A TECHNICAL PROBLEM

While in Cardiff, my touring bike started making an intermittent noise, which seemed to emanate from the back wheel. It sounded like a loose cable was dangling against the spokes, and seemed to come and go at random.

As I started to use the mountain bike more, due to the appalling road surfaces, the road bike got hung up in the workshop and the noise was forgotten.

Back in Pembrokeshire, and preparing for my Big Ride, the noise has got steadily worse.

I knew the wheel was slightly out of true due to a large and deep pothole on Newport Road, and as I put that right, I thought I detected something rattling around inside the rim, which might have accounted for the noise. Giving the wheel a good shake with the inner tube removed seemed to have got rid of any foreign objects.

However, even though the wheel in the stand was turning freely and silently, as soon as I got on the bike, the noise was back.

I changed the bearings, even though there was nothing visibly wrong with the old ones. No difference.

As I was putting the wheel back in the frame, I noticed that the cassette wasn't turning as smoothly as it might, which would indicate a problem with the freehub body. In a word, Bugger.

I've ordered a new one from Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative, (another £27 I don't have) who are great with delivery, but it's still going to take a few vital days, and then there's all the buggering around getting it fitted again. I was tempted to take the freehub body from my XTR hub, but it's just too good to squander.