Sedona Update: [More] Bad News

I was hoping to end the season on a good note, but the Sedona had other ideas…

In case you missed it, I finally hit my 100-mile goal on April 18, 2020. Despite a torn tire with a jury-rigged repair, I didn’t stop at my goal – I kept going, obviously. My current annual total is 135 miles. On Sunday (5/3) I broke my speed record by going 33 miles per hour, downhill obviously.

This week is the last week of the semester. On Friday I have to pack everything into my car and move back home, where cycling isn’t as easy due to all of the hills and busy streets. So I was hoping to get in a few more miles this week, possibly reaching 150 miles.

But the Sedona has other ideas.

Lately the Sedona’s gearing has been acting up. It will slip gears while riding, as I mentioned in my previous post. Before, however, the problem was isolated to the rear gears – and typically the chain would just slip between gears. However, lately, I’ve had to make a couple roadside “repairs” due to the chain slipping entirely off the front gear. Usually this happens in the middle of a ride, and the bike shows no signs of trouble before it does it. I have no idea what could be causing this. The bike was supposed to be tuned up when it was in for repairs in March to replace the broken axle.

However, slipping gears alone isn’t causing the sudden end to my season. Rather, a much bigger – and likely more expensive – problem is doing it.

Tonight I was fixing a flat on the rear tire. I got the tire mounted and ready to go, but noticed something odd. Can you guess what it is?

If you guessed broken (or missing) spokes, you’d be right.

I was checking each spoke and noticed these two were completely broken off the hub, more or less just flapping around. I removed the tire again and removed the spokes. And yep, they came right on out.

One spoke was broken, the other was still straight. I have not yet examined the wheel as a whole, but this may be a good time to ditch this wheel and upgrade to a free hub-equipped wheel that is stronger.

Obviously, it is likely unsafe to ride a bike (especially as a so-called Clydesdale rider) in this condition. So, just like the broken axle, the Sedona is once again out of commission until I can source a replacement wheel.

For the record, ever since I broke the hub I’ve been trying to be more conscious about road hazards such as bumps, potholes and other things that can wreak havoc on the hub.

The front wheel seems to be fine.

But I’m bummed out that the Sedona’s spokes broke. I rode my 1987 Free Spirit Pinnacle road bike (27×1 1/4″ skinny road rims) in many places that were testing. One time I even rode down the gravel Katy Trail on completely flat tires on that bike. While the rims on that bike are bent and are not safe to ride on (because of rust), all of the spokes are still intact – despite some being extremely rusty.

2020 has been a rough year for the bike. First, the rear axle broke. Second, a nail tore a hole in the sidewall of the brand new tires. And third – now – there are two broken spokes on the rear wheel. On the bright side, I was able to get in enough time (partially thanks to the free time afforded by COVID-19) to log over 135 miles this year.

Ugh… stay tuned to see the updates as the Sedona further drains my bank account and patience.