Well, I won’t be riding my bike for a while. In light of the aforementioned bearing problem and the ongoing bent wheel issue I decided to order a new set of wheels, and a front brake to match the Avid BB7 fitted last night.
I ended up ordering this Shimano XT M756 / Mavic XC 717 wheelset which was $239.98, and a 160mm Front version of the 2007 Avid BB7 for $54.98.
So, now I just wait. It’ll probably be a week or so before I get the brake and wheels, and I’ll only have a usable bike after I put all of that together. Unfortunately I’m already antsy to ride more.
Even if I were to put what I have back together the front bearing would require some special wrenches and lots of time to adjust the bearings, and they’d be really questionable.