Consecutive work commute number 519: Pretty nice morning. 38F with a light headwind. Sun was shining.

The wind is supposed to pick up a little (South Dakota; no surprise) but stay in the same direction, which means I should have a tailwind. Because of this I opted to ride the fixed gear bike, as I'd much rather fight the wind on the way to work and have an easy ride home.

Was about 1/3 mile from the office and waiting to turn left off of the MUP exit onto the street. I got a break in traffic and started cranking on the fixie when suddenly the pedals and rear wheel locked up. I wasn't yet going very fast and started to tip over. Somehow I managed to get my shoe unclipped and my foot down in time and stayed upright.

It turns out the rear wheel somehow came loose in the dropouts and turned sideways, jamming the tire against the frame and bringing me to a (literal) screeching halt. I pulled out my wrench and made some adjustments on the side of the road which were enough to get me to the office. After I arrived I noticed the wheel wasn't perfectly centered so I was going to tweak it a little better. Then I notice the dust cover over the bearing came loose and is just hanging on the rear axle. I decided I'll just ride it as-is home tonight and then fix the whole thing at once when I have the convenience of my repair stand.