Yesterday morning it seemed as if the planets had all lined up nicely. The weather forecast was good and Helena was away showing her Finnish cousins around the Blue Mountains. So, ride time. I woke early (as I always do) and was dressed and ready to go before the sun was up. Indeed, it was a full moon so quite light. As I rocked the bike off the centrestand in the garage, I noticed a pronounced “clonk” from the front suspension. Putting it down to my usual pre-ride paranoia, I hopped on and set off. I mean, it can’t be anything serious, can it? I only rode the bike the other day (did the lap, in fact) and everything was fine then.
But by now the paranoia was well and truly set in and I only rode a kilometre or so before I turned around and went back home. The front end felt rough and it wasn’t from the rough road surface as my streets are all hot mix. No, better to take the hint and check it out here rather than press on and get stranded on the road somewhere (or worse still, have an accident due to mechanical failure).
I rolled the bike into the garage front first and put it back up on the centrestand. Sure enough, there was pronounced side-to-side movement of the front wheel and it seemed harder to turn it than you should reasonably expect. Yep, you got it; wheel bearings. Knowing that I have never touched them and having no idea how good the previous owner’s maintenance schedule had been added to my sense of ill-ease.
Up on the trolley jack and out with the front wheel. My suspicions confirmed. The dust seals were filled with rust and the bearings were even more reluctant to turn than what they had been when the wheel was on the bike. Drift the bearings out and there was traces of rust in the rings where they sit and the bearings felt like they were filled with gravel. A Facebook buddy and old friend suggested that this is usually the result of people using pressure washers on the wheels. Makes sense, thanks, Shane.
So, a long wait (it was still before 0600) till my favourite mechanic was open for business. 0800 I was on the doorstep and Gary was happy to do the job that morning. A call from him at 1000 saying that it was done and it was all back together by 1030. Sweet.
BUT, the clouds had rolled in in the interim and the weather forecast had been upgraded (!) to a much higher probability of rain than what it had been when I checked before. No Putty for me that day. Forecast for Friday looks superb so ride has been re-scheduled. You are welcome to join me if you want.
Lesson from the incident? (this is not to say, by the way, that every incident SHOULD have a lesson, but this one does) Take heed to your instincts. Bikes don’t heal themselves and, if you suspect something is wrong, it probably is and it’s not going to get better by itself. Take the hint and do something about it. The road will still be there tomorrow.