My bike is on its last legs [wheels?]. The two of us had a tough morning. As happens to all full suss bikes as they reach old age, the back end had started to go a little kooky and creaky. I figured it was just old joints; nothing that bearing transplant couldn’t fix. What started out as a quick job nearly ended up as the bike’s final day. It lay there in pieces on the surgery floor as a fine drizzle settled in, completely dismembered and disembowelled. For a while I thought it wouldn’t make it through – fatally wounded, the cost of repair being more than a new frame. One of the bearings had completely destroyed itself, leaving just the outer race firmly pressed into one of the pivot arms. This made it impossible to get off with the tools I have lying around. We’re talking bricks, hammer, pliers, spanner here. Nothing high tech like a vice, which would have come in handy. I even started looking on eBay for a new bike (sorry bike, I know I shouldn’t have been so fickle).
Then I had a brainwave – I’d rebuild the bearing using internals from one of the new ones I’d got from the lads at Lush Longboards. This proved pretty straightforward (with a little help from a friendly pack of butter to keep the balls in place). Once the bearing was rebuilt, it was easy to pop out and drop in a new one. We’re back in the game!
Road and Ocean 