DIY not

Just about a year ago, the back wheel of my bicycle was thumping gently through the saddle. Eventually I got myself to Fudges and the problem was fixed at the cost of new tyre and tube, as noticed at reference 1.

Then a few weeks ago, the front wheel started thumping gently - and intermittently - through the handlebars. On at least two occasions, I hoisted the front end up from the rafters of the garage and inspected both spin and tyres. Spin not perfect, even a hint of vibration from the bearings, but near enough. Couldn't see anything wrong with the tyre.

So once more down to Fuddles expecting the worse, that is to say buying new wheel, tyre and tube and then getting them to give the old one a going over. Or cheapskate, just a new wheel and throw the old wheel away. The same young man peered at the offending wheel and spun it a bit. Tried the brakes. Felt the spokes. He thought a ball bearing problem would have more pronounced symptoms. He thought checking out a wheel without a bicycle was not going to work. Then he thought that maybe the lump under the valve was hitting the road, as it were, through the tread of the tyre. Not enough pressure. So he pushed a bit more air into both tyres, using a natty garage-style air line. Much quicker and easier than a pump, even the sort of foot pump that I now use.

Tyres now rock hard and the problem has more or less disappeared, with just one short spell of thumping between Upper High Street and home - via Mill Road, Farriers Road, Stones Road and so on. Plenty of bumps to set it off, if it was going to go off. Hopefully end of problem, at least for now.

PS 1: maybe 40 years since I last stripped a bicycle wheel down to its ball bearings. What would it take for me to have another go? Would it cost more in grease and ball bearings that Fudges would otherwise charge? I do have a pot of old ball bearing, kept for years and years just in case they came in, but not at all sure that I would want to use them for something so important.

PS 2: there were a number of expensive looking cargo bikes lined up outside - with one of them possibly having been the Raleigh Stride 2 Family Cargo Bike snapped above - with the electrical bits and bobs looking to come from Bosch. On the road for around £4,500. Plus you would need a fair amount of probably suburban space to store the thing. A bit fancy to leave propped up against your front wall.

PS 3: Bing also turned up the the more DIY looking one snapped above. Probably a lot cheaper to buy - but also a lot harder on the legs. I remember cycling an old fashioned grocer's bike from Thornton Heath to the Aldwych a few times and that was hard enough on the legs - fifty years ago. There is even a dim memory of having to push the thing up a hill, in the dark, on the way back.

Reference 1: http://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/08/maintenance-time.html.

Reference 2: https://fudgescyclestore.com/. The cycle shop in Upper High Street.

Reference 3: https://www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/stride-2-family-cargo-bike/.