Stripped down my bike today.
Cleaned it thoroughly, down to the cotton swab level, removed fork, cleaned and regreased headset etc
It feels… wonderful.
Am I the only one?
Nope, the greatest feeling is when your kids are born and you hold them for the first time.
On the tri side, the greatest feeling is when you crossed the Ironman finish line for the first time.
The greatest feeling today will be stripping down my bike and doing its annual cleaning. 
Funny, I did the same thing this morning with my tri and road bike. Very good feeling, not great. Great is a PR you trained hard for or a professional milestone. Kids etc. are in a category of their own. I do love my nice clean lubed up bikes tho… riding them in that condition is kinda great. Def fun turnin the wrenches
you misspelled “greatest”
No, greatest feeling is either a really fast run, or a 1000 freestyle
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Nope, the greatest feeling is when your kids are born and you hold them for the first time.
On the tri side, the greatest feeling is when you crossed the Ironman finish line for the first time.
The greatest feeling today will be stripping down my bike and doing its annual cleaning.
Nice to know that I have great things to look forward to!
you misspelled “greatest”
No, greatest feeling is either a really fast run, or a 1000 freestyle
Thanks for spotting the typo, corrected.
I don’t see how a really fast run can compete, but then again I have probably never done it 
I think the greatest feeling is after a very, very long 100+ mile brick when you are laying on the couch and can’t even get the energy to get up to eat. No idea why I like that so much, but it’s awesome.
Jodi
No you didn’t.
GREATEST.
Yeah, but it’s not just the greatest, it’s the greatestEST! It’s even greater than greatest, you see…
Jodi
I am in the middle of cleaning as well. Having everything apart excluding the crank.
Cheers
I have no bike tools and don’t know how to do this, so I don’t know that feeling. I’d like to know that feeling though…maybe someday.
No you didn’t.
GREATEST.
Oh, that was just me being silly on a Sunday morning.
I think the greatest feeling will be when I get these tubular’s glued and mounted properly.
I have no bike tools and don’t know how to do this, so I don’t know that feeling. I’d like to know that feeling though…maybe someday.
You need remarkably few tools actually. The only special tools you need are the ones to remove the cranks and cassette.
Keep the dream alive. You will know that feeling someday.
I think the greatest feeling is after a very, very long 100+ mile brick when you are laying on the couch and can’t even get the energy to get up to eat. No idea why I like that so much, but it’s awesome.
Jodi
I love that feeling too. There is nothing better then doing a long run early on Saturday morning and spending the rest of the day basking in the ‘afterglow’.
**Nope, the greatest feeling is when your kids are born and you hold them for the first time. **
Yep. A close second is stuff like today, when me and my boys were walking hand in hand to a store. My youngest son, Jack, said “Dad?” “Yes pal?” “I love you”. I stopped right there in the parking lot and kissed him on top of the head.
Triathlon-wise, for me, there is just no feeling like crossing the finish line of an IM, and hearing your name, and just knowing that you did it.
Spot
I stripped.
It truly was the greatestist of feelings…
;-}
Later!
Brian
I’m not sure what the greatestest feeling is but for me it certainly would not be when my kids were born. My wife and I are hoping that moment never comes to pass; we’ll leave the joys of parenting (e.g. sleep deprivation, poverty and guilt for training all weekend) to more enthusiastic people like you.
And when I crossed the finish line at my first IM, I felt pretty horrible (I felt better after vomiting a few times but it still didn’t make me feel great).
I enjoy a clean bike but it never stays that way for long, especially not this time of year. Having a hell of a lot of sushi after a long run has to be the greatest feeling so far this week.
**Nope, the greatest feeling is when your kids are born and you hold them for the first time. **
Yep. A close second is stuff like today, when me and my boys were walking hand in hand to a store. My youngest son, Jack, said “Dad?” “Yes pal?” “I love you”. I stopped right there in the parking lot and kissed him on top of the head.
x2. My 4 y/o daughter did that to me yesterday as well while we were out running errands. We were leaving a bike shop (coincidentally). I picked her up and gave her a giant hug. Those are the moments I cherish.
riding a clean and freshly lubed bike is pretty nice though, I admit.
No way I could find one greatest feeling, but here are a few:
Life great feelings:
1)x3 or x4 on kids being born,
2)Teaching your kids to ride a bike (having your 5 yr old son learn in 10 minutes and seeing his face when he realizes he is riding on his own because he sees me running next to him),
3)Finishing a ride with your young kids (7 and 5 yrs) and have them up the pace for a sprint at the very end and seeing them jocky for position (and getting a vision of what it will be like in 10-20 years),
4)wilderness or remote camping around a nice campfire in the fall, no other campers around within shouting distance,
5)pancake breakfasts on a morning where no one in the family has anywhere to be,
6)watching your kids bring their “A” game to a competition and seeing their reaction to realizing what happens when they put the work in
7)putting your head on the pillow at night and recognizing what a blessing each day is
Tri/training related great feelings:
1)cruising up a hill on one of your regular routes, feeling like you’re going fast but also feeling like the gears are just a titch harder to turn than normal, and half way up noticing you’re still in the BIG ring,
2)riding with a cycling buddy who is also a best friend, gasping as we roll over a hard climb with HR’s above 180 bpm and looking at each other and one of us quoting one of Phil Liggett’s famous lines from the TdF causing the other to fall over from laughter,
3)riding a PR on the bike leg of an IM distance race, thinking you may have baked yourself out on the course and starting the marathon feeling like you’re just starting your race day
4)rediscovering speed on the S, B and R that has been missing for over 15 years
5)an early morning S, B, or R in the summer (being on a lake or on some high ground when the sun rises)
6)24 mile mark of the IM marathon when you first realize, yep…its gonna happen
7)when the START gun/cannon FINALLY goes off and you can finally relax and let your body take over and do what it was meant to do
8)negative splitting your IM marathon
9)in a running race having to ask other competitors, “Are the mile markets short?” with the answer being “No”
10)seeing hardly any bikes in T2
11)seeing a friend with no athletic background finish a 70.3 looking like he is just getting started for the day
12)being around and talking with serious studly athletes that are humble and recognize what a privilege this stuff is and take time to talk with the common folk
13)having Dave Scott scold you for not getting off your feet the day before IM
14)soaking the body in the freezing creekwater at TTT between races and feeling how well the body responds to the therapy
15)having the wife say, “Get a long ride in tomorrow…5-6 hours at least!”
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