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But at least it was a Friday.

I was about half a mile from the office, and just got out of the saddle to hammer up a hill. The first honest clydesdale-pedal-mash of climbing greeted me with an ambiguous and unsettling noise. A click. A loud one. I didn't feel anything through my cranks, so I was doubting it was a bottom bracket failure or anything up front. "Maybe I just hit a rock or something..." I thought to myself.

About half-way up that hill, I hear something else. Fwap-tink-fwap-clatter-tink-CRACK... I look down and see my rear wheel's reflector skidding along the pavement next to me. Relieved that the noises I'd been hearing were just my reflector falling off, I foraged onward...

For about 3 seconds. The fwap-tink noises weren't laying off. Yep. Another broken spoke. The bearings are completely shot in this rear wheel, too. The Twelve needs a new cassette and chain. They're not totally trashed yet, but they'll be entering the "you ran this chain too long" phase here pretty soon.

It's hard to say for sure, but I think I might be done with this bike until I can afford a new rear wheel, cassette and chain. I have more spare (used) spokes than I know what to do with. That's not the problem. I'm just tired of doing half-ass repairs that will keep it on the road for only a few weeks at a time. Besides, winter is supposed to really set in again soon.

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