Day Eleven: Frustration Sets In
Distance traveled: 0 miles :/
Song of the day: Joy Division — Disorder
Took half day off to tour Norfolk with Paul. Slept in, drank coffee, packed up Maggie for day care, then drove (in a car!) to Handsome Biscuit for breakfast sandwiches. Resupplied coffee rations at Cafe Stella and toured modest yet resolute arts district of Norfolk, newly peppered with new restaurants and tech companies. Paul has been instrumental in developing Norfolk’s downtown in a youth-inclusive manner. He ran a pop-up ramen restaurant out of the city’s first food truck; helped launch a maker space; now works as start-up ambassador for city and state. The depth of his roots in Norfolk and Virginia Beach inspire me to try a little harder at finding my own rootedness. Eventually.
Depart from Paul’s house beyond the crest of 1 PM. 30-odd miles to Knotts Island, didn’t research the roads well but we’ll sort it out on the way. Goodbyes and off we go.
Pass the Kebab joint from prior night’s chowfest. Fits and starts of traffic so I opt to board sidewalk.
Then it happens.
Curb had a sharper lip than I’d calculated, no time to turn so I flex legs, preparing for a mid-size bump and rattle.
~~SCRAAAAAAPE!~~
Metal spring-loaded latch on old front pannier jams up on concrete lip. Latch buckles and blows out plastic and metal backing securing the pannier. Metal scrapes up into wheel, shreds up a spoke completely and bends two more, shrapnel spins around inside the wheel.
No fall from saddle — phew — but it’s not good. Investigate the snapped spoke, the rim is pulled out several millimeters where spoke took the blunt impact. The rim appaers slightly distorted — enough to total it completely.
I’m frustrated, disappointed in myself, and shocked I’ve done something so stupid so quickly after leaving Paul’s to throw off our plans. How long will it take to get this fixed!? Lizzie does not like my attitude, tells me hysterics aren’t helping anything. Of course she’s right. Better call Paul.
Paul whips back around in his Mirano, we can barely fit my big ol’ Marrakesh in his trunk but we manage and he sails me back down to REI. Lizzie’s bike can’t fit so she rides.
Wheel stock is thin…closest match is a bulky MTB wheel by Sun Rims, a Rhyno Lite. It’s 9mm thicker than my WTB i19. Paul cheers me up by taking pictures while I mull over what’s the quickest way to get back on the road without too much hassle.
I decide to phone other shops in the area. A ew no goes. Bike Beat is a hit! They’ve got a Mavic XM 119 Disc wheel twenty minutes down the road, same size as bustoed one (19mm). Trash the ruined pannier at REI, Paul dutifully shuttles me to Bike Beat to find out if shoe really fits. Lizzie hangs back at REI.
Bike Beat re-mounts my disk brake rotor on the new wheel, trues it at no cost behind the inventory item price (Kindness everywhere). I set it hrough the front fork — looks like I can get away with quick adjustment to the disk brake calipers, which is GREAT NEWS as fork isn’t bent (not too badly anyway.)
Three hours and the bike is officially repaired.
I’m disappointed Lizzie and I didn’t get to bike today. Then again, I get disappointed extremely easily. Maybe this is a remnant of why I originally opted to take this trip. It seems I’ve forgotten what I set out to do:
Let. It. All. Go.
Having the cutest two-year-old in the world beams when I build her a toy flower makes it easier.
Having Donna’s wit and humor helps too.
Having the most amazing wife in the world gets me the rest of the way.
Having enough money to buy spare parts can’t be discounted.
Paul’s endless support today and stunningly real photographs seals the deal.
Ode to Paul, my personal hero to day. Your patience and generosity put us back in the saddle at 6AM to ride 85 miles down the VA bayside coast. You have a wonderful family and we’ll fondly recall the living room antics and robot repair wars when we’re out in the rain tomor1row. And we’ll keep remembering when the sun warms us back up.
