May 28, 2011
Day 28 Missoula, Montana
Farmers' Markets in Missoula are a wonder. There are two on a Saturday morning,all devoted to produce and food only. Between them is a strictly craft market. Each is very well attended. It seems like the whole town comes out, and it gives the town a very lively feel.
We broke off from hanging out at the market to chase up a wheel or wheel repair for Dodie. There are apparently seven bike shops in Missoula, but we made it to only three, plus one fellow doing bike repairs at the farmers market.
The wheel situation is a little tricky. As I wrote in a reply to a guestbook message, local mechanics seem to identify the following as the factors in wheel strength, in order:
Double, not single, wall rim. Quality of spokes. Everyone here in Missoula uses and endorses DT Swiss double butted. Wheel hand built vs. machine built Number of spokes Width of rim Brand name of rim
In addition, a freehub and cassette will produce a stronger axle than a hub with freewheel, because the bearing races on the left and right sides are farther apart.
Dodie's setup is with a freewheel, and its hub provides for 36 spoke. Nobody in town had a cassette in stock that could duplicate the 34/30/26 arrangement of the freewheel's largest three rings, which meant we wanted to keep the old hub/freewheel combo. Only one shop could then offer a 36 hole double wall rim, but that one (Sun Rhyno) was pretty basic.
It all boiled down to getting something built on Tuesday (after Memorial Day) or waiting until about Friday for parts to be brought in. Much as we love the town and the kids, I opted for a wheel in the hand on Tuesday vs a wheel in the bush on maybe Friday. I think Dodie would have enjoyed having a reason to hang around, but we do want to hit Montreal before it snows!
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |