Rear Hub on the Switch is Toast!

So had a great ride Tuesday during lunch at Schenectady Central Park with some of my co-workers. Trails were in great shape too. So we rode did log rides, skinnies and the ridge drop...no problems. I got home that night, took my bike off the rack and started wheeling it into the garage. It was then I noticed the rear wheel really dragging, looked like bent rotor. So I was going to swap it for a new one when on closer inspection I found that the hub is actually split at the drive side and has propagated more than half way across! The last thing I would expect is spitting my rear hub...at SCP no less. Not sure if this is just from age but I have never seen a failure like this. Too bad too cause I really liked this hub. Had to put on my rear DH wheel for now. Thank God for spare wheels.

Damn ticking on the SS and new tires on the Switch

Still dealing with some ticking noise on hard acceleration with the SS. I took the bike out today at lunch and everything else worked fine. I had to lower the bars by swapping a spacer but that was it. Bike rode pretty solid. Will probably have to replace the slightly used cog for  new to see if that is the problem. Too bad....the bike looks and otherwise runs perfect but little problems like this really annoy the hell out of me. Makes we want to buy a new SS..almost.

I picked up some Bontrager Big Earls from a friend for the Rocky Mountain. These are the GumBi compound wet versions. The front is supposed to be 26 x 2.5 but it looks just like the 2.35 on the rear. Doesn't matter, I think I'd prefer that anyway. These are probably the best tires I've ever used for NE riding. They shed mud well and stick to wet rocks and roots provided the air pressure isn't too high. I also have a set of the 26 x 2.5 Big Earl dry versions which work great as well but are a bit heavier and slower. I am looking to lose some weight on the bike. The tires are always an easy fix and these Bonty's will roll faster than the Stick-E Kendas I had on there previously. Going to try them out tomorrow. Next will be a lighter bar and stem combo and hopefully something not as stiff as the El Norte setup I have now. This will be predominantly for trail riding. For DH riding I typically swap the bar, stem, wheels and tires for something more heavy duty.

Singlespeed parts swap...part V

I got the bike back and the headset looks nice. So much smoother too...guess that's the difference between ball and cartridge bearings. Riding this weekend is out since the wife is working nights. Looking forward to riding next week.I'd like to set up a weekly singlespeed ride like we used to have a couple of years back with the SMBA crew.

Singlespeed parts swap...part IV

Had a friend make me spacers that were the proper size and installed them on the back side. This allowed me to mount the fasteners flush to the cog which just looks better.

I still have a problem with a dull knocking noise that sounds like it's coming from the rear hub but could be that the new chain is not meshing with the slightly used rear cog. I am going to bring it in tomorrow to have the headset replaced so I'll see if I can have a new rear cog ordered too. The chain line seems to be off ever so slightly and I have adjusted it as much as I can. It should work fine and I don't think this is a cause of the knocking.

Rode SMBA for the first time this year

Had a half day today so I went and picked up a membership and drove up to Saratoga to ride. I took a co-worker of mine who just got a new Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC. Nice bike and perfect for these trails. We rode Pilgrim, 107, Bee, Ridgeline, High Noon, and a portion of the Carriage trail. The weather was perfect but I am soooooo out of shape and sooooo not used to riding up there. Definitely a different type of riding than what I normally do here in the Albany area. I really miss riding over bridges, rocks and logs...I love that type of technical riding. The climbing I could do without...just kidding but it just tells me I need to get out there and start riding/running/whatever to get in better shape. I am sick and tired of being the slow guy.