Gone With the Wind
For the last month or so there has been a persistent squeaking noise coming from erm, down there. I bought a few chains and oiled them up. As soon as the ride really got cooking it would come back. "Here comes squeaky...I heard you coming...blah blah...". Last week as I went over Blackfriar's Bridge into work a real noise started happening. It sounded like a spoke had come loose and was slapping the chainstay on every revolution. It was juddering the bike as well.
I got home and went to align the chain again and the back axle was completely seized up and spinning in the drop outs. I took the wheel off and couldn't get the non-drive side off. The bearings had completely gone. I googled how to change them, bought some good bearings (surprisingly cheap) and some cone wrenches. I'm good to go. Well, the bearing race was stuck in pretty good. I heated up a flat head screwdriver with a blow torch but I couldn't get the angle to knock it out. My wife removed me from my work area in front of the TV. "Do that somewhere else. I am going to have a foot bath...".
I moved to the other room and closed the door. "Do you have to do that there on my nice rug?" I've got a sweatshirt under the wheel...it's fine. "I really wish you wouldn't do that there." Then she left the room only to re-appear every 10 minutes reminding me of her concern for the rug.
After about an hour or so I found a mini crowbar and managed to leaver the little bastard out. I put the new ones in, popped my garmin in the mount and put it by the front door for the next mornings ride and dreamt of speed. All the speed I would have with a free-spinning wheel for the first time in a month.
The wind had other ideas. I went out to do 100 miles at 17mph or just under 28 km. I had a 6 hour window to try for 100 and I only managed 83 at 16.5mph. The wind was a steady 15mph from the North that gusted to 25. The way the park is that meant the wind was at your back up the long hill where you are going slow anyway but the long sections of flat were into either a headwind or a crosswind and it was a real struggle to keep 18 where I normally go 23mph. Very demoralising when you compare activities. I know I worked a third harder and came away with a slower time.
Good power training it was but I have yet to hit the century. I could have got it today but not in the time I had at those speeds.
Riding a fixed gear into the wind must come in handy somewhere on a mountain far far away.
I got home and went to align the chain again and the back axle was completely seized up and spinning in the drop outs. I took the wheel off and couldn't get the non-drive side off. The bearings had completely gone. I googled how to change them, bought some good bearings (surprisingly cheap) and some cone wrenches. I'm good to go. Well, the bearing race was stuck in pretty good. I heated up a flat head screwdriver with a blow torch but I couldn't get the angle to knock it out. My wife removed me from my work area in front of the TV. "Do that somewhere else. I am going to have a foot bath...".
I moved to the other room and closed the door. "Do you have to do that there on my nice rug?" I've got a sweatshirt under the wheel...it's fine. "I really wish you wouldn't do that there." Then she left the room only to re-appear every 10 minutes reminding me of her concern for the rug.
After about an hour or so I found a mini crowbar and managed to leaver the little bastard out. I put the new ones in, popped my garmin in the mount and put it by the front door for the next mornings ride and dreamt of speed. All the speed I would have with a free-spinning wheel for the first time in a month.
Good power training it was but I have yet to hit the century. I could have got it today but not in the time I had at those speeds.
Riding a fixed gear into the wind must come in handy somewhere on a mountain far far away.
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