Spring Equinox Ride – FAIL
Everything lined up yesterday to allow me to go out and get another equinox bike ride under my belt. Hit the road around 1pm with the intent of heading out to Coyote Hills for a modified lunch time sprint. Even though it had rained a little the night before, my plan was to head out on the no name trail to the bus stop. I thought I’d give it a try and if it were too muddy, just turn around and head back. As I got to the beginning of ‘no name”, I noticed a runner way down the trail heading out. I figured I was good to go as far as the mud. Things were ok at the start. No problems at all. Then about a half mile in, things started to get muddier. I’ve done more than a couple of muddy rides out there so it wasn’t like I was unprepared. The key is to keep going. Don’t stop. It wasn’t even that bad. Then something happened.
Not sure how or why, but I began to slide, and as I did, something jammed and didn’t allow me to peddle. So much for not stopping. UGH! As soon as I looked I knew I was screwed. The “hanger” on my rear derailleur had twisted somehow and ripped off. It was just hanging there off the chain. The derailleur itself was all bent up too. What the hell?! I thought about taking a picture of the mess but I was too damn pissed off.
No way to fix it or even ride it back so I started the long push back to Coyote Hills. So much for the lunch time sprint! Found the driest part of the trail and tried to stick to it. Its then I notice that my back wheel wasn’t even spinning. I figure its caked up mud so get a stick and poked the mud out and off. No luck! Still stuck. So pushing the bike back was a little harder than usual. It wasnt until I got off the no name trail that I was able to figure out that my wheel was not totally on the fork. Somehow the wheel got loose. What a mess. I called Barb to come rescue me with the truck. THANKS HONEY!! She pulled into Dairy Glen parking lot right when I was walking around the bend.
Once home, I hosed off the beast and got a good look at what may have happened. All I can figure is that my back wheel WAS loose. The combination of mud buildup and then sliding a little made the wheel come off partially and rip the hanger from the derailleur. My best guess. If that is true, I’m just glad it happened out there and not coming down heart attack hill.
Dropped off at the Bicycle Garage for repair. Looks like about an $80 fix but should be back in the saddle by Saturday.
