Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Switching out bike wheels - an easy 90 minute job!


Monday I settled back into training, hitting the gym in the morning and planning for an easy recovery-type ride in the afternoon. Since my next race is not for a month, I thought it would make sense to switch back to my normal wheels on the bike. I've watched the bike gurus do it effortlessly, many times. Can't be too hard right?

Apparently for me, yes....very hard.

With only two arms, no bike stand, no knowledge of the "tricks" like moving the derailleur out, I struggled. My confidence waned and my frustration grew. I was afraid of breaking something.

I searched Youtube, carefully typing out "install rear bike wheel" with my greasy hands and my rising blood pressure. I watched all kinds of people do it fast because they had a bike stand....oh and a CLUE.

I finally conceded, putting the whole mess in my car and hauling it off to East Coasters where Anne and I wrangled it back together. It took a bit of time (likely because I was "helping" haha) and definitely some effort. We had to tweak brakes, the cadence sensor....  Then I took the bike out to discover a clicking sound - the spoke magnet was hitting the frame. Some set screws were fiddled with and all was well. By that time about 90 minutes had elapsed so my hopes for a ride were dashed. I returned home to feed the troops and then finally resorted to the bike trainer at 8 pm. Few things frustrate me more than a plan not coming together.

In three weeks I will have to repeat the whole process. I have this underlying fear that if I do it myself things will not be optimal. There is something reassuring about having the experts give it a once-over and their seal of approval.

I really need to get over this phobia I have of working with my bike.