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Bikeventure, the Sequel
As noted yesterday, my bike was a bit stiff as I hadn't given it the post-winter overhaul before embarking into the countryside. Well, today was another beautiful day, and my morning and midday activities were sufficiently draining as to leave me in a state where artistic heavy lifting was not going to happen, so I opted to spend a few hours tending Mr Bicycle in the garden.
I hadn't overhauled him this year because this year has been crazy. I don't think I overhauled him last year either. I couldn't remember when I'd last done this job, so I decided instead to count how many times I could remember doing it, and counting forward from that, I think the last time was 2017.
Yikes.
If that is the case, then the level of grime shouldn't be surprising – it's probably the maximum amount of dirt the bike can hold before it starts sloughing off of its own accord. (I should clarify, this is mostly just road dust; I don't go biking through the mud if I can help it.) I scrubbed off as much as I could with an old dish brush and toothbrush, but it could do with being taken apart and cleaned by someone who knows what they're doing. The stiffness seems to originate in the axles; when I took the front wheel off, the axle made a rather sticky sound when it turned and there seemed to be some old brown coagulated oil inside. I tried cleaning it with some detergent but it couldn't get into the mechanism, so I sprayed it with some unknown chemical I found in the shed which promised to Lubricate - Penetrate - Displace Water. Between rounds of scrubbing around the back I resprayed and resprayed, working the joint to loosen it up, and eventually some brownish liquid started seeping out, which was the Penetrating bit I suppose.
One of my lasting memories from this strange time will be listening to the 5:00 government briefing on the kitchen radio while trying to coax this strange chemical into the inner workings of my bike wheel.
It probably needs to be opened up and done properly, but the monkey wrenches I thought we had in the shed are there no more, so either I try to find some at a shop that is open (??) or wait until the bike shops reopen and get it done by a professional, which is probably the better option. Mr Bicycle is well overdue a professional overhaul anyway, especially if I'm going to be using him as much as I think I will be. He needs new mudflaps and a kickstand, too, so I intend to honour him with some TLC when I am next allowed to do so. I've paid next to nothing for maintenance over the last few years, so it's owed.
Now it's 7:30pm – time to sit down to work! ... Yeah, probably not.
I hadn't overhauled him this year because this year has been crazy. I don't think I overhauled him last year either. I couldn't remember when I'd last done this job, so I decided instead to count how many times I could remember doing it, and counting forward from that, I think the last time was 2017.
Yikes.
If that is the case, then the level of grime shouldn't be surprising – it's probably the maximum amount of dirt the bike can hold before it starts sloughing off of its own accord. (I should clarify, this is mostly just road dust; I don't go biking through the mud if I can help it.) I scrubbed off as much as I could with an old dish brush and toothbrush, but it could do with being taken apart and cleaned by someone who knows what they're doing. The stiffness seems to originate in the axles; when I took the front wheel off, the axle made a rather sticky sound when it turned and there seemed to be some old brown coagulated oil inside. I tried cleaning it with some detergent but it couldn't get into the mechanism, so I sprayed it with some unknown chemical I found in the shed which promised to Lubricate - Penetrate - Displace Water. Between rounds of scrubbing around the back I resprayed and resprayed, working the joint to loosen it up, and eventually some brownish liquid started seeping out, which was the Penetrating bit I suppose.
One of my lasting memories from this strange time will be listening to the 5:00 government briefing on the kitchen radio while trying to coax this strange chemical into the inner workings of my bike wheel.
It probably needs to be opened up and done properly, but the monkey wrenches I thought we had in the shed are there no more, so either I try to find some at a shop that is open (??) or wait until the bike shops reopen and get it done by a professional, which is probably the better option. Mr Bicycle is well overdue a professional overhaul anyway, especially if I'm going to be using him as much as I think I will be. He needs new mudflaps and a kickstand, too, so I intend to honour him with some TLC when I am next allowed to do so. I've paid next to nothing for maintenance over the last few years, so it's owed.
Now it's 7:30pm – time to sit down to work! ... Yeah, probably not.
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The bike was in the shed when I moved in and none of the housemates could remember whose it was. It was pretty darn stiff then – I took it to the bike shop on the market and they did an amazing job, even rescuing the chain, which was in a bad way, but I'm sure they didn't take apart the axle and get into all the secret corners, they just got it rideable. It'll be nice to have a thorough job done on it, when next opportunity allows.
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The two local shops I checked both have noticed on their websites that they have ceased trading for the foreseeable future and tell visitors please to stay home. They might do emergency service for someone who needed their bike to get to their job at the hospital, and something had broken beyond home repair, but probably not for someone who thinks their axles could be a little more limber. It is running better than before my amateur tune-up and it's not going to fall apart on the road, so I can wait.