Sometimes it seems like you just go from one problem to another. In my commuting pursuits this year I’ve had frozen brake cables, worn out gears and a sliced index finger. I shouldn’t be surprised that the next obstacle in my path was just around the corner…
On my way to work on Tue (week 5 of the year) I started to hear a whining sound. I thought I’d heard it a little on Mon and it was initially a bit sporadic. However, after a few miles it got louder and louder until eventually it sounded like I was surrounded by a flock of squawking crows. It was too late and I was too far into the journey to return home, so I carried on with the hope that it was nothing too serious.
Strangely it would disappear, but then return with a vengeance. By the time I reached the edge of Edinburgh I felt like I was being chased by a gang of angry Orcs (although I guess that would be preferable to the usual irate taxi drivers) . Oh how I was wishing I’d paid more attention on Mon and taken a different bike today.
I had spent the previous 10 miles trying to pinpoint the source of the sound but it was now pretty obvious that it was coming from my front wheel. Looking down I could see some sideways movement as it rotated, which made me think that a spoke had snapped and the noise was the brake disc or tyre rubbing. Finding a suitable place to stop I got off and checked all the spokes, and was then slightly surprised to find that they were all in tact.
Resuming my journey the wheel was still wobbling about, grinding and squealing and causing me to make really slow progress. The only other thing I could think of was that the bearings had worn out. When I finally reached work I had a closer look and this does indeed look to be the problem.
After work I got my bike to the local bike shop where my mechanic agrees that this looks to be the case. Annoyingly for me it looks like I am going to have to add some expenditure to my annual cost tracker (How Much?). I’ve left the bike at the shop and will update it when I know what the repair bill will be. Hopefully not too much, and almost certainly less than a new wheel… I was hoping to go a bit longer without paying out any more đ
These wheels have had 5,500 miles of use, which sounds a bit on the low side to me. In their defense most of that mileage has been over the winter months which is a LOT harder on the components.
Cleaning Solutions
My finger is still a bit sore from my run in with the disc rotor last week (Best Laid Schemes) but it’s definitely improving day by day. Putting my gloves on is still painful and I have a full finger dressing so can’t bend it properly.Â
- On the plus side I can’t get it wet so am unable to help wash the dishes (“Ha! no change there”, I can hear my wife thinking…)
- On the negative side it is difficult to clean the bike, so I came up with this novel solution at the weekend:
Without my trusty winter bike I am going to revert to the mountain bike for the rest of the week. The good thing about this is my finger is more comfortable riding that one, I’ll just need to allow for more time to get to and from work. Hopefully nothing else will go wrong now!
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lesoigneur
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