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| A beautiful Arizona rock formation |
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| Example of excellent road for cyclists, flat, clean, dry, well marked. Enjoy this kind of road...it's not to common on a long distance tour. |
Mathew 8:17
Well, I've had a few good days of riding under my belt and I'm watching the rising full white moon from a warm clear Blyth, CA landscape.
After some challenging days in the wet cold Cuyamaca mountains I made it down into Imperial Valley but not before breaking 5 spokes. Believe it or not I traveled over 60 miles one day with this condition. I was prepared for at least 2 days of walking but thanks to some tremendous tailwinds and a 2,000+ foot descent, I hobbled into El Centro with another rear flat (acquired 2 miles out of town). After some welcome service with owner Paul at El Centro's Finish Line Bike Shop I got a few more miles behind me. *note* I did have some tube liners installed and my wheels trued there. Paul told me my rims, chain and gear cluster were in good shape and the reason for my broken spokes was due to a break in period. All the broken spokes were on the drive side of the rim and the damage was done after a Banner Grade (outside of Julian) descent where my chain lurched off it's cluster and wedged next to the spokes...things could have been a lot worse.
The ride north out of El Centro was a bit nightmarish on Dogwood Road with little to no bike lane along with plenty of 55+mph traffic, including trucks.
I've been noticing a lot of play in my rear wheel and the pedaling has been tough with some undesirable sounds. Lo and behold! I've noticed several loose spokes