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Wednesday, October 14

At least someone's looking out for me

Last night I was opening up the hub on my Industry Nine rear wheel for some needed maintenance. They've been subjected to a wee bit of wet weather and some dry, dusty conditions, and the time was right to tear into it. I'd been meaning to do it for some time now, but with all the stuff we've (The Pie and I) been doing to help settle my mom into her place things have been just a little too busy.

So anyways, I went about the tear down as normal... loosen the 1.5mm set screw, back the dust cover off by hand, and remove the drive side end cap using two 5mm allen keys. Eashy schmeasy. When I inspected the pawls and checked the drive ring I noticed that the grease was no longer looking sexy, so I was due for some inner hub cleansing. I was gonna do it anyways, but I was glad to see that I wasn't wasting my time pulling everything apart. While I was wiping everything down with a rag I noticed something inside the darkness of the hubshell... something strange. It looked like a shim or a label that came loose, something I've never seen before inside an I9 wheel.

I pulled it out.

What is this?

A secret message?

Perhaps I am Industry Nine's one millionth customer. Maybe someone is being held prisoner inside the walls of the I9 castle, and they are being forced to build wheels against their will, and this is their "message in a bottle". Then again it could be that someone very attractive has stuck a secret admirer letter inside my wheel... a very sneaky and mechanically wise blog stalker. Maybe this is my golden ticket, and I will get to visit the Willy Wonka Wheel Factory, oh yeah, I've been there. Well then, what could it be?

Ahhhhh, a love note from I9 grunt Drew Hager. Yes, at one time I did remove three pawls to save weight and friction, and yes I regretted it. It was a racer boy move, and I learned my lesson. Thanks for the reminder Drew. You see folks, having people like Drew in my corner to keep me safe from making stupid mistakes is one of the many advantages of being an sponsored unprofessional cyclist. Maybe some day if you work real hard you could be just like me... some day.

20 comments:

dougyfresh said...

Did you put your love note back in the hub?

drew said...

Now for the rest of you, let's not go opening your hubs to see what note I put in yours. I9 hubs ARE NOT fortune cookies.
Its best done by a trained professional, but your local drunk bike mechanic will do.

Peter Keiller said...

i think, quite possibly, i am in love with industry 9 right now.
maybe just drew.
fucking brilliant.

Big Dave said...

I wonder if the drag of that baggy on the axle is what's been making you so slow this year...???

I would have put a doobie in it!

dicky said...

DF: The note was removed because, as Dave pointed out, that musta been the reason I was so slow in the latter half of the year.

Don't believe Drew. Everybody go check your I9's for love notes and/or golden tickets.

ashley said...

Ok, so I've been reading your blog for awhile now, and I've tried searching the old blog for an answer but apparently I will never have a future with google, because I can't find the answer---why do you refer to your wife as "the pie?"

Anonymous said...

Keep looking Ashley, you'll find it. He told us before, I promise.

Big Bikes said...

That is classic.
Now, you didn't REALLY remove pawls for weight savings did you? Did you? Using alloy rotor bolts or removing half your rotor bolts is the most insane racer-weenie thing I've heard of (other than not drinking beer regularly to actually reduce your body weight).

Why don't you reduce weight by using half as much hydraulic fluid in your disc brakes or by using tires made from rice paper?

-t

Doug Brummett said...

Why the pie? I believe that is a bit of Americana right there for you. Gonna have to dig into the Dicky movie trivia for the answer (if I had to take a guess).

I9 fortunes in the hubshell. That is fantastic!

drew said...

peter said "maybe just drew"

yeah pete, just me. the other guys here are "bears" if you pick up what i am laying down...

i, like dicky here am more of a "twink"

however in love with me or not, you are never going to win the heart of a "twink" until the dissent FE is available in a size small

~Drew

dicky said...

The Pie is short for Honey Bunny Puddin' Pie. Makes life easier on me to just call her The Pie (plus I liking calling out "PIE!" when I can't find her at the grocery store).

I actually pulled out the pawls to reduce resistance (it's an "OK" thing to do, you know), but I instantly missed the faster engagement.

Brandi said...

Classic, moments ago Drew comes into my office and say's "Have you seen Dicky's blog today?"...Now that I see that I remember Drew stuffing that note int there...

dicky said...

Brandi,

You know people are going to be looking inside their hubs now... thanks to Drew.

HW said...

awesome! One more reason to <3 my I9's. Although with hub maintenance right around the corner, I started reading this thinking "Oh crap, its not gonna work out..." HA!

Billy Fehr said...

Drew,
I have loved you longer than Peter...any word on my new wheels??
Bill

wv-devish

Anonymous said...

For some reason, I find the thought of you grocery shopping funny. You should do a blahg about it.

wv: vatchrot. New word for saddle sores, how do i copyright that shit...

mb

kfg said...

"I9 hubs ARE NOT fortune cookies."

NOW you tell me. You owe me the price of a crown.

Anonymous said...

Ok, since we are calling out nicknames, how about Fajita?

dicky said...

Fajita???

Why not? It keeps with the food theme.

fast.fred said...

that is CLASSIC! and even though i am terribly late to the party, i am still going to comment. i am also adding a link to your blog on mine (again - late to the party.)

-i9 vet