Got in a short, fun ride today with my buddy Gary and some guy named Chris at the Avalon area of Patapsco State Park (more about which soon). Afterwards, while gently throwing down a Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA—surprisingly good and sporting one of the best labels out there—in the parking lot of CCBC, I happened to look down and notice something odd about G-spot's front wheel: I could very clearly see the elbows of two adjacent and opposing spokes which, while still crossed, were free of their erstwhile snug little homes on the flange and just sort of floating in space.
Hmm. Not good.Yeah, flange failure. A relatively rare (I have to believe) occurrence with three-cross lacing on a hub that hasn't seen that many miles. And at the same time, a true testament to the strength and reliability of such a build (Gary rode on it over technical terrain, rucksack on his back hanging heavy with photog paraphernalia, to finish the ride, and never noticed the damage), especially in light of the continuing trend toward lower spoke-counts and fewer (or no) crossings, all in the name of progress and profit.
Back to King it goes for warranty replacement. Like Gary needs another excuse not to ride...
