So I haven't written about any of the mechanical difficulties I've had during this trip, because I've had relatively few...up until yesterday.
In Washington State, I had a flat tire on the second day of my ride. The next flat occurred in Sandpoint, Idaho. I was averaging 1 flat per state and figured I'd be okay if that average stayed the same.
Oh Montana, how I love your Rocky Mountains and grass plains, but I do not love your highway shoulders. Montana gifted me with 6 different flats. By the time I hit North Dakota, my tubes looked like your Granny's quilt.
In Minot, ND, I picked up a new rear tire...a Specialized Armadillo Nimbus...the same kind I rode around NYC for a year on with no problems. It's a little heavier than the tire I was riding on but I don't think I'll be having any more flat tire problems.
Flats are a part of the deal with long distance riding. This isn't why I've complained. You get a flat, you fix it. That's it. Yesterday, however, I suffered a more significant breakdown. I've never seen a wheel fail on a bike before, but during the last 5 miles of my ride into Bemidji, MN (the end of a 115 mile day) I noticed that my rear wheel was out of true. Upon closer inspection, I saw the reason why. the spokes were starting to pull away from the aluminum rim. Big 'ol cracks where appearing and things didn't look good. This wasn't a matter of just trueing the wheel, this was a matter of replacing the wheel entirely.
The next morning, the bike and I wobbled over to The Home Place Bike and Ski Shop on Paul Bunyan Drive and mechanic Jeff assessed the problem and 70 bucks later I have a new rear wheel..."Bomb Proof" said Jeff. Bomb proof...sounds nice, doesn't it? But that's exactly the way D at Sid's described the Mavics we put on my bike.
But again, this set back is minor in perspective. A fellow cyclist that I met in West Glacier two weeks ago died about a week ago when he lost control of his bike and went over a guardrail...and then there's Reverend Carol Cruise www.faithwalk.net. She's a right-leg amputee and is walking the perimeter of the United States. I met her briefly yesterday and despite our philosophical differences, dang if I don't admire her gumption.
Triple digits tomorrow. I'm trying to make Grand Rapids today. We'll see.
3 comments:
the problem with your wheel might not be the rim, but the hub. with my experience of heavy rider touring, you need at least a 40 spoke rear wheel. if you have a wimpy 32 hole hub, you are liable to pull out the spokes no matter how "bomb proof" the rims.
Could be. Could be. Let me add to your theory with my own. My theory is this. The Mavic wheel was built probably for mountain bike racing. Mountain bikes these days are these suspension having Charmin squeezing rides that absorb a lot of shock of the road. My Surly frame is made of steel and extremely rigid. I'm a tinking the aluminium of the rim jes couldn't handle all of the vibration. And there's been a lot of vibration.
Also: Are you calling me fat????
i am by no means calling you fat. i am duly impressed by the number of 100 mile+ days you have logged with a fully loaded bike. in the modern bike industry, anyone over 165 lbs. is considered a heavy rider. as a rule heavy riders should ride 36 hole or greater hubs and avoid light carbon cranks frames and forks as they are not built to bear the stresses that they can produce.
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