The Rub

I finished cleaning my bike today, put on the back wheel and started to turn my cranks to lube the chain. I heard this intermittent humming sound. Like the wheel was wobbly or dragging/rubbing on something. I checked all over but couldn't find anything. I then remember back to when I was riding and would hear a glitch in my freewheel clicks -- almost the same type of rhythm. I decided to bring my bike down to the local shop. I was pumped to see my boy Noah working back at this location. He was the guy who sold me my first bike -- a hybrid. We hit it off immediately but he got transferred to a different shop for a year and a half. He was shocked to hear how into cycling I have gotten. As I was waiting for him to finish with another customer I realized what was happening. My wheel was out of alignment and rubbing against the chainstay where it connects back into the seattube. CRAZY. It was because the hubs were loose and the wheel needed to be dished back -- Noah had the mechanic fix it for me. Now it's like butter. I can't help but think this was part of the reason I was struggling in the beginning. I'm going to be like a rocket ship now. I'm trying to get Noah back out on the road (he's been getting into paintball lately). As I was leaving I heard one of his coworkers say "you're going to ride now?". He responded "yeah, for Jeff, I'll get out on the bike". Noah and I will always have a special bond because he sold me my first bike.

The Bully