Puzzling Evidence
Last night I repacked the rear wheel bearings on my Fuji road bike restoration project. I had never repacked loose bearings on any bike, much less any road bike. So I was very careful. Even though my workshop is in my garage, I repacked the wheel at my dining room table for the better light, the AC and my wifes company. I did it right: I know I did. I had my wife take a look inside the cup before I packed the grease. She’s pretty crafty, and her input on projects is helpful. So I finished it and reassembled the wheel. Hooray for me! I’m almost done with this project.
Then this evening, when I was sweeping the dog hair around on our wooden floors about five feet from where I rebuilt the wheel, I found it:
Criminy! “No way”, I cried aloud to my wife. She concurred. She stated that she watched me, and that no ball bearings hit the floor. And yet……there was this puzzling evidence.
I reluctantly reopened the wheel. This ball bearing was the same size as the others. It was difficult to see with all of the grease, but both sides appeared to contain the correct amount of bearings, and each side held the same amount.
I put the wheel back together. I don’t get it. I really don’t. If not from this wheel, where did this ball bearing come from?
Maybe if I go to bed, the ball bearing won’t be there in the morning.
-H
Perhaps it is a visit from the bearing fairy…
I sure hope so! Or maybe my dog brought it in from the yard. And who doesn’t have a few loose bearings lying around the floor of their house, anyway?
-H
ON THE OTHER HAND, maybe it fell out from the other wheel and you should disassemble that one to count and see if the number of bearings matches. ;-) (just kidding)
If it makes you feel any better, you were wise to do it in the dining room. One time I did it out on my front porch and, sure enough, a bearing flew into the garden. It took a LONG time to find. Your only mistake was not to sweep the floor before starting. Had you found the stray bearing, you’d have wondered, but nothing more. Sweeping in advance would have had the side benefit of your wife encouraging bike work in other rooms of the house.
That hole in it makes it look like it’s not for a bicycle. Or even if it was a hub BB at some point it’s gonna be terrible now with that hole in it. Maybe it came from a sliding door track or cabinet drawer.
I think it fell out of one of Hubbard’s firearms.