March 1, 2008
Ao Leuk - Phang Nga: A broken spoke and Highway 4
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
We wake up to a pretty day, no more rain clouds. However, we don't get very far before Janos discovers a broken spoke. Ao Leuk has several motorcycle shops but no bike shops. Fortunately Janos has an emergency spoke made of pliable wire that can be installed without removing the cassette or brake. That should do the trick.
But we aren't let off that easily. The spoke has broken in the middle and the end is stuck stubbornly in the flange. Janos takes his wheel in hand and walks to a motorbike shop. With a great deal of determination and an hour and a half of work, but almost no tools to speak of, the mechanics are able to remove the broken piece of spoke and Janos can thread the emergency spoke into the wheel and do a temporary truing. We have two more days of cycling before the end of our trip, no bike shops in sight, and we have our fingers crossed.
It's past eleven when we are ready to leave and we see Charles again, riding the same route a day behind us. We have a chat, exchange some more information, take a picture and say good-bye.
The ride today is again beautiful except for the scorching sun and the last 20 kilometers on the busy Highway 4. In Phang Nga we take a room at the very pleasant Phang Nga Inn and recover from the heat.
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |