The next step was to exchange the spoke protector. It's a purely cosmetic change. The plastic one on the Aragon is chipped, and I wanted to replace it with the metal protector on the bent rim. I thought the rim looked good, but I wanted the rim to look better.
To get to the spoke ring, I needed to remove the freewheel. The tool I needed arrived in the mail at noon. I'm still having trouble getting use to mail coming on Sundays.
The tool worked well on the bent rim's freewheel. I was holding a dirty freewheel and a polished spoke protector in just a few minutes.
The tool could not crack loose the freewheel on my good wheel, though. It slipped out over and over again. You can see how worn down the prongs became after a few tries.
I put everything back together and rode around our neighborhood. I figured I'd take the rim to a local bike shop and let them sort it out. But then I had an idea. I could use my vice
I tried bolting the tool to the freewheel and clamping the bolt in the bench vice. I tuned the wheel and thought it was working. But I didn't think it through and turned the wheel too far. The tool snapped apart, and the bolt that runs through the hub was damaged. The hammer I hit it with also didn't help. In defeat, I removed the tube, tire, and reflector and threw the tool and the rim in the trash.
I was so proud of using that rear wheel, and then I went ahead and broke it. I suppose it serves me right for not reading the instructions in my old bike repair book carefully enough.
I watched a Park Tool youtube video, and then thought I knew it all. This is the second time this bike has had a ruined rear wheel. I'm not back to square one, but it feels like it.
I should be used to these kinds of setbacks. When you are learning to work with cars, pinball machines, and bicycles that are between 30 and 60 years old, you have to expect a few hurdles. I learned from my mistake, and when I find and buy a replacement wheel, I'll try to remember that I was going to spend money at a bike shop anyway.
Still makes me mad, though. I wanted to ride the Aragon tonight.
The tool could not crack loose the freewheel on my good wheel, though. It slipped out over and over again. You can see how worn down the prongs became after a few tries.
I put everything back together and rode around our neighborhood. I figured I'd take the rim to a local bike shop and let them sort it out. But then I had an idea. I could use my vice
I tried bolting the tool to the freewheel and clamping the bolt in the bench vice. I tuned the wheel and thought it was working. But I didn't think it through and turned the wheel too far. The tool snapped apart, and the bolt that runs through the hub was damaged. The hammer I hit it with also didn't help. In defeat, I removed the tube, tire, and reflector and threw the tool and the rim in the trash.
I was so proud of using that rear wheel, and then I went ahead and broke it. I suppose it serves me right for not reading the instructions in my old bike repair book carefully enough.
I should be used to these kinds of setbacks. When you are learning to work with cars, pinball machines, and bicycles that are between 30 and 60 years old, you have to expect a few hurdles. I learned from my mistake, and when I find and buy a replacement wheel, I'll try to remember that I was going to spend money at a bike shop anyway.
Still makes me mad, though. I wanted to ride the Aragon tonight.
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