Category Archives: Break Downs

Day 24: Houston, We Have A Problem

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Bob called me tonight to let me know he was packing it in. He didn’t quit — his bike did.

oops!

It had rained again today and when it had quit, Bob was moving his bike when he noticed something was wrong with his rear wheel. He looked close and found it was way out-of-round. One spoke was broken and the wheel needed to be trued. There was a hostel nearby just for bike campers called Perry’s.

Bob called and a woman answered, who turned out to be Perry. She asked where Bob was. He told her and she said she could pick him and the bike up in 15 minutes. He was surprised, but asked if she could pick him up in 30 minutes because he had just started to pack! She was there in 30 minutes.

Perry took him to a bike shop and the guy there said it would cost $250 to get his bike back in shape to ride. Bob knew then the ride was over; he had only paid $200 for the entire bike back in Florida. The guy at the bike shop said he would buy the frame for $150. Bob thought about it for a micro-second and said, “Sold!”

Bob told me he had put up with as much rain as he could and to get back almost what he paid for his bike, “It was a no brainer.”

He also said he was SO impressed with the people at Perry’s and the way they treated him. They are really great people and he appreciated all their hospitality and help.

Bob called his son in Houston and he will drive over tonight, stay the night with him and they’ll drive back to Houston today.

Bob has no regrets. He said he got in 800 miles and knows he could have finished the ride and will probably try it again. He will hang out in Houston with his son and just enjoy.

Bob is a class guy I would be proud to ride with anywhere, anytime.

Thanks, Bob!

I’m going to work this next week on filling-in some details of our ride together, complete with the photos and videos I brought back with me. I hope you’ll enjoy the visuals. Thanks for ‘riding along’ with us — and with Bob — and all of your encouragement and support. It meant a lot to both of us.

Until my next update,
Chuck

Day 3: Flat Tires & Jumping Through Hoops

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Post by Chuck! 🙂

Day 3: Gainesville to Ichetucknee Springs, FL
50 miles

Thanks again to our Warm Showers host, Tom Harris. He’s really funny, interesting, and just a super guy! Below is a video of Tom and his talented cat, Leo. I think Leo thinks he’s a dog. He knows how to sit and jump through hoops! Not many cats do that.

Today was a rough day. We started off good, and rode on to Alachua again and stopped at our favorite Subway again. Bob got a flat tire five miles after Alachua. He changed it, then we rode on.

First flat (Bob)

First flat (Bob)

Bob got a flat tire again. I gave him one of my tubes, but it wouldn’t hold air. We checked the tire again but saw nothing there. We kept looking and found a little piece of metal in the wheel. We filed it down and so far the tire is doing okay.

2nd flat (Bob)

2nd flat tire (Bob)

It was a good ride. Not as hectic as yesterday. We only had problems twice, but it’s not a five minute tire change. You have to take stuff off. You have to take the trailer off so you can turn the bike over.

We only went about 50 miles today. We’re at Ichetucknee Springs. People at the campground are so friendly. I don’t have any phone signal, but do have free WiFi from the campground. Bob has a phone signal — of course his phone is Verizon. I’m going to have to get a Verizon phone someday. Thanks to Bob, he let me use it to give Cheryl a call tonight.

Our Ichetucknee Campsite

I’m really feeling good. I’m glad. The training really helped. The weather shows for rain tomorrow. I’ll get online later to check the weather reports and see what we’ll be doing. It may be a short day.

Day 2: Brake Cables and Warm Showers

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Cheryl updating again tonight for Chuck with info from his phone call.

Day 2: Keystone Heights to Gainesville, FL
53 miles

Chuck called tonight with news that they guys didn’t make it to their original destination of Alachua today due to rain and bike repairs. They had to take advantage of the accommodations provided by Warm Showers, a network of cyclists for reciprocal hospitality for touring bicyclists.

So tonight the guys are staying at the home of Tom Harris, who Chuck says is a really nice guy. He also has a cat, Leo, that can do tricks, including jumping through a hoop! Chuck emailed a picture of their host, but says he’ll have to send the rest of his pictures and video of Leo’s tricks later.

Our fantastic host: Tom and his cat, Leo.

Tom’s house and property is very nice are quite large, and it took the guys about 30 minutes of traveling through the woods from the bike trail just to get to it, but he said it was well worth it under the circumstances and they really appreciate Tom’s hospitality.

Bob on the trail to Tom's house

Bob on the trail to Tom's house

After starting out from Keystone Heights, Chuck and the guys rode part of the way today on the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Park Trail. Around lunch time they stopped in the town of Hampton and ate at Subway. There was a big, black cloud right on top of them, so they thought it was a good time for a break. Bob said, “Come on rain! Rain hard!” Chuck asked him why he was rooting for rain, especially a hard rain. Bob told him that if it rained hard and fast, it would probably rain itself out quicker and they wouldn’t have to worry about it again. Turns out, that’s exactly what happened.

The skies opened up and it poured while they guys ate lunch, staying dry in Subway. It was still raining some when they finished, so they walked over under the overhang in the shopping center to a grocery store and got something for tonight’s dinner.

Bob persuaded Chuck to buy a mircrowave version of Macaroni and Cheese and just use boiling water to prepare it. We tried that before to see how it might work on the road. We were less than impressed and it was barely edible. I’m surprised Chuck agreed. Turns out it worked out perfectly though, because Tom had a microwave and Chuck cooked it the way it’s supposed to be cooked. Again, from experience, Kraft microwavable Mac & Cheese is actually pretty good when cooked per the package instructions.

Once back out on the road, they headed towards Alachua, but when they got into Gainesville they had a mechanical problem.

The guys were stopped at a traffic signal and the road was clear and the light was in their favor, however the crossing signal was red. Chuck slowed to stop, but Bob did not and he tried to stop, but his brake cable was broken. Bob didn’t fall, but they needed to get the brake cable fixed. It wasn’t repairable with their tools and supplies, so they rode around Gainesville in search of a bike shop. They found one on University Avenue and got the cable replaced, but it took a while, putting them behind schedule.

Knowing that they wouldn’t make their destination that night, they checked the Warm Showers network to see if there were any nearby participants. Finding Tom, they had to backtrack to the trail to get to his house — a few extra miles, but necessary under the circumstances.

Everyone is safe and dry and resting up to start again tomorrow morning from Gainesville, FL to (hopefully) Ichetucknee Springs.