Sunday, January 27, 2008

Big Snow, Hub Part II, Fancy Forks




This is crazy snow. They say it hasn't snowed like this since 1992. It has been snowing solid for 24 hours now.



Maybe someday we'll get a Pugsley. I've talked to friends about going in on a pair of Pugsleys and sharing them, but the problem is, on a Sunday like this where the snow is 2+ feet deep, everyone would want to ride it. It's still worth considering. Using Sheldon's pricing as a starting place, we're looking at about $4500 for two bikes. You get 10 people in on the deal, that's $450/each. Or you could just do a single bike for the same cost among 5 friends. But it seems lame to have a bike like that and not be able to enjoy the experience with a friend.


Speaking of Surly, I took the plumbers torch to my hub today and wrestled the enduro bearing races (what's left of the bearings) out. After I worked the races out, I applied a bunch of grease and pushed the new bearings in, which need to be set by lightly tapping them with a mallet.


I was curious to see how well the bearing would pop out, all freshly greased and all. I bought some little enduro bearing pullers with the bearings. The way these bearings are jammed in the hub is just not a good design. I couldn't get them out. I didn't try that hard, but I don't think I'm going to get these hubs again, which is a bummer, because otherwise I really like them.



I got the fixed back together with the new fork on it. The fork was naked, so I gave it to Patrick at The Scoop to give it a coat of paint. I bought a bunch of model enamels and some spray paint at a discount shop. Patrick did a great job. The Japanese writing says, "Everyone's Bike." Or as Liza joked, "Free Bike." Huh. Not sure about that. But I think I'm going to sandblast the frame and have him do the whole thing... if he's up for it.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I remember that winter very well, at one point we had nearly six feet in our front yard. You couldn't see the front door from the street. I would love to be in the middle of that kind of storm again.

FBC Spokane said...

I took a few pictures, too.
Winter Pictures