Note: if you have not read Day13- Preface, please do so first.
The started out really good. Sunny, cool but not cold temperatures, little to no wind, gently rolling terrain, nice scenery through the evergreen forest along the Priest River. Nearly perfect.
We would cross into Idaho today. It would now be an interstate tour. It took all of 0.65 miles of riding to get to the Idaho border.
We were only going to ride 30 miles today to Sandpoint. I was going to visit a bike shop and have my chain replaced since I was having trouble shifting gears due to the less than lateral stiffness of my current chain. About mile 12 it happened. The crunching noise only a cyclist knows when his chain is wrapping itself around the derailleur and getting caught up in the wheel. My bike came to a very sudden stop. The chain was bound up I had to take the wheel off, remove one of the derailleur pulleys, and tug with all of my might to free the chain. Mission accomplished. Once the wheel was back on the bike, the second problem became apparent. The wheel had been badly tweaked. So bad it would not spin without rubbing on the chain stays.
I tried opening the brakes, but still no go. I resorted to actually removing the rear brake pads altogether. That did the trick, the the wheeled wobbled so bad it looked I was riding a clown bike. But on we went.
After about 8 more miles the bike again seized up again. This time, the rear derailleur exploded. We found most of the parts but needed a small bolt to assemble it again. We could not find it anywhere on the Road. Natalie had some extra parts and one screw had the right threads to jury rig it back together. But I ended up breaking a few spokes this time. One spoke actually pulled through the wheel rim. The wheel was now unfixable. But on we went.
About 5 miles from Sandpoint, the derailleur exploded again. We found the parts but I was only going to be able ride one gear into town. Amazingly, I made it. The bike is now in the bike shop getting a new chain. And a new rear wheel, a new rear derailleur, a new rear cassette, a new front triple chain ring (so long Biopace), and a new bottom bracket.
The good news is the new wheel will be much stronger than the original with 36 spokes instead of the original 32.
Tomorrows agenda is uncertain. I think the bike will be ready mid afternoon so I am not sure if I will ride or not.
I am camped at the fairgrounds which I got to by public transit. For free.
It was still a good day.
Good thing you didn’t have to carry the bike the last 5 miles!
That was my sole goal. To not have to push it or carry it.
Keep up the positive attitude. To say that was a good day is certainly optimistic.
Keep up the positive attitude. To say that was a good day is certainly optimistic.
Must have been a lot of gnashing of gear teeth! Great job using everything but baling wire.
“This is a fine mess you’ve gotten us into this time Ollie”
Glad you stayed safe, the bike repair is only a credit card bill. I’m inmpressed that you had any spare parts to even jury rig your derailleur back together again. Enjoy your unexpected rest day.
Yes a fine mess indeed. It was a minor miracle that I was able to roll into town. The guy at the bike shop said I was lucky it happened when it did. There are not many repair resources until I get to Whitefish, MT which is 4 days away.
Well on the bright side your in a cool town! Glad your bike can be fixed and no body parts were involved or injured (always the nurse) Soon you will be golfing 🏌️ Keep up the good work and bike on… it’s great you had Natalie to help out.
Natalie saved my bacon with her collection of misc spare parts.
Wow! Never a dull moment for you. So glad to hear that your hide is still intact. Once again, safe travels
Very impressive repairs on the road! I know you are that kind of person since you fixed my propane tank.