Final preparations in Melbourne: Introducing a new friend
The next morning I went to collect my frame from Gripsport and I was pleasantly delighted to see the results of their efforts. The weld had been redone and a gusset had been welded onto and across the chainstays to provide strength to the whole area. With a fresh coat of paint it all looked great and would hopefully last for a long time to come. I was really happy to have a fully functional frame again having come so close to being put out of business, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Gripsport should you ever have the misfortune to have a kangaroo crack your own bicycle.
We spent the rest of the day working on our bikes. I had to put mine back together, whilst Dea tried to align her front derailleur properly so that it wouldn’t rub in any gears, which was a frustratingly difficult task. I wasn’t much help, contributing only such comments as “I hate front derailleurs” and “Who cares if it rubs anyway” and “You should have asked Huw.” But eventually both of our bikes were set up and ready to go.
Another day spent working on our bicycles together
Resting that evening, with the bikes ready to roll, the three of us were all so excited and happy with the anticipation of the journey ahead - a journey that would commence the very next morning. And no, that wasn’t a typo. When I say the three of us, I am of course talking about Dea, myself, and Karen Kangaroo. This was going to be fun!
