steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
There I was just riding along when it suddenly felt as though I'd got a stick stuck in the chain ring. I dismounted and had look, no stick. Got back on and pedalled. It was moving this time, but harder and was pulsing a bit. "Awww no, not an electrical problem! (motor, battery, software.....whatever)". I turned the bike around and headed off back to the car park 1.4 miles, instead of the other 9 miles I still had to do to complete my test route.
The problem got better, just steady resistance instead of a pulsing. I went up from Eco to Trail and kept going. I took the bike to the LBS to lodge a warranty claim and was expecting to lose the bike for a week or so. Only to be told what the problem was and to feel very embarrassed!
One of the motor bolts hiding behind the chain ring had come loose and made contact with the spider. It rapidly chewed its way through the four arms and started eating into the hub. This is why the pulsing (eating the arms) was replaced with steady resistance (eating the hub). I stopped just in time because there were only four 25 mm long strips of about 0.5 mm aluminium alloy (plus a coat of paint) left holding the ring together! I must have left a trail of aluminium swarf all the way back the car park!
I shudder to think what would have happened half way up a steep climb in Boost. The ring would have collapsed, my calf severely gashed on the spider, and maybe a broken leg, plus whatever damage I may have done when falling off!
I was very embarrassed because if when I stopped I had given the ring a proper diagnostic look instead of a cursory "it's not a stick, so it must be electrical", then I could have tightened the screw with little damage. I would have thread locked it when I got home and then not had all the piggin' hassle of twice failing to hire a bike and having to borrow my mate's bike at the last possible minute. My guided ride at Sherwood Pines was saved in the nick of time.
I'm still a bit arsed about yet another bolt coming loose that had no threadlock on it. Now I've got the bike back, I really must go over the whole bike and thread lock everything! And actually do it this time!
The problem got better, just steady resistance instead of a pulsing. I went up from Eco to Trail and kept going. I took the bike to the LBS to lodge a warranty claim and was expecting to lose the bike for a week or so. Only to be told what the problem was and to feel very embarrassed!
One of the motor bolts hiding behind the chain ring had come loose and made contact with the spider. It rapidly chewed its way through the four arms and started eating into the hub. This is why the pulsing (eating the arms) was replaced with steady resistance (eating the hub). I stopped just in time because there were only four 25 mm long strips of about 0.5 mm aluminium alloy (plus a coat of paint) left holding the ring together! I must have left a trail of aluminium swarf all the way back the car park!
I shudder to think what would have happened half way up a steep climb in Boost. The ring would have collapsed, my calf severely gashed on the spider, and maybe a broken leg, plus whatever damage I may have done when falling off!
I was very embarrassed because if when I stopped I had given the ring a proper diagnostic look instead of a cursory "it's not a stick, so it must be electrical", then I could have tightened the screw with little damage. I would have thread locked it when I got home and then not had all the piggin' hassle of twice failing to hire a bike and having to borrow my mate's bike at the last possible minute. My guided ride at Sherwood Pines was saved in the nick of time.
I'm still a bit arsed about yet another bolt coming loose that had no threadlock on it. Now I've got the bike back, I really must go over the whole bike and thread lock everything! And actually do it this time!
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