Dominik Scherer's Wheel Replaced

By the time I read Dominik's request for help all the bike shops in Albuquerque were closed except for Performance. However, in order to get a new 29er wheel for Dominik they wanted me to buy a whole new bike. They do not stock 29er wheels, and the last time I was in there I overheard someone being told that they don't stock 29er tires or tubes. Hummm?

I felt a little bit like a stock broker with 2 phones going to Dominik and Performance Bicycles simultaneously. I relayed the bad news to Dominik and then hung up the other phone to Performance.

Then I started thinking out loud. What kind of brakes do you have? Disk. Center lock? Yes. What size rotor? Six inch. Finally I told him, "I have a brand new Sun Rhino Lite 26 rim, but I have not taken it out of the plastic. So I have not tuned it or repacked the bearings. Sometimes these cheap machine built wheels are good from the get-go, but more often I spend a couple of hours bringing them up to my specs."

"Another option is that I'll just pop the rear wheel off the bike I just rode from Antelope Wells to Horca. It is also a 26 inch Sun Rhino Lite wheel, but the spokes are tuned, the wheel is true, the bearings and freewheel have been cleaned and repacked. It has a 185 mm rotor on it right now, but I am sure I have a 160 mm 6 bolt in the garage. It has a Schwalbe Marathon XR tire, with a Schwalbe tube, a Spin Skin Kevlar tube protector and 2 ounces of Stan's sealant. I have only ridden on that tire and tube from Grants to Horca. It weighs 6 pounds. I am not kidding. I have actually weighed it, cassette, rotor, tire, tube, sealant the whole thing weighs a full freakin 6 pounds! I will say that it is great on the downhills, it is terrible in the sand, it shoots rocks out like a Winchester rife, and it knows the way to Antelope Wells."

Dominik told me, "In Germany I am a bicycle mechanic." "I know all about that wheel. It is very strong. Heavy, I don't care. The Schwalbe Marathon XR is a great tire. PERFECT!!!"

I cleared my plan with the Mrs, packed up, and headed to Abiquiu. When I got there the front desk was already closed, but there were people inside cleaning. Fortunately, the manager was still there too and let me in. The computers were shut down, and although she knew who Dominik was, the restraurant was closed so he was not camped in there anymore. After shuffling through stacks of receipts she determined that he was in #11. A few minutes later the 29er to 69er Frankenbike transformation began. Twice I suggested that he readjust the tilt on his seat, but he didn't. So if his voice starts sounding a little higher pitched in the call-ins, that may have something to do with it. An hour later, as Adrian pulled in, I headed back to ABQ.

I got home at 1 am, and slept in to 5:30 am. Round trip was 210 miles, and the drive time was about 4 hours. He is flying out of Albuquerque, so we will switch the wheels back out when he gets up here from Antelope Wells. I insisted that he stay with us, and all I ask is that he help someone else out sometime. The world will be a better place if we all do that more often. Peace.