Sunday Tribulations

This should have been a ride report but unfortunately I didn’t really get enough riding done to warrant a report. Just over 2 miles in, I wasn’t even at the station yet, I realise I was going to be pretty tight on time to get the train. The lights went red and I committed the cardinal sin of getting on the pavement to get past the junction. Now before I go on I fully acknowledge I was in the wrong. It’s not something I normally do, as getting back on to the road can be quite a task in Birmingham and I generally feel that with the amount of riding that I do, if I ride like a twat then it’s only a matter of time before I get hit by a car. Sure I have been hit by cars twice before but following this rule allows me to have the moral high ground and feel superior…

So as I round the corner there was an electricity box on the pavement that was hidden by a hedge. I clipped the box and the front disc rotor took the force of the crash and bent. I tried to solider on but the wobble was too great and I could see that it was touching the brake caliper each rotation. In the interest of not wearing out the caliper I thought it best to go home and sort things out.

Fortunately during one of CRC’s recent sales I picked up a Clarks Round Rotor so I was able to just swap those over without any real hassle. I had to realign the caliper and so thought I would check the rear and realign that as well. When I left the house I had noticed a new squeaking sound coming from the bottom bracket area. Of course I assumed the worst and thought that the bottom bracket was on the way out. I was surprised as I have found the SLX/XT Hollow Tech 2 brackets to be very hard wearing and this one is not that old. I fiddled and poked it until eventually realised that the noise was actually coming from the Blackspire Stinger chain device. I stripped it, cleaned it off and regreased which seemed to do the trick. It looks like the bearing is on its way out but after fully greasing the axle the roller moves freely. This should be OK in the short term to get me through the Isle of Man trip but long term a new bearing or roller will be needed.

I have a day off work tomorrow so I’m planning to get out whatever the weather to make up for it.