Today’s goal once again is to find a final solution for my spoke problem on my rear wheel. Calling around revealed what I was worried about, none of the shops had in stock a wheel that I needed. Of course they could order it, but that would take a minimum of one day but probably more.
I found a solution that would work at Trinity Cyclery. They didn’t have the exact spoke length I needed but they could cut and thread what I needed within an hour. They only cost me about $14 to get 10 of them. This allowed me to replace the five remaining ones that I had not already replaced and still have five spares.
So I went to work replacing them in the local laundromat parking lot while my wife was gracious enough to do my laundry for me. Only time and miles will tell if this spoke fix will work but it gives me the best chance to continue my ride.
Possibly, it’s not a spoke issue at all and may be related to the hub design and cutting into the spoke itself. But I hope this is the last time I need to talk about spokes on this tour.
It was late afternoon before everything was taken care of, but there was still time to ride to my next available stopping point.
After a 10 mile trail period, my wife and I decided to part ways hopefully for good until I return back to our home in about 3 weeks. She’s heading back home and I will have no more wife card to call in.
I rode the remaining 15 miles to Morro Bay State Park. Once again there were strong headwinds but nothing near what I experienced the other day.
I made it to the park with daylight to spare. So after setting up the tent, I was able to do a quick tour of the state park on my bike as well.
The hiker / biker site here are $10. They have a large area designated and probably could support 10 people easily.
Once again I am energized to keep going. I hope my bike wheel doesn’t give me more problems and I can focus on touring instead of bike maintenance and repair.
Ride summary: 3/10 difficulty, 25 miles (+4 at park) with 900 feet (+240) climbing. Mostly clear with heavy hazy and 60s temp. Mild to heavy headwinds. Today’s ride detailed GPS. Tour totals: 706 miles (44 / day). 38,304 climbing feet.
4 responses to “Day 16 – Bicycle Touring Pismo Beach to Morro Bay SP. Final wheel fix (?) and on the road again”
Amazing looking tree, and that parks looks very beautiful.
As you showed, you are at about 44 miles per average. To me 44/day seems pretty good. I’m curious what you had estimated on a high and low side for the overall trip, and what you are hoping for.
I didn’t really have a goal in mind for mileage other than to make it to a planned place to stop. I was trying to go a little quicker while the wife was down in So Cal. But now I’ve got even more time if I want. Having said that I’m already about 5 days longer then my best case plan. I was always planning to add days but this is more than I expected at this point. I would definitely be further without wheel issues. If everything aligns today, I will get some higher mileage.
What you going to do without your wife? You are almost half way to your goal! Keep up the good work, you can do it. Wonder what kind of tree that is that you slept under. I like seeing the wildlife. Hugs to you❣️
Thanks, I hope I can make it without her direct support. I wish I knew plant, tree and animal identification better. Something else to work on.