Mountain biking, wear and tear...

There is no question that mountain-biking is a rough and tumble sport, not just for the body when it happens to hits something or flies over the handlebar, but also for the machine.

The environment is rough, the trails are rough, the rock or stump that might be avoided often finds their way under the wheels, and just today, I must have hit something, a small tree, a branch or a big rock, but it cost me two spokes on my rear wheel and it didn't take long before the entire assembly began to wobble and that was the end of another expensive rim.

It's not so much the expense involved, but the inconvenience and that one can vary vastly. If you happen to be five mile deep into nature and have no quick way of getting back to some road or certain form of civilization, it could mean that the bike might have to be walked a long way indeed...

Lucky me, today I was almost home when I finally noticed that there was more to my bike than a pesky noise and realized it was a serious problem indeed. In spite of all of this, I will always love mountain biking, that is, as long as I can still ride...