Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

[Host detected upgrading cycling accessories. Please independently complete one accessory replacement. Reward: 2 Basic Optimization Value points and unlocking of the Bicycle Repair and Assembly Skill Pack.]

...

Seeing the system continuously spit out new quests in such a short period, Huang Chong felt he was almost numb to it.

Obviously, these 2 Basic Optimization Value points were probably a fixed amount for now, unless he over-achieved on a quest.

As for the second type of reward the system generated each time, it seemed to vary depending on the quest.

This time, it wasn’t an edible special item like Energy Gel or Heart and Lung Strengthening Pills.

But after Huang Chong read the specific text, he was far more excited than when he had received the first two rewards.

"Unlock the Bicycle Repair and Assembly Skill Pack?

’Does this mean that as long as I complete the requirement, I’ll completely master all bicycle assembly skills?’"

Fundamentally, bicycle assembly and maintenance weren’t very difficult.

After all, the overall structure of the thing was pretty straightforward, not complex at all.

As long as you weren’t naturally all thumbs, you could basically learn it by following online tutorials and trying a few times.

The only variable was that in an era of carbon fiber materials, mastering the torque for every screw required extreme care and precision.

Even with a torque wrench, if you set the value incorrectly and used too much force, you could still destroy the entire carbon fiber frame in an instant.

This was why many cyclists who bought carbon fiber road bikes would rather pay a hefty assembly fee than do it themselves.

After all, top-tier, World Tour Level carbon fiber frames often started at thirty or forty thousand, with some even costing as much as fifty or sixty thousand.

If you accidentally damaged it yourself, it would be a tragedy beyond tears.

’Let’s see what effect this so-called skill pack will have!’

Huang Chong thought to himself as he quickly removed the original aluminum wheels from the bike.

Then, using the bike assembly skills he had already learned, he disassembled the freehub body, cassette, and other parts from the rear wheel and transferred them to the new carbon fiber wheelset.

He also removed the inner tubes and tires from the original wheels and swapped them over.

Although the original Giant aluminum wheels were heavy and garbage, Huang Chong had already replaced the inner tubes and tires himself, swapping them for Germany’s Continental GP5000 S TRs.

These top-tier tires weren’t cheap—they were even more expensive than the pair of Giant aluminum wheels. He hadn’t ridden many miles on them, so he definitely couldn’t let them go to waste.

After changing the cassette and tires, he inflated them and installed the new carbon fiber wheelset onto his 9th-generation TCR ADV 3.

Compared to the next-generation 10th-gen TCR, which already had disc brakes and internal cable routing, the 9th-gen TCR still used rim brakes and external cable routing, but Huang Chong wasn’t too demanding about it.

He still had weak legs at the moment; upgrading the most important component, the wheelset, was enough for now.

Although there was a huge list of parts on the original bike that could be upgraded, he didn’t plan on dumping any more money into this junker.

The 9th-gen TCR was an outdated product. Continuing to upgrade the groupset on this bike offered far less value for money than simply getting a new bike with fully internal routing, disc brakes, and electronic shifting.

By 2022, rim brakes, external cable routing, and even separate handlebars and stems were no longer mainstream designs for road bikes.

Of course, the most important thing was that he had graduated from college now. He couldn’t bring himself to ask his family for money anymore. He had to rely on himself to earn money for upgrades, which meant he had to be meticulous with his spending.

He remembered in his previous life, he had earned too little—only four or five thousand a month, and that was with Dewey intentionally paying him more as a favor between friends. His parents thought he was wasting his time and called him back from Hangcheng to inherit the family’s small convenience store.

So, if he wanted to become a Professional Cyclist, he had to solve the money issue himself.

Living in this capitalist age, it was absolutely impossible to get by without money.

This wasn’t about getting rich, but about appeasing his parents, lest he go home at the end of the year and get stuck in his hometown, never able to leave again.

He knew that once he went back to living in the small county, it would probably be impossible to become a Professional Cyclist, even with the system.

After all, his hometown was just a small mountain town of 100,000 people. It was too isolated from the outside world, suitable only for retiring and taking it easy, not for striving for a goal.

