After Saturday's nice spin in early-morning fog around Camano Island, I couldn't resist getting back on the bike yesterday and trying to get a little sun. (It's been a while around here!) I was pushing it a bit, wearing only a short-sleeve SIR jersey, but once I got warmed up I felt fine.
The ride started out great, with me being able to climb in the big (53-tooth) ring, and generally feel good on the bike. Once on the shaded twists of Mercer Island, I was just trying to keep the speed above 20 mph, and I was succeeding. ("All systems pro," as Dennis says)
And then, after passing quite a few riders, my cranks started to feel really tight. Hmm.. Just a few days ago I had tinkered with the rear derailleur pulleys; did I tighten them too much? It was like the chain had seized or something..
After a few minutes of loosening/tightening things to no avail, I looked down at the BB and saw this: (note the exposed threads between the frame & chainrings)
Shit. There I was, at the southern tip of Mercer Island, with a barely rideable bike!
Just about all of the cyclists that I'd previously passed were now nicely offering me assistance, but I said I was "OK" - doubting they had a campy BB tool on hand.. and also embarrassed to be wearing the jersey of "self-sufficient cyclists", e.g. my SIR jersey.
Anyway so I hobbled along, as I was able to turn the pedals enough to go 5-8 mph. I still had about 10 miles to get home, so once I finally got back up to the north end of the island, I headed straight for the bus stop.
The timing couldn't have been better, and I made it on a 550 headed to Seattle. One small problem though: I didn't bring any money! So I had to essentially sweet-talk my way onto the bus. Thanks, driver!
And once back in Seattle, my slow journey wasn't over. Now I was at Rainier Ave & I-90, with only a few miles to go to home, but also still lugging around an almost-unrideable bike. I couldn't even spin up hills, due to the resistance of the pedals, so I ended up walking most of the way.
I suppose it happened at a good time, e.g. not on a brevet!
But now this has me questioning why I'm riding on an Italian-threaded BB at all, given that this is known to happen (it's reverse-threaded from English style, and they can come loose, as seen above). The LBS always said it wasn't an issue, with proper torque, but I guess I let it go too long without a checkup..
It was a good reminder to be prepared! Even if that just means bringing $0.50 for a phone call, or having your bike in good working condition.
