My Poor Bike!

Yesterday on my way to work I was accelerating off a start when I heard a loud "pang" (like a ping but more discordant) and the steering got a bit wobbly followed by some squeaking sounds I have always associated with the leather saddle especially when the humidity is high. I though the "pang" came from the drive train (slip gear or some such) and continued on to work.

At the end of the day I got back on the bike and started to head home. I came off the sidewalk to the parking lot and the steering felt sloppy again so I stopped to make sure the panniers were secure (a loose pannier will raise Caine with the steering). All mounts were solid as was the rack itself. Then I noticed this:

From Commuting in NC

Which led me to look at the other side of the downtube:

From Commuting in NC

Followed by a look from the bottom (eek!):

From Commuting in NC

I then very gingerly rode home becoming so very keenly aware of how poor the roads are in some sections of Greensboro. Fortunately the rear brake pad is fairly new so was stopping me well as I didn't want to use the front brakes and put more stress on the downtube.

Once I got home I moved the rear rack and lighting systems over to the trike so it could pinch hit as my commuter until I can resolve my diamond frame conundrum.

From Commuting Scenes

Now it so happens there is a new Trek dealer coming to Greensboro: Trek Bicycle Store. Unfortunately for me, they are not yet capable of servicing warranty claims yet but Chris Pieck of Greensboro's Trek Bicycle Store is passing on my info to "the territory manager for Trek". If I don't hear anything by this weekend I'll try the Trek dealer over in High Point to see if they can provide satisfaction.

If not then I'm developing a list of replacement candidates. To make the list the bike must be considered a loaded touring bike and have disc brakes and 700c wheels (700c wheels are a nice to have to preserve my investment in Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires of which I have three waiting to be used). So far the rides that make the grade are the Co-Motion Americano and the Salsa Fargo. If you know of any other candidates, let me know.

On Yer Bike!