cap). Because of the possibility of removing some or all of the cold-weather clothing during my ride and the need to carry on the bike whatever I removed, I would take my handlebar bag in addition to my trunk bag.

All went smoothly until I installed the rear rack that carries my trunk bag. My previous seat post had extended well below where I had mounted the rack, but my recently-installed Dura Ace seat post was substantially shorter and extended just to the top of the mount. As I was tightening the bolts that secure the rack to the seat tube, I noticed a two-inch crack in the paint on the seat tube. I removed the rack and discovered that I had dented the seat tube. Had I destroyed my bike? Could I go on with the trip? I didn't know.

The crack in the paint on the left side of the seat tube

Note the dent in the seat tube

I called my friend Tom Reingold, who told me he had heard about this sort of damage to steel frames and that it wasn't necessarily fatal. Tom recommended I call Hal Ruzal, a legend in the New York cycling community with a vast knowledge about bikes. After Hal saw pictures of the damage he said my frame was safe to ride. He said to mount the rack as high as possible, so that the seat post would extend halfway down the mount of the rack. He also said to first wrap the tube with electrical tape (to protect the paint) and then gaffer's tape (to provide friction in order to avoid over-tightening the rack). I was relieved to know my frame was ok despite being damaged and that I could take the trip I had planned. I followed Hal's directions, being careful to not tighten the bolts more than necessary.

The rack mounted on the bandaged seat tube

I was pleased with the appearance of my bike after the installation of the rack. The white gaffer's tape not only added friction but also concealed the damage to the tube. I knew the slightly higher position of the rack would not cause any difficulty in handling the bike. After dinner and some television, I went to sleep about midnight, looking forward to my upcoming adventure.