{"id":16013,"date":"2014-04-12T11:21:17","date_gmt":"2014-04-12T10:21:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/?p=16013"},"modified":"2014-04-12T12:32:57","modified_gmt":"2014-04-12T11:32:57","slug":"pre-race-tinkering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/2014\/04\/pre-race-tinkering\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-Race Tinkering"},"content":{"rendered":"

With my first race of the year tomorrow, now probably isn’t the most sensible time to perform open-freehub surgery on my bike. It’s too late though, pre-race tinkering is what I’ve been doing!<\/p>\n

The rear wheel and more specifically the amount of drag in the rear wheel has been annoying me for ages. I’ve tried, and lots of other people have tried, to sort it out but with no success. No matter what we do the wheel just won’t spin freely and there’s so much drag that if I pedal backwards with the bike suspended in a bike stand the rear wheel spins backwards at quite a rate.<\/p>\n

Taking the freehub apart and giving it a good service hasn’t worked before but what harm could it do to give it another go? Other than the risk that it might break something a day before my first race of the year!<\/p>\n

\"Freehub<\/a>

Freehub Disassembly<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s all been taken apart though, so at one stage there were sprockets, washers, pawls and springs all over the place. It was all cleaned and lubed and I’m glad to say put back together again without any bits left-over! My bike is in one piece and has had a good clean and polish at the same time so is now shiny and looking ready for it’s race tomorrow. If only the same could be said for me.<\/p>\n

\"Back<\/a>

Back Together Again<\/p><\/div>\n

Unfortunately though it made no difference whatsoever to the rear wheel. Maybe it’s just time for some nice new deep section aero race wheels, I have after all been meaning to get some for ages. But then again, if I’m getting aero race wheels why not just go the whole hog and get a Time Trial bike that comes with a set of aero wheels. I’m usually quite ‘snobby’ about my bikes and like something a little different, but taking a look at the Planet X<\/a> bikes their top of the range TT bike is pretty good value in comparison to anything else out there, even if it is \u00a32,499.<\/p>\n\n\t\t