Last week I donated blood, and as if to prove that no good deed goes unpunished, came out to find my rear tire flat. I had all the stuff for the repair, so removed the wheel, removed the tire and tube, found the puncture, patched it, put the tube and tire back on, and was pumping it up with my little hand pump when suddenly the wheel made a "sproing" sort of noise and sprung out of shape. What the ...?!!
I didn't have a spoke tool with me, and couldn't even walk the bike home (the rear wheel was too deformed to roll without hitting the frame), so phoned my wife to pick me up with the bike rack on the car.
While I waited, most of the donor care associates and nurses trooped out to view the carnage and offer me yet more post-donation food and drink. (Red velvet cake shown.)
Bought a new wheel from my LBS, got my bike going (transferred over the 8-speed cassette, rim tape, tube, and tire) and then loosened off all of the spokes on the warped wheel. It came back some, but I don't know if it's too far gone. (Experts, and I'm looking at you, NYEngineer, do you think this is salvageable, or should I give up on it?)
Jr figures my truing adjustments over the years created an imbalance that was kept in check by having an inflated tube and tire in place. I think that I need to buy a tension gauge (Park Tool makes one) to prevent this happening again. Does anyone have a recommendation for a reliable spoke tension tool?
I am very thankful this didn't happen on a bike trip!
I didn't have a spoke tool with me, and couldn't even walk the bike home (the rear wheel was too deformed to roll without hitting the frame), so phoned my wife to pick me up with the bike rack on the car.
While I waited, most of the donor care associates and nurses trooped out to view the carnage and offer me yet more post-donation food and drink. (Red velvet cake shown.)
Bought a new wheel from my LBS, got my bike going (transferred over the 8-speed cassette, rim tape, tube, and tire) and then loosened off all of the spokes on the warped wheel. It came back some, but I don't know if it's too far gone. (Experts, and I'm looking at you, NYEngineer, do you think this is salvageable, or should I give up on it?)
Jr figures my truing adjustments over the years created an imbalance that was kept in check by having an inflated tube and tire in place. I think that I need to buy a tension gauge (Park Tool makes one) to prevent this happening again. Does anyone have a recommendation for a reliable spoke tension tool?
I am very thankful this didn't happen on a bike trip!