I said I’d get to work on those Spinergys, and I am nothing if not a man of my word–though to be fair I’m also a bit of a Douse Bag:
I assume that was directed at me, but now that I’m re-reading it I’m no longer certain.
The main problem I wanted to address vis-a-vis the Spinergys was the disconcerting amount of play in the front wheel, which as I understand can only be addressed by replacing the bearings as there is no means of adjusting preload or anything like that. Owing to the age of the wheels in question there’s really nothing in the way of YouTube tutorials when it comes to overhauling Spingergy Rev-X wheels, and most of the discussions on the various bike forums are along the lines of, “How long can I ride a Spinergy before it ass-plodes?” So, armed with some primitive tools, my meager intellect, and a few tips from Paul at Classic Cycle, I got to work:
Popping out the circlips was easy and so was tapping out the axle and bearings with a hammer, but in order to actually remove everything from the hub and axle and replace the bearing you need to get those end cap thingies off the end of the axle. At first I thought maybe they were bolted on or something, but that wasn’t the case, and the only thing I had to go by was this photo of a disassembled axle I found on the Internets:
No doubt I was missing something incredibly simple, and no doubt if I am someone will tell me, but it seemed to me they were basically just pressed onto the ends of the axle, so I alternately pried and beat them (LOL he said “beat them off”) off by means of crude application of various tools:
It was an ugly process and I can’t imagine this is how you’re supposed to remove them since now there’s nothing holding them on and so they just basically act like washers and are liable to fall off and disappear should I ever remove the quick release from the wheel. But what can I say? I’m the kind of idiot who sees something through no matter what, even if I destroy that something in the process.
Anyway, the hub was now ready to accept the new bearings:
The Rev-X takes standard cartridge bearings, and while they’re not exactly a dime a dozen they’re pretty close:
Soon I had the whole thing back together, and there was nothing left but to entrust my life to a loose axle end cap and a tiny circlip:
Not to mention the fact that every time I examine the wheels I find another nick in the “spokes:”
But at least I’d gotten rid of the play in the wheel, right? Well, not exactly. Putting the wheel back on the bike, I found the play was still there–though there was less of it, which was something. Like, had there only been this much play in the first place I never would have bothered to replace the bearings, so I suppose in that respect the operation was a success. And with that I took off in a blur of late-20th century extravagance:
Way back in the early aughts when I’d had the long-term loan of a rear Spinergy I remember thinking it felt heavy and harsh, but if anything the Faggin felt smoother than usual and maybe even a little springy, though I suppose that could be a sign that a Spin-tastic ass-plosion is imminent:
I also happen to think it looks fantastic with the Spinergys in a purely prurient way, though these things are highly subjective.
Indeed, so apprehensive was I of setting out on these things especially after my ham-handed “repair” that not only did I don a Classic Cycle jersey so that emergency responders would know who to blame, but I also wore protective eyewear and a helmet:
Apart from events for which they’re required such as the Five Boro Bike Tour I haven’t donned a bicycle helmet voluntarily in years, and I had little if any faith that in the event of a frontal Rev-X ass-plosion I’d make out very well regardless of what I happened to have on my head, but nevertheless I figured I needed a talisman of some kind to help ward off catastrophe in the first place and this was the best I could come up with. And it worked, too, because the wheels held up just fine:
Though maybe I’m just whistling past the graveyard.