It looks like my shiny new back wheel was not such a bargain after all. last Tuesday, I left home with the intention of riding to Cropton & back, a round trip of perhaps 40 miles or so. I had only gone a mile & a half when my back wheel began to wobble violently. Fortunately at the time I was only going slowly up a hill I dread to think what would have happened had I been descending a big hill at speed, I doubt very much that the brake would have worked. I had a quick look and could see that the dust cover over the bearings had come adrift and the bearings themselves were missing. I was relieved that This had happened near home and not in some remote area of the moors. I took it to the bike shop, 'Dr Cranks' & he replaced the missing bearings with cartrige types, but it was not possible to refit the dust cover. He charged me £8 which I think was very reasonable. I could have sent it back to the supplier as they had agreed to have the wheel collected, repaired, & returned to me, but I expect that I would have been without a bike for a couple of weeks or so. Anyway, its all sorted now.
As mentioned elswhere, John and I are hoping to do a C2C later in the year. This morning I loaded the bike with tent & Sleeping bag together with an assortment of old coats to simulate the weight we will be carrying. I then set for a ride to see how I coped. This was the first time since my late teens that I had ridden a fully laden touring bike and to be quite honest I feared the worst. The route I chose was one of my regular training rides of about 18 miles through fairly hilly terrain and to my great suprise, even though I was taking things fairly easily, I completed the trip within my average time. I had expected to have trouble climbing hills etc but had no difficulty at all, In fact the extra weight seemed to be working for me much of the time. I still have some way to go but for the first time I am feeling optomistic about completing the C2C. When I got home, I put the tent up to make sure that it was OK. In my younger days my mate Paul & I could put a tent up in a gale of wind in only a couple of minutes but this time It took me about half an hour the first time, so I took it down and erected it again in 15 minutes. I can live with that.
Yesterday I took delivery of a new back wheel, I am not an expert, but for the price, (£34 including express delivery) I think it is a decent bit of kit. I had to take the old wheel to the LBS and have the freewheel removed and bugger me, I almost bought another bike. It was an old Bob Jackson which was looking a bit sorry for itself but at first glance it seemed to be basicly sound. however, it did need money spending on it so I thought I had better walk away from it. I hope it isn't there next time I go. Anyway ,back to my bike shaped object, It now has two new wheels and a bit of TLC.
385.5 down 1614.5 to go |
AuthorJust an old fart but young at heart Archives
June 2015
|