I know the saying is, “Beware the Ides of March”, but it could have just as easily been “Beware the Ides of May”.
Bethany, Beth, Renee, Catherine and I started at the Mima Trailhead. As we were making our way on E9000, we all stopped to let some air out of our tires. I let air out of my front tire, but then couldn’t get the presta valve core to screw closed. It was stuck. As I kept trying, it got to where too much air had been let out. I pumped up the tire, then tried again. It still wouldn’t close. I was thinking I was going to have to put a new valve core in (I carry them now). I tried once more, and it came unstuck. Whew!
About 6 miles into the ride, we were heading up the E-Line when I heard the most awful noise. I stopped, looked back, and said, “What was THAT?!” Bethany’s rear derailleur had chosen that moment to break completely apart throwing the chain between the spokes and cassette. The cage was completely separated from the derailleur (bolt completely sheared off). The derailleur hanger itself was intact.
Bethany said her ride was over for today. She would be walking back. I knew she’d have to go back, but she wouldn’t have to walk...not if I could help it.
Hard to tell, unless you know what you are looking at, but the derailleur cage is not where it should be, and the chain is a twisted mess.
How about those flying pig pink socks!!!
First, I unbolted the derailleur from the hanger. Then I took the derailleur cage apart to get it off the chain. I managed to free the chain from the now bent spoke, that it had been wedged into. I didn’t have cable cutters so I couldn’t totally remove the derailleur from the bike. Eventually, I just taped it to the frame. Next I had to remove the bent links from the chain. Then with a master link, I put the chain back together thus turning the drivetrain into a single speed. The chain length wasn’t perfect. I should have removed a couple more links to find a gear where the chain would be tight enough. Fortunately, it was almost entirely downhill or flat back to the parking lot. Beth had a time crunch, so she offered to go back with Bethany. I had ridden to the start in Bethany’s car, but she said she would wait. I told her if she got tired of waiting, I could catch a ride home with either Catherine or Renee.
So, Bethany and Beth went back, and Renee, Catherine, and I continued on. Not too much further, Renee rolled up to Catherine and I with a squeaky rear brake. The rotor had probably just warped a bit while her bike was laying in the sun (did I mention it was an absolutely beautiful day?!). I adjusted her brake caliper, and we were on our way.
There’s not a ton of views on this route, so I didn’t take any photos. The photos above were taken by Bethany, Catherine, and Beth.
We pedaled our way along E5000, and back to the E-Line. We were having a good time enjoying the sunshine.
After the major climbing was over on the E-Line, we began the mostly descending part. Renee was ahead of me. The road was descending and curving. Going around one of the sharper curves, Renee wiped out. She had gotten into some loose gravel on the side due to too much speed, and trying to slow down. She ended up in the ditch with her feet up above her head. Fortunately, she wasn’t badly injured. Additionally, all three of us are (or in my case...was) nurses. Catherine did a thorough check, asking Renee to raise her arms, palpating for soreness, and if her head was hurting. Once Renee sat down for a bit, and drank some water, she said she was okay. Her bike was fine. Her helmet was intact with no dents. Renee was lucky she landed in the ditch. It was much softer than the hard packed dirt and gravel.
With Renee riding cautiously down the remaining hills, we made it to the paved D-Line. I had routed us down one more gravel section, but we decided to just stick to the D-Line.
As we were coming down the final part of the D-Line, we met Bethany driving up. She turned around and met us at the bottom. We told her what happened. She asked if Renee wanted a ride back to her car, but Renee decided to finish the ride on her bike. Tough cookie!
So, yes, it was a beautiful day, but whew...what a day!!! I am glad I have the mechanical skills that I have. They come in handy sometimes!
No comments:
Post a Comment