Pro bike mechanics

Pro Bike Mechanics

Beer, scissors, tyres - #sopro

Quick version

Bike mechanic challenge

If your back wheel is so bent that the tyre rubs on the frame, drink a beer, and cut the edge of the tyre off with a pair of scissors, so that it no longer rubs - bike mechanic genius!
#sopro

The long version

I have several bikes, well a lot of bikes, I adhere strictly to the rule of n+1 http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#12. Recently I have sold several of them as I prepare to downsize my life, which means that I am down to a mere 5 (Race bike, fixie, MTB, singlespeed, tandem, beater - actually - that's 6, but you get the idea!).

My beater is a beauty - I bought it in 2006, new for 150 GBP. It is a Claud Butler MTB, which originally was a 3x8 speed. It was very badly built, not surprising for a 150 GBP bike - the frame geometry is terrible, nothing ever fit particularly well. Despite that, it has been an absolute workhorse - it has seen me through a couple of years of adventure racing, trail riding in forests and recently has seen me through a tough Boston winter, being kept outside. Despite that it has gone on and on, through the crazy snow, and me leaving it locked outside without it being actually locked!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUNjZJerlSc&list=UUnHivw3dRZQpUeLiqzDJB8Q

After the winter things were getting pretty bad. The rear wheel was struggling and more of an oval shape rather than round, and the derailleur was shot to pieces. So I decided to convert it to a single speed. I whipped off the front derailleur, the rear brake (it was rubbing), and disconnected the rear derailleur. It has still been trusty, and I love riding it - taking it on the trails round here, commuting every day, and jumping off kerbs like an excited schoolchild on every trip. It's inherent value is now considerably less than the lock I use to secure it - in fact, I would literally be more upset about the loss of the lock if it got stolen.

However, it is now completely shafted. Recently I added on some locking skewers so I wouldn't have to worry about the wheels being stolen, for the few cents they are worth.

http://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Lock-n-Roll-Skewers/dp/B002K2IYPY/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1408678064&sr=8-8&keywords=locking+skewers

However, the jumping and the years and the snow have taken their toll. On Sunday the hub collapsed so that the back wheel constantly rubbed on the frame. I attempted some TLC, checked the bearings, and decided it was shot. Of course, a new wheel would cost approximately four times the entire value of the bike so I am doing all I can to keep it going.

So, after a couple of beers, I hit on a genius idea. If the wheel is so bent that the tyre rubs on the frame - cut off the knobbly bits of the tyre with a pair of scissors - and hey presto! no more rubbing. Genius.

#sopro