Tuesday 17 March 2009

Quick Release....Too Quick


As with most cyclists who've ridden the same bike for a number of years, I'm fairly well tuned into how my bike is working, and in particular any potential/developing problems with it. Now sometimes the problems are blatantly obvious, such as the snapped chains, exploding rims and snapped handlebar to name a few of the more major problems I've had happen to me (believe me, the last one was an experience and a half when it happened in a race at ~25 mph). At other times it's less obvious but you just sense something isn't quite right.

Well I got that feeling this morning as I was spinning into town on today's training ride. Nothing looked wrong on the bike as I buzzed along so it did cross my mind that it might just have been the fact that I was tired having been up til 2.30am last light looking at Beaver on the web...it's a town on Highway 101, nine miles north of Forks, Washington, by the way, and has the marvelously named Stormin' Norman Road. Anyway, after 5 miles or so zipping through the busy traffic I was more convinced that something definitely was wrong so stopped to check out the bike. Upon lifting the the bike up onto the kerb, the back wheel promptly fell out the frame. Disturbing? Eh, very! What I reckon happened is that in taking it off the turbo-trainer this morning I must have undone the quick release. Still, I got away with it and am currently feeling very, very lucky to have done so.


Got this snap once I'd got into town.