Trouble

So I was riding along in Tioga, PA and I heard a gunshot and then felt an impact. This all happened as I noticed an object in the road I couldn't see until I was upon it. I swerved and missed it with the front wheel but clipped it with the back wheel. As I hit it the gunshot sounded, the object flew across the road and my tire went flat. I walked my bike a block to the nearest parking lot to assess the damage.

As I did this three men offered their help, two of them telling me where they live and to stop by if need be. This was very encouraging since I was about 25 miles from the nearest shop.

I unloaded the bike and began to assess the damage. The rear tire was slashed about 2/3 around, along with the tube having four major holes in it. The rim had a divot, was untrue, and had a hole blew through the rim tape - which meant there was probably further damage done there. As I looked around the rim I noticed scratches but didn't want to jinx my luck by assessing if these were cracks or not. The divot needed to be sanded down to allow the tire to seat and not be cut. I pulled out my tube patching kit and took the tiny sheet of sand paper to the rim. I then got out my first aid kit and taped over the rim tape. Thanks to the disc brakes I didn't have to true the wheel right there. It wasn't good, but it was rideable. I put on a new tube and tire, did a small test ride, then loaded up and prayed for the best.

It rode okay but I remained nervous all the way to ithaca. Along the way I got two more flats. Thankfully I made it safely. Along the way I called my contact at trek, Eric, and checked about getting some assistance with a shop choice. They had one shop in town, called them up and got me in the next day. I dropped it off and less than an hour later I had a verdict. The rim was cracked and needed replaced, along with some other smaller things I knew were getting ready for work. The Bike Rack called up trek and they were going to overnight the rim and other parts. I headed back to my campsite and relaxed for the day.

Today I took my bike to the shop and left it for a few hours. When I came back I had a new rim, new cassette and chain, new tubes and tires, greased bearings, a new bottom bracket, and a new brake cable as well as a wiped down bike. This is the first major tuneup the bike has had in 12,000 miles and the shop was impressed on how good it all was. Most of that all is normal wear.

I NEED TO GIVE A BIG SHOUT OF THANKS TO TREK FOR FOOTING THE BILL AND THE BIKE RACK OF ITHACA, NY FOR THE SPEEDY SERVICE!