More Repairs, More to come.
Over a month ago I trashed my rear wheel (with my leg). The leg healed, the wheel did not. So I had the wheel rebuilt. The old wheel was a DT Swiss XR 4.1 rim with straight gauge DT Swiss spokes, an XT hub and a SRAM 990 cassette. The hub and cassette remain, the rest is new. The rim was replaced with another DT Swiss XR 4.1. The spokes are now double-butted black/silver with black bronze nipples. The pattern on this wheel is different than the cross wheel set. This one has silver spokes on the drive side and black on the other.
Those who are observant, or possibly everyone who bothered to look at the above photo, would notice that the wheel is not mounted on a bike. There is a good reason for this. The M2 still needs a new crankset and chain. So, until I get around to replacing both, the M2 will remain stationary. You would think I’d learn after trashing the last set of wheels, drivetrain and fork. Oh well.
In other biking news: The hitch and Yakima Kingpin 4 rack are now installed on the Accord. Here is a slightly amusing shot of Eric and me dropping the exhaust in preparation to mount the hitch. I ended up with a Hidden Hitch model #60953. This hitch mounted without any drilling* into the body or frame rails and looks as nice as a thirty five pound piece of black steel bolted to the bottom of a sedan can look. The V6 models with dual exhaust require the heat shields over the mufflers to modified (with a hole saw) for the mounting hardware. As you can see in the photo, the bumper cover is already notched for a hitch, which is a nice touch. Another benefit is that the overall weight distribution on the Accord should now be 85/15 instead of 90/10.
It is not really that bad, at least the motor has an aluminum block and heads. Since were on the subject, the rear anti-sway bar is about the same diameter as a toothpick. I’m not sure what Honda was going for here, but I’d imagine it was something along the lines of “who cares”. I don’t think this one will ever see an autocross course. How did I get from a GTI 16v to an Accord V6? I have no idea either, I think there was a Jetta VR6, an Acura CL and a Subaru powered Vanagon involved. Oh well. The Accord is actually very entertaining and does not require frequent cooling system maintenance, a steady supply of window regulators or a bilge pump during rain storms. Running 87 octane gasoline is a nice benefit as well.
Real biking news: Eric and I did a training ride last Sunday. Thirty three miles on gravel, 95-100° heat, 2:10 total ride time. The MS 150 will only be 5.7 times longer, so we should be in good shape. And no, my math skills are not as bad as they appear. If you’ll recall, I am doing the 200 mile option. Sorry, no photos. Just imagine a hot, dusty, sunny and crappy gravel trail.
