mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
So anyway, I broke one of my own rules about installing a hub in a bike whose drop-outs weren't straight. Because I am a slacker. And because bike mechanic's bikes, like car mechanic's cars, are often the most poorly assembled and maintained.
I bought a SRAM inter3 coaster hub for my Africa bike to replace the original one speed. Built on to a Mavic DH rim. Had to splay the stays to get it in but never bothered to align the drop-outs, figuring I'd do it the next time I took the wheel out.
But I didn't did I? No. I rode around on it for two years and lo and behold - as predicted - the axle, being under the enormous combined pressure of my fat arse and skewiff drop-outs eventually bent the axle.
This is very undesireable in a regular hub but potentially catastrophic in an internal geared hub due to the complexity of the internals.
When, eventually it started making a diaboloical racket which I could feel through the pedals and hear over my iPod I took the wheel in to Cycle Heaven, my local shop and their resident hub gear expert, Ash. It turns out that I'd not only bent the axle, I'd also somehow split one of the brake shoes clean in two.
'Order the parts for me please' said I.
'Sure, if you're prepared to wait for nine weeks' said he.
So I ordered them from The Chopperdome in Amsterdam last Thursday and they were here waiting for me this morning when I arrived at work.
Champion.
I bought a SRAM inter3 coaster hub for my Africa bike to replace the original one speed. Built on to a Mavic DH rim. Had to splay the stays to get it in but never bothered to align the drop-outs, figuring I'd do it the next time I took the wheel out.
But I didn't did I? No. I rode around on it for two years and lo and behold - as predicted - the axle, being under the enormous combined pressure of my fat arse and skewiff drop-outs eventually bent the axle.
This is very undesireable in a regular hub but potentially catastrophic in an internal geared hub due to the complexity of the internals.
When, eventually it started making a diaboloical racket which I could feel through the pedals and hear over my iPod I took the wheel in to Cycle Heaven, my local shop and their resident hub gear expert, Ash. It turns out that I'd not only bent the axle, I'd also somehow split one of the brake shoes clean in two.
'Order the parts for me please' said I.
'Sure, if you're prepared to wait for nine weeks' said he.
So I ordered them from The Chopperdome in Amsterdam last Thursday and they were here waiting for me this morning when I arrived at work.
Champion.
