km 13758.9

**Notes from 09.11.04 km13492:

Axle in back wheel broke catastrophically. Kept riding. About 1000m after that derailleur goes into spokes, locking up wheel. Repair work commenced immediately at 1000 and took 60 minutes: replaced axle and cones using parts from abandoned child's bicycle. Aligned dropouts. Aligned derailleur hanger. Purchased replacement derailleur hanger. Inspected spokes, they are OK.

** Notes from 09.11.19 km 13758.9

0830-0900 Scrubbed brake surface on back wheel. Replace back brake shoes. Wiped down reflective surfaces. Noted chain wear to .75% over original length. Noted wear on bearings in front hub as lateral play.

km 13178.3

*Notes from September 24:

30 min service 1030 - 1100

Replaced front brake shoes at km 12878.6 mark. This means they lasted 7 months, 8 days over 3062.8km before hitting wear indicators and diminishing response. Photos of fresh and spent above.

Oiled chain, noted wear on KMC X8.93 to .75% elongation over original length with 1478.4 km service.

*Today's notes:

Overall, rig running right and tight.

Checking air on 1st day of each month to 50/50 psi front & back.

Hooked up Planet Bike Blaze 2w (mec.ca 5016909 $34) handlebar light with desired effects to provide a decent measure of courtesy for other road users. Bright enough to slowly ride through a park in the dark.

km 12739.3

Here are a couple of recent photos: bottom one is SC1800 from early August, top one is the old front tyre after 10000km. Note 2" gash.

Rig running tight.

Homemade reinforcement of tyres holding up well, checking air to 60PSI once per month.

Replaced aluminium barrel adjusters on brake levers with steel ones, they hold the threads much better and the brake lines feel generally more responsive.

VP565 pedals are now rotating smoothly on their bearings after not spinning easily out of the packaging.

Original parts holding up surprisingly well: grips, saddle, stem, bars, front wheel. Original parts that are functional yet bothersome to adjust: brakes, front derailleur.

Bearings in BB are Shimano UN52 running smoothly after thousands of kms, definitely exceeding expectations.

km 12440.4

Notes from July 23:

km 12097

replaced freewheel with Shimano MF-Z scavenged from the wreck of a child's bicycle. This way keep the Suntour freewheel perfect.

front tyre cords finally letting go, making thumping noises on fender struts as it rotated.

replaced with item from spares - Bontrager Jones ACX 26x2.2 aramid bead (props to DT!)

in the process:

found two 26x1.5 Specialized aramadillo tyres where sidewalls were giving out -so-
cut out bead from Specialized ones to turn them into tyre liners under the 26x2's
and fill them with 26x1.5 tubes (MEC item # 8653 $3).

ride is a bit rough when they are up to 60psi, kinda of like a bumpy road even on smooth pavement. - however - no punctures yet (knocking on wood).

Notes from today August 14:

overall - rig running quite right

metal brackety thingie holding rear blinky light rusted through - replaced it today

inner tube holding lock on luggage carrier a bit chewed - replaced it today

noted wear and tear on brake surface on front wheel - feels kinda groovy

chain wear still reading as fresh - somewhere near .55% over original length.

looking forward to Planet Bike Blaze 2W being released in Sept 09.

interesting project on the go by a guy named Dave - check out: www.beaterbikes.ca

still have yet to repack bearings in front hub since april 2006 at km1342, when the dropouts were aligned and the front cones adjusted - even Falcon brand hubs can go far in proper adjustment!

km 12003.7

Rig running well with fresh drivetrain and back rubber.

Lithium AA/LR6 batteries in Planet Bike Blaze 1W finally gave up after a winter and a spring, became noticeably less bright. Now going with IKEA brand generic alkaline - a ten pack goes for $3.99

km 11520.8

Performed 60 minutes maintenance on June 4 at mark 11400.2

Replaced back tyre from sunbitten Conti Town & Country to a spare Panaracer Holy Moly (free - kicking around in the spares since 2001)

Replaced back brake shoes with MEC product #4011200 $2.75.

Replaced chain with KMC X8.93 #5006382 $14.50.

Replaced freewheel with Suntour Perfect (free - from spares of 2004). Indexes adequately with Shimano 6 speed shifter.

Previous chain (SRAM PC870) had elongated to the point where it chewed through a couple of freewheel sprockets. That chain was installed at mark 9479 on 08.12.16 or 1921km ago. The corrosion resistance stood up well to salted roads.

Here is a chart of chains that have been hooked up on this SC1800:

Type Date Install KMinstall Date remove KMremove Total KM

OEM KMC 06.01.13 0 07.2.27 3398 3398

KMC Z-51 07.02.27 3398 08.04.25 6330 2932

ShimanoHG50 08.04.25 6330 08.12.16 9479 3149

SRAM PC870 08.12.16 9479 09.06.04 11400 1921

KMC X8.93 09.06.04 11400 ? ? ?

all listed materials were ridden to 1% elongation of original length and had freewheels replaced at same time expect for Shimano HG50.

km 11255.9

Rigs running well despite chain wear at >+1% elongation over original length. This means only about 2000 km from SRAM PC870.

Front brake shoes have approximately 50% of original material left, rear brake shoes at approximately 85% of original material left.

Bearings in hubs, lower hanger and headset in adequate condition.

Tread wear indicators are recommending replacement iminently.

Total overhaul will have to be postponed until budget allows.