"All set!"

After changing to the new wheelset, Huang Chong immediately saw a system notification:

[Congratulations! You have independently completed one accessory replacement.]

[Reward being distributed: You have received 2 Basic Optimization Value points and unlocked the Bicycle Repair and Assembly Skill Pack.]

...

The instant the system notification appeared, information on assembling dozens, even hundreds of different bicycle models poured into Huang Chong’s mind like a video playback.

It included not only bicycle assembly processes but also repair techniques for every bicycle accessory on the market. It wasn’t limited to road bikes, either; it covered mountain bikes, and even electric-assist bicycles.

"Gah! My head—it hurts!"

With so much external information suddenly flooding his mind, Huang Chong felt a bit of a strain.

He reached up and gently rubbed his temples until the discomfort gradually faded a minute or two later.

"What’s wrong, Old Huang? Are you okay?"

Dewey had already finished dinner by this time. He walked over, glanced at the TCR with its new wheelset, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Now that’s more like it. Although your bike is a bit outdated, it looks much better after putting on the carbon wheels.

But a 50mm deep wheelset will improve your cruising on the flats, but it will also make climbing more difficult.

You should practice more on the flat sections. It’s better to tackle climbs after you’ve fully adapted to the new wheels!"

Dewey had gotten into road cycling much earlier than Huang Chong. Back then, the whole country was affected by the pandemic, making travel inconvenient, and road bikes happened to be the best mode of transportation.

Because cycling allowed one to avoid public transportation and group contact.

Meanwhile, Huang Chong had been stuck in his small county town, even attending his university classes online from home. He only returned to campus for the final semester for things like his thesis defense.

After that, encouraged by Dewey, he got into the road cycling scene.

"I know that. Besides saving weight, carbon fiber wheelsets are all about aerodynamics, and you need a certain stable cruising speed for the aerodynamic effect to really show its advantages."

Having been reborn, Huang Chong was not a complete newbie in the truest sense.

Although his leg strength had indeed been weakened, he had inherited all the theoretical cycling knowledge from his past life.

Plus, with the comprehensive skill pack the system had just given him, his current understanding of bicycles was even more complete than that of the highly paid professional technician in the shop.

"You know a lot now, Old Huang!"

Dewey was increasingly amazed by Huang Chong’s performance today, his eyes filled with astonishment.

The latter could not only comment on World Tour tactics, but he also seemed to know a lot more about the theory behind road bikes.

’How did he do it?’

This was completely different from before, when the guy knew almost nothing and had to rely on an old hand like him to explain everything.

It suddenly became very difficult for him to keep flexing on Huang Chong.

"How come you never talked about this stuff before? Did you secretly cram all this professional knowledge behind my back so you could turn pro?"

Hearing this, Huang Chong glanced at his old college classmate and scoffed.

"It’s just some theoretical knowledge, what’s that count for? I’ve also learned how to assemble and repair bikes!"

"Oh, please. You’re just all talk."

Dewey gave him a thumbs-up, but his words were dripping with sarcasm. He clearly didn’t believe him.

Bike assembly isn’t something you can master with just theoretical knowledge, nor is it something you learn just by reading the product manual.

Practical application will always be more important than theory.

Besides, professional technicians, to prevent competitors from stealing their jobs, always hold back on some key procedures. They wouldn’t be stupid enough to teach everything to an assistant or apprentice.

Huang Chong was just a technician’s assistant at the shop. He had been working for less than a month in total. It’d be a miracle if he knew how to assemble a bike.

Usually, he just helped the technician install wheelsets, freehubs, brake rotors, and the like—purely gofer work.

If they weren’t such good buddies, with his level of skill, he’d be making two or three thousand a month at most. How could his salary have been doubled from that?

"You don’t believe me? Old Du, how about this? There happens to be a YETI SB-150 full-suspension mountain bike in the shop that needs a full service. Let me handle it. You and Master Liu can just supervise from the side!"

Seeing Dewey’s skeptical expression, Huang Chong added with a smile.

...