This is the 3-Speed Blog

Sometimes I forget the name of this blog.

Last night, on the way home, I felt a lumpy sensation in my rear wheel when I used the brakes. I figured I'd worn the brake pads down to metal. When I got home, I checked out the brake pads and found they were still adequate. Then I noticed a strange pattern on the rim. It had a crack in it along the braking surface. The sidewall was worn out. I've never done that before. I built these wheels in 1993 or so and commuted on them most of the time since.

I decided to pull the freewheel off to install it on a backup wheel. As I removed the freewheel, part of the axle assembly feel into my hand. The axle was broken. The backup wheel is spaced incorrectly (it's 135mm and I need 125 or so). Crap.

Time to order parts: rim, axle, new fork for mountain bike (this is unrelated, I know), etc.

"Which bike should I ride to work tomorrow," I thought. How about a 3-speed? So there it is.



It's ready for the Lake Pepin Three-Speed Tour this weekend. I installed drop bars to allow me to use my handlebar bag. The bag will contain my big camera. I rebuilt the wheels with alloy rims to improve braking. It's unusual in that it has 27" tires (630 bsd) instead of the usual 26" (650A or 590 bsd). Oh, I almost forgot, it has a bell on the stem. Ringggggggggggggg.