Day 483
The rim tape strikes back
We limped downhill to our campsite in Three Rivers. 50 plus exhilarating miles in the bag. Some of the most awesome scenery we have ever seen, descending on a road that defies description, yet our spirits had never been so low. We Googled bike shops. Maybe we should just cut our losses and get a new rim, but when and where? Mostly importantly we still needed to solve this puzzle. Tom put together a series of photos that we planned to send off to Richard at Oxford Bike works in the morning. I also thought of ringing the walking encyclopaedia of cycle issues, my ex Ian. He is always very supportive and I just wished we could pop the bike over to him. I sent Richard a quick email explaining our dilemma, photos to follow and went to sleep. In the morning, he had replied, no photos needed. He knew what was the issue, had experienced it before. For the rim we had we needed nothing wider than a 16mm rim strip and ideally the brand Schwalbe. Only available in a 50 metre roll, handy! Tom then announced that Three Rivers has a repair-only bike shop. I looked at their website and was impressed. This guy, another Tom, appeared to know what he was talking about and used to working on high end bikes... maybe the solution to our problem was actually on hand? Oh fickle finger of fate, were you working your magic again? Frank, one of our Warmshowers hosts reached out with the offer of help from a friend of his too. Turns out Karl works in Three Rivers and was available to offer bike support and even bed and board if we needed to hang about. Thanks guys!
We cycled to the shop. It was all shut up, but a passer-by spotted us on our bikes, and on checking we needed the shop, called the owner and confirmed he would be there at 11am. Again... only in America! Tom (6) arrived. He listened to our tale of woe and took Tom’s bike. Like a worried mother I anxiously pointed out the Rohloff hub but he clearly knew what he was doing and I calmed down. Did he understand the issue, yes. Did he have what we needed, yes (seriously in all the bike shops in all the small towns in all of the USA and we had to walk into this one!). Expertly he worked his magic. So confident were we that we asked him to service the bikes. I felt so guilty, my job is to keep on top of the bikes but though I do the basics, or instruct Tom to, I never seem to have the energy to go the extra necessary mile. We had planned to get them checked over before we left the States but even so I felt I wasn’t holding up my part of the bargain. We went off for lunch and returned to two serviced and gleaming bikes... tomorrow we hit the road towards Mexico... puncture free we hope.
After a coffee with our lovely camp host we hit the road. The plan was 95 miles to Bakersville. We were so focused on punctures the stunning route took us by surprise. We were cycling besides Lake Kaweah. Suddenly we were seeing California painted green. What a transformation! Even though I am a bit under the weather with a bit of a head cold we were flying along. We soon had nearly 30 miles in the bag and were thinking about food! Then it happened, another rear wheel puncture in Tom’s bike. We could barely believe it, maybe it would be a normal puncture, a piece of metal or glass? Please. No, it was the dreaded rim tape slit. Tom was as calm as anything whilst I had a mini-strop amidst an orange grove! We fixed it and limped to the nearest town, what the heck should we do now. I messaged Tom 6 that we were stuck yet again. We booked into a cheap motel and pondered on our dilemma. Tom started researching the issue now we had wi-fi and I messaged my USA support network. Robert in SF announced he had rims and a workshop available, Karl who I’ve yet to meet offered lunch, accommodation and tools, and even the President of United States, ah, sorry typo, President of Fresno Cycling club Dennis, a friend of WS Frank got in touch with an offer of help. Tom 6, even though he was out celebrating his birthday rang us and arranged to pop over in the morning, and fix this dam wheel once and for all! Phew, what a team.
So, it’s tomorrow morning now. Tom 6 arrived with his tools of the trade. Both Tom’s wheels have been rim taped to within an inch of their lives with Gorilla tape... surely it’s all over now? Please.
