spring repairs

Spring is the time we rejuvenate our bikes with some love, fresh parts, and money.

Last night we got a new back tire for the road bike (a roubaix armadillo @$65, never paid so much for a tire ever, to replace the tread-peeling MEC-bought hutchinson - the bad luck with rear wheel/tires/tubes continues) and a chain-stretch gauge and went home and got to work on my good road bike, the bertrand.

First up we straightened the back wheel, which had a loose spoke and a big wobble. Big people and back wheels are a toxic relationship. Then we put on the new back tire on that wheel, pumped up the tire and put it on the bike, which means we had to take the air out of the tire so it fits in the bike frame, then pumped it up and then the valve stem broke (this has never happened before, we think someone put a curse on this back wheel.) so we dug up another 700 tube (the last one, of course) and pumped up the tire and then put it on the bike and then I had to take the air out again to get it in the frame and then finally got in in the bike AND pumped up. Mission accomplished.

Next we checked the chain (modern stupid chains don't last long), measured the chain and it was stretched outside of the specification so we put on a new chain. I wore rubber gloves and did not get grease all over and under my fingernails.

Then the bike took us out for a little test drive, over some bumpy roads (we looked for bumpy ones, and we did not have to look far to find them) and as usual this bike rides smoothly on all terrain because it is extremely well-balanced in the handling department. The bike has a magic floating ability.

This rim does not like to stay straight for long. So it will be repeated soon.

Next we chain-stretch gauged the other bikes, the mtn-bike needs a new chain, the bent not yet, but it takes three chains to make its two extra-long chains.

Next: why so many bikes?