Everywhere Virtually

If I was the God fearing suspicious type I’d swear something was trying to stop me riding to the continent. First the tendons in my wrist swell up last Thursday requiring me to visit A&E and get a splint.

I also need tyres for the bike. I thought 3 weeks would be a good lead time to get tyres sorted… NO. Apparently not. I wont name names but I have tried a few sources. They either have the front tyre but not the rear and visa versa. Or they cant fit me in for fitting. Or the price is too high. So of course with the way things have been work wise recently one more week slips by.

Again I go on a hunt for the illusive tyres. I’d have had an easier time sourcing the gold of Eldorado. The problem is my large 21″ front wheel.

Anyway I finally source the tyres on Sunday evening and I place an order. It means I will have to fit them myself which is not ideal.

1. I’ve never fitted bike tyres before
2. my busted wrist means I may not have the required strength to lever the tyres on and off the rim
3. I have no means of balancing them
4. I’m under time pressure to set off.

All those points aside the tyres were set to arrive this morning. Yesterday I get an email saying. the tyres I have ordered are in a different warehouse. To save me £6.95 postage the tyre people thought they would send one tyre to their other warehouse and then mail them off to me together. Cautiously I thanked them for saving me money but In reality I’d rather have the tyres in my hand. I don’t care where they come from. for the sake of £7 I’d rather have them in my possession.

Well of course my concerns were realised today when a representative from the tyre place called me up.

“Hi Mr Fox, we are calling because your tyre arrived at the warehouse at 3:30pm today.” “Great” I said. “Unfortunately our courier had already left at 3pm” “ahhh” I said. “We will mail them off tomorrow and you’ll have them by Thursday“. “I’m leaving on Thursday” I said. *silence*. From that point on I hurried the civilities along and just wanted to get off the phone before I had a full on rant. This leaves me now with a micro time margin. I need those new tyres to be on the bike and while I know some of the dakar riders cans change two tyres in less than 10 minutes I am sadly not so gifted.

It will all work out one way or another but I really would like a day without layers upon layers of stress. Just a simple day where you can hop on the bike and go. If the tyres are to be fitted it means I cant load the bike. I see the scenario now… me sweating like a maniac, running up and down 5 flights of stairs from the apartment to the garage and back again with tyre levers and gear.

onwards and upwards

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