It's Just a Wheel

Last week I mentioned having a spoke pull through a cracked rim on the gravel bike, spending a couple of hours finding a replacement wheel for this 12yo bike, and ordering and hoping it would all work out.  (BTW, it's a Sta-Tru from Modern Bike.)  Long story short, the installation took two hours from brewing a pot of coffee pre-work through to adjusting the brakes, then degreasing the kitchen sink in the post-work clean-up.  It all went without a hitch.  As usual, there was the 15 minute hunt for the freehub tool in the bottom of the toolbox, and parts were far dirtier than expected so I spent some time scrubbing the cassette.  Nice putting things back together without the sickening scrape of grit on machined aluminum though.  It's the little things that take the most time, but that matter in the final result.

Damn though, four hours total to replace a busted wheel.  That seems a tad excessive.  OTOH, if I can get another eleven years out of this bike (and I expect that I might), it'll all be worth it.

Sta-Tru.  Let's hope so!

And with that, over the past seven months every drivetrain part (with the sole exception of the cranks, which never seem to wear out) has been replaced: pedals, chainrings, chain, rear derailleur, cassette, and now back wheel.  Modularity and repairability at its finest.