The Joy of a New Wheel.

We are, as you might know, cyclists. Erlangen is a place where there's a lot of cycling going on, and in most cases, it's the quickest way to get from A to B within the city (just like in so, so many places). You can park right where you want to go and don't have to find a parking space, get the ticket, put it into the car, and then walk to wherever you planned to be.

Apart from that, it's healthy (at least healthier than sitting in a car), more quiet, and more sustainable. Also it's fun, especially with a nice bike that is easy to ride.

If we are going somewhere together, we're taking the tandem, if it's at all possible. We've also spent a few holidays on the bike... so it has seen a few replacements over the years, pieces that were worn out, pieces that got upgraded, pieces that broke.

The latest piece that broke? The flange on our rear wheel hub. On one trip, we heard a "ping" sound like when a spoke breaks - and yes, two spokes were loose. But not because they themselves had broken. A part of the flange had taken exception to staying with us and went its merry way somewhere into the bushes.

Fortunately, it was still possible to use the bike, though with a bit of caution. And last Friday, the replacement wheel arrived. We now have a shiny new wheel, and the Most Patient Husband of Them All also replaced the chains, and there's a new sprocket cassette, and now the whole thing is running like new again. Plus the freewheel of the new wheel is really, really quiet - in fact, you can only hear it in some instances, and the sounds of the chains running when we pedal are actually louder than the freewheel sound. 

The last hub lasted about 33.000 kilometers. So now we can work on wearing the new one out...