I have just had a splurge. Not really a splurge but a shopping list of essential items for my bicycle in order to fix my broken wheel. The total cost is £167 which includes :
- New M:Wheel Shimano Deore/Mavic A319 rear wheel
- New HG50 11-32 8 speed rear cassette ‘stack’
- New Shimano HG50 chain
- Lifeline folding chain rivet extractor
- Park Tool FR5C Cassette removal tool
- Brake blocks for front and rear
- Chain whip tool
- Socks (not ‘strictly’ necessary for the repair ;-))
With the exception of the last item the rest are essential!
Initially I was thinking of taking the bike to the repair shop to get it sorted but I think it will be cheaper this way, plus I can use the tools again when I need to do other repairs. Strictly speaking I didn’t ‘need’ to purchase the new chain and cassette. But I thought that seeing as I have to take the old one from the buckled wheel it would make sense to replace it at the same time. In doing so it is also wise to replace the chain as it wears at the same rate as the cassette.
I looked up the specifications for my Ridgeback and found that the rear cassette was of the 11-32 tooth variety. Wiggle didn’t stock it so I did some searching and found it at SJS Cycles.
I’ve carried out a little reasearch into the procedure and it seems easy enought to do . I even found something on youtube to help.
I started cycle commuting at the beginning of May 2007 and this is my first major bike service so that works out at £6.18 per month. I think you’ll agree that this is not bad at all :-).