It looks like my road bike is out of gear; or wearing out its gears.

During my last two Sunday long rides, I notice the right brifter makes creaking sounds as I shift. Why does it do that? Is it getting worn out? Does it just need a drop of oil? What\’s going on here?

Last night I took a good look at the crank set. The teeth on the big ring look like they\’re getting too worn. I suspect that the cassette, too, is due for replacement. I got a new one at about 14,000 miles; and that bicycle now has 29,000-plus miles on it. Why does everything happen at one time?

Yesterday I felt rather out of gear because I needed to cut my ride short. I planned to shoot for 60 miles, but I got going later than I intended; and decided that it was wiser not to push for that last 10 miles. It wasn\’t as hot as the previous Sunday; but it was still hot!

Hydration is a problem in such heat. I started to feel bloated because of so much fluid; yet I needed to keep the liquids coming in. That made it harder to keep fueling, because I felt like I didn\’t have room for any more food; but I didn\’t want to bonk!

This is the point in the Summer when I long for cooler weather. I don\’t mean a drop to 40 degrees, but maybe 65 degrees at 5:00 am; not 80 degrees! Yesterday it was actually fairly comfortable until around 8:00 am; but from then on it got hotter and hotter.

This week is an \”easy\” week: no force work, and no pace-pushing. I\’ll be worn out and out of gear if I don\’t ease up sometimes.