What fool said that Spring was nearly here (actually it was me). This morning we arrived at the bottom of Glentress at the absurd hour of 6am (the clock went forward last night remember) in the equally absurd temperature of minus 5. Within a couple of hundred yards Baz's rear derailleur decided there was no way it was getting involved in any nonsense today and promptly gave up the ghost for the second time in three weeks. After a vain attempt to convert the bike to a single speed with frozen hands he decided to return to the car and let Clive and me do a quickish run round the Red Route. (Very gallant of him, I'm not sure if I would have been so gracious!). That was when we discovered that Clive's freewheel hub had frozen and there was no drive on his bike! Luckily we were still at the toilets at the car park so we removed the wheel and took it inside to run hot water over the cassette when bingo what did I spot but a hot air hand dryer, quickly converted to a freewheel hub thawer outer. If ever your freewheel freezes always have a hot air hand dryer nearby!!
The hub held out right to the top of the Red Route but on the way down packed up several times as a sort of warning to us that this was no ordinary ride today. We arrived back at the car park after about an hour and a half to find Baz looking decidedly p###ed off but at least he'd had the Australian Grand Prix to listen to!! Don't know if he appreciated that comment.
After we got back I had a rummage in the spares department i.e. the junk in my garage and unearthed an old derailleur which we put on Baz's bike, it appears to be working OK, so until he fixes up with a new bit of kit this should do the job.
Just goes to show, never throw anything away (think I must have inherited that from my parents!)
1 comment:
"That might come in handy" is an inherited trait. I, too have heaps of "stuff" that I'm sure will come in handy one day!! (for something!)
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