Not Another Friday!

Well, this whole week has been pretty much wasted, bicycle-wise. I haven't ridden since Sunday!

Yesterday I put the Magna Black Wind on the bike repair stand and popped off the wheel for to replace the spoke. Took off the tire, took off the freewheel (with the freewheel tool I found the other day on a shelf about 10 feet from the Official Bicycle Tool Drawer where I keep all the the other freewheel tools in my collection. But I digress...), then removed the old spoke. And the broken-off nipple.

I also started to remove the ashtabula-style crank, then realized I didn't need to remove it, just ADJUST it. Which was kinda of wierd, you have to UNSCREW it to make it tighter, like the bearings are on the INSIDE of the race, instead of the outside. I don't know, I lamed out. I should have taken the whole thing apart and greased it and probably replaced the bearings. But I didn't.

So I went to Performance to get a spoke. They gave it to me for free. Huh. It's not like they know me, I haven't spent THAT much money there! Nice, anyway.

I was so happy I went over to the model railroad store and blew ten bucks on an HO scale motorcycle kit. And another model knife to replace the one someone stole at work.

I went home and did a poor job of installing the spoke, as I can't true for beans, but the "ping" of the spoke is pretty much the same as the ones around it. The wheel is out of true anyway!

I tightened up the headset, and took apart the pedals to adjust the bearings. No go, no bearings to adjust!

I squirted some oil, here and there. That was about it. Sell it quick! Lower the price to fifty bucks! That reminds me, only one call from the ad so far, and they didn't come look at it.

I looked up "Black Wind" on the Google, came across several references to the Motobecane Vent Noir. At MSRP $1,399 I don't think it's in quite the same league as our dear Magna!!

I also found out, along the way, that Magna is a brand of Dynacraft Inc.