A tale of mechanical woe...
As approaching the lights outside Leith's cop shop I'm changing down a gear. Suddenly there's a hideous 'Crunch-CRUNCH-GRIND' noise from the rear of the bike. Bike stops on a sixpence. Mandopicker narrowly avoids toppling into traffic.
Heart-rate back in a safe zone, I'm inspecting the damage. Gear hanger totally sheared off, flinging mech and chain into rear wheel causing untold damage. I'm no mechanical expert, but bicycle chains aren't supposed to do the twist are they? Rear mechs and spokes don't normally interact.
Oh. Had I not been outside the cop shop, this might've been my Basil Fawlty moment, giving my unhelpful bike a good thrashing. Instead I contented myself with a muttered oath and a deep sigh.
Shouldering arms, I trudge along towards my office before thinking maybe I could free the mech wreckage and at least wheel the bike along the street. OK, chain doesn't look quite so bad now.
Complicating matters, I had to be back at school for a lunchtime pick-up. So a functional bike is almost the only option - public transport doesn't go when I need it to and a taxi would be likely to be snarled up in Seafield traffic. Plus it leaves my wrecked bike at the office and I still need to get it fixed.
Trudging into Pedal Forth, I wibbled about what had happened and glumly noted the guy's not-exactly-hopeful expression (what was I hoping for - 'Ach that's nothing, gimme five minutes'). Rear mech and gear hanger are toast. Front mech might be in intensive care. Chain is...pretty twisted. Rear wheel has unknown damage.
Upshot was I got my bike back at 11:55am, leaving just enough time to race (gingerly) home. My initial burst of enthusiasm was quickly spiked my a litany of problems...
Chain had been Frankenstein-ed back into life with a few wrecked links removed and a master link inserted. New basic (MTB) mech fitted to get it on the road. Rear wheel broadly trued. Front mech adjusted but it's dying anyway.
By now my bank card's turning slowly to lead. Oh.
'Aye, but that's not all'...
...inner chain ring is at end of life. Rear wheel isn't exactly true. Rear cassette is almost toast. Front wheel isn't true either but at least it rolls. Some vague unhappiness about the performance of my left shifter.
Glimmers of hope?
Not many, but I *almost* put my nice wheels on the bike this morning, but a p*ncture meant I swapped back to the beater commuting wheelset (which has the older cassette on). Nice wheels have a relatively new cassette. I have a shiny 105 mech sat in the shed (and how I wept for it...) and a brand new KMC chain waiting to be fitted.
Many many pounds Sterling lighter, but at least on a functioning bike, I reflected that it could've been worse. I could've been in the middle of nowhere when this happened, as opposed to a mile or so from a LBS with a couple of good mechanics. Or my good wheels could now be a tangle of spokes and rims.
Zipping back to school, I imagined a scene this morning where I'd dropped my keys by the bike's rear wheel. Bending to pick them up, I notice some small but obvious sign of the impending doom and nipped into my LBS to have a mech hanger fitted for a few quid. Camera cuts to Mandopicker who laughs with the mechanic 'Wow, thanks for that. Man that was close - I'd hate to think what might've happened if I hadn't noticed...'
At least Ribble have Stronglight chain rings going cheap right now...
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