Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Jestream: Resurrection

A year in hypersleep...

The bike in its "tomb"...
I last rode my Dahon Jetstream EX in Cambodia.
That was more than a year ago. Ever since I packed the bike in a suitcase, it never saw the light of day.
Until the time came for the bike to be revived for its task. I have a ride in the North next month and the Jetstream fits the bill for a bikepacking adventure.

Unpacked: the Jetstream had laid dormant for a year...
The trouble with lock nuts...

I must have done things wrong in Siem Reap. Seems that I didn't fit the rear hub properly, causing the wheel to be misaligned with the disk brake calipers. This caused brake drag and it was truly unpleasant.
Such - is the perils of packing a bike in a suitcase. But it was also a good learning experience.
I later realised that there is a notch for the hub to be fitted before the lock nut can be tightened.

2016 maiden ride

The Jet at Nissan's service centre

At KTM Subang station

Never seem to get tired of this bike...
After assembling the Jet, I packed it into my car. I brought it along to the car service centre and I rode off to Subang Jaya while the vehicle was being attended to. 
The idea was to get back on the 20" bike and whizz around the township. When I reached my destination in SS15, I noticed a sharp snapping sound.
A truck carrying eggs was too close to me. I jammed the brakes and that was when I realised that I have snapped a spoke.

Built to survive...

The broken spoke

Fixing the wheel...
I trust my Jet and it has taken me to places that are considered extreme in many ways. The last time I busted a spoke, it was in Indonesia. Despite having a missing piece, the bike continued without any further damage to the wheel.
I rode back to the service centre, packed in the bike and headed off to Johnny Ng's shop to have the broken spoke replaced.
The Jet's kinetic pro wheelset is as tough as the bike itself. The rim wasn't warped and I was lucky to have it back on the road.
Way I see it, the Jet has a lot of saddle time ahead as it is still in a good shape!


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