Too Close For Comfort

[Richard A Thackeray]

I was riding home from work this afternoon

I'd just pulled out to overtake a car, that was turning into a side-road, when the back end went squirrelly

At first I thought, just puncture, but the wheel locked up

On stopping & looking, 4 of the non-drive side spokes had ripped out of the hub - allowing the entire wheel to relocate

I can only presume that the turning car flipped a piece of wood (or metal) up, & I caught it with my spokes

Annoyingly, it's scratched the frame too, in several places, as the spokes flailed round

Got home, stripped it out, then drove over to my 'LBS' (Kendells @ Castleford, & ace wheel-builder Gary Proud) , only to find it was closed
So, no handing it over for a rebuild today


It's a nice Vision Team 30, that I bought in December from Planet X, at the Worsborugh store

Thankfully on the bright side, it was the rear

IF, it had been the front (1-in-12 downhill @ 30 MPH 'ish'), I'd have been going back to work, after having been scraped off the road....................

 

[adds21]

It's possible you had a broken spoke (or two) before hand, but hadn't noticed. There becomes a point where the increased stress on the other spokes causes a more serious failure. It's surprising easy to miss a broken spoke!

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

It's possible you had a broken spoke (or two) before hand, but hadn't noticed. There becomes a point where the increased stress on the other spokes causes a more serious failure. It's surprising easy to miss a broken spoke!

It didn't have yesterday anyway, as I washed it last night, & always take the wheels out to check the tyres/rims properly

 

[Full Metal Sprocket]

That's why I got my special wheels.I was forever breaking spokes.

 

[briantrumpet]

Can't resist. I play this one in a big band...



But back on the real topic, yes, be grateful this didn't happen:

 

[400bhp]

It didn't have yesterday anyway, as I washed it last night, & always take the wheels out to check the tyres/rims properly

Ahh, you have carbon wheels and they melted with the water.

 

[I like Skol]

So you commute on a rear wheel that only has/had 8 spokes on one side? I just don't understand why people do this, how much is that weight saving worth now that you have risked your wellbeing, trashed a wheel, and suffered an aborted journey?

Think I will stick with the 32Fr/36Rr wheelset I built for my commute bike.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

So you commute on a rear wheel that only has/had 8 spokes on one side? I just don't understand why people do this, how much is that weight saving worth now that you have risked your wellbeing, trashed a wheel, and suffered an aborted journey?

I've raced Cyclo-Cross on similar spoke counts before, these have had 6 months of use, with some fairly rough roads
Given my CX (& MTB racing - back in early 90's) racing experience, I like to think that I ride fairly 'lightly' (& only tip the scales around 10 Stone anyway)

Surely a counter-point, is the fact that I stopped it safely, with a relatively intact wheel, that didn't entirely collapse, so they must be fairly strongly built?

 

[Hip Priest]

It definitely sounds like some sort of freak collision with a foreign object. Glad you're ok.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Took this one, before I went to see if Gary was open (sadly the shop wasn't)

No wonder it locked up, as you can see, from the relative positions of the rim, & hub, and how the tension of the remaining non-driveside spokes moved it

Joanne tells me I didn't wake up in a cold-sweat, screaming
(as in that 'what if, it had been the front wheel)



Digressing somewhat, can anyone suggest a reasonable colour-match, with a car manufacturer, so I can get one of those Holts(?) touch-up brushes for the Ribbles seat-stays?

 

[Full Metal Sprocket]

Jesus Christ,that video was awful.Hope he was alright.

 

[AndyRM]

Digressing somewhat, can anyone suggest a reasonable colour-match, with a car manufacturer, so I can get one of those Holts(?) touch-up brushes for the Ribbles seat-stays?

I asked Ribble the same question - closest match is Ford Focus Q3 Blue, from some years ago, 2005 I think. I'll see if I can find the email... Nail polish is also a good bet. Or you've got the excuse to buy a new frame!

Jesus Christ,that video was awful.Hope he was alright.

He was. Just bruised apparently, which is something of a miracle. The guy who dodged him went on to defeat Darth Vader.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I asked Ribble the same question - closest match is Ford Focus Q3 Blue, from some years ago, 2005 I think. I'll see if I can find the email... Nail polish is also a good bet. Or you've got the excuse to buy a new frame!

Thanks, I've been told it's a 'Focus blue' on the Ribble Winter Bike FaceBook page (yes, there is such a thing!)

As for a new frame. I saw someone riding one of the Ribble winter carbons (the 365) a couple of weeks after buying mine, & started to regret being so.... parsimonious

 

[AndyRM]

I think the way forward is clear...

 

[buggi]

I doubt the car flicked something up, you would have heard the impact. This happened to my friend recently and he's likes you, keeps his bike pristine. He thinks it might be due to a hairline crack he's missed.