Technical details from our bicycles
General Components Modifications BreakdownsBreakdowns:
I hope that this chapter staies as short as possible. Even if I know that a lot of problems wait for us.
2. rim worn out
After 9200 km
Third tire worn out
After 7700 km
Abrasion at Milas grip shift
After about 13 months the rubber of milas grip shift nearly diappeared. It's a pity, that at that heavily used spot such a bad material has been used. Our sponsor "feine räder" in Duisburg (Germany) sent replacements at once. But he couldn't get spare parts, so that he had to send a complete set of grips. And in addition SRAM didn't sell the long grips anymore. Therfore we also had to buy new normal grips.
Milas mirror
In San Diego Mila decided at least to change to aother mirror
on the left side to see better what happens
behind her. This model is bigger and mounted
on the left end of the handle bar. But therefore it
is heavily exposed to break at a fall. But that I of all people
dropped her bike and broke the mirror prod me very hard to repair it.
And that with the things we had in Mexico in a little hotel in the
coastcity of Teuantepec.
With the 2-component glue, which I carry all the time, and a piece of coppermade water-tube I could splint the breakage. Compared to the Mexican repair of my frontrack it still works without problems.
big inspection
After 3650Miles I made a big inspection again:- Cleaning the chain, the cassette and the chain wheels in Diesel oil.
- Cleaning the front derailleur: just with a cloth and lubrikate the articulations.
- Cleaning the rear derailleur: Taking apart the sprocket wheels and cleaning the sealings.
- Cleaning the breaks: The Spring wasn't anymore able to open the breaks.
- Trueing the wheels
Tires were worn out
After 3000Miles I saw the first time, that the top layer of the tire was gone at some places. 400Miles later it was opend in a wide range and I could see the second white layer. (ma)
Broken front rack
After a hard washboard of about 25Miles my front rack broke. The first repair of a Welder in Santa Rosalia on Baja California broka again after 200Miles. The second Time a very nice guy of a body shop solderd the rack. I hope it will last longer than the first! (ma)
breaked through the rim
Details I'll describe later. (ma)
Broken welding spot in FER-Generator
Milas generator stoped working at the first day of our trip. When I got the time to take it apart I saw that the welding spot, wich connects one cable of the Generator with the ground-plate was broken. A problem I only had at the last generator I bought for my old traveling bike. All the six or seven I got before never had that problem. So I think, it is a general manifacturing problem of FER.
First broken spoke
Of course my bike is very heavy loaded. But on my former trips on my old traveling bike I carried sometimes the same load under worse conditions like on this trip and never broke one spoke. This time I choosed for my bach wheel at the cassette side thick (2.35mm) and on the other side thin (2mm) spokes. And not neccessary to tell zou wich spoke broke! So my advice to everybody: Use the thick spokes on the back wheel on both sides.Mysterious tube burst
After we found a wonderful place to sleep in the Dunes of the Oregon Coast we unloaded the Bikes. We inflated our Mattresses and unrolled the sleeping bags. Afterwards we watched the sunset and went into the bags. In that moment the tube of my back wheel bursted. Next morning after removing the tire I found the rim tape slipped at one place so that the inner tube can blow into the nipple whole in the rim.Why it slipped and why the tube bursted houres after unloading and leaving it alone I cannot emagine!
