This past Sunday I took some of my bike apart. I was hoping to get the freehub off the rear wheel and re-lubricate it. I couldn’t figure it out, since it is not what all the tutorials show should be there. There is no 10mm hollow bolt holding it on, but something else I couldn’t see down in the center of the hub. So I did the best I could with drizzling some gear lube in there and put it back together.
Every time you take that stuff apart, it never goes back together quite the same. I noticed that the axle is just a bit short, so there’s no room to shim it and keep the knobby tire from rubbing the frame. So I put the hybrid tires back on because they are narrower and fit better. I need to get to the bike shop in downtown OKC with the bike so they can get me a longer axle of the same type. But a lot of businesses downtown were closed due to power outages this morning, so I had to put that off.
Massive heavy storms hit last night, bringing winds around 80-90 MPH out of the NNW. Some of the sycamore trees across the street lost big limbs. Lots of areas were without power, but the Lord granted my prayer to keep ours working. Still, I couldn’t ride where I was planning to go today, so I grabbed my cutting tools and started working on the downed limbs. I figured it would make things easier for our maintenance team, and maybe I could clear the sidewalks for my neighbors.
I started at dawn — around 7AM local time. When I used to do that kind of work for pay, it was my habit to start with the small stuff so that it was easier to see the big stuff. I clipped off all the smaller limbs and piled them up. Then I cut some of the bigger stuff with my tree saw, and saved the really big stuff for my chain saw. I did this on a couple of different big limbs. When maintenance showed up, they were very pleased at my work, because it meant one more emergency they didn’t have to chase. They could get on with current work orders. The chief set me up with power for my electric chainsaw, but it refused to work. It was brand new when we moved here, and I haven’t even used it for a single hour yet, but it refuses to run.
Okay, so I dragged out my big ax and got to work on the rest. It’s all cut up and I can feel every bit of it, but it was a great workout. Fortunately, sycamore is a very soft wood to cut. Unfortunately, sycamore is a very soft wood that breaks when the wind blows like that. I could hear lots of gas-powered chainsaws working around the neighborhood, cutting all kinds of broke trees, so I know the city will send out trucks to get all this crap. Ours is cut up and ready.
They use something like a long dump truck, but with a small crane mounted on the frame between the bed and cab of the truck. I cut it to easily fit in the claw that rig has on the end of the arm. I kept thinking I might need to do this some day, and retained a selection of tree and brush cutting tools when we moved. My son kept most of them, but I have just a few: limb loppers, tree saw, machete, camp ax and long splitter ax. That last one is a special combo tool; it’s not exactly a heavy splitter, but a very heavy chopping ax with a thicker head. I use it because I’m a heavy hitter and it suits the way I chop, but it takes more effort. Despite cooler temperatures, I was drenched in sweat when I got through.
From a high of 260 pounds last winter, I’m down to about 235. Taking my time with losing weight avoids having too much skin sagging in places. The body gets a chance to adjust and keep things tight. I know that it’s natural to hit plateaus, too. The trick is to keep the metabolism high and let the stomach shrink; feed the body you want to have. It’s not classic calorie counting, because that starts from the false assumption that every body is the same. Mine is not just unique, but peculiar. So I’m trying to make permanent changes in my habits by listening to my body with my heart.
“So I’m trying to make permanent changes in my habits by listening to my body with my heart.” Wisdom imparted from the heart is true.
Man, I bet that was a workout! Good idea to have basic survival tools. Good for you!
Did you try flipping the axle, I had a similar problem with my mc which became a right head scratcher until I flipped it out of desperation and whoopee! It worked. Automobile experience doesn’t into MC experience.
Your storm experience reminds me of our winter wind storms and our lone maple tree, it was blown completely over 12 years ago and I cut it off at the ground however, being a maple it’s now 40 feet tall, inspite of being severely wind damaged twice since. I cherish that tree for it’s sheer tenacity.
I gained weight AFTER quitting my abominable diet and switching to a vegetablecentric diet. Rich foods make you feel full and you are… full of junk! I can eat a plateful of the four food groups; taters, maters, beans and corn and be hungry in less than an hour. Once I became adjusted to it, I lost 10 lbs.
No, the axle can go in only one way. The problem is that the stack of nested hub parts and gear cassette isn’t a perfect fit, and it’s pretty common on bikes that cost less than $2K. All it needs is a longer axle so I can add a washer between the hub and frame to shift it over a little. The current axle just barely catches the weight of the bike and leaves about 5mm short of the frame on each end. It works, but it’s risky in the first place. There is certainly no room for shims. Now, an axle is only about $20, so it’s no big deal to replace it with a longer one.
Looking at your weight stuff: how tall are you? I assume you have a large frame (skeleton) too?
5’10” Back when I first thought about bodybuilding in college, I was told by an active competitor I’d never get anywhere in competition because my pelvic girdle is way too wide, despite having wide shoulders to match. The first video of myself I ever saw was on gate guard duty in Europe. When I saw myself turn around, it reminded me of a brick wall with a mossy coating. Right now at 235 the creases between my abs are just starting to show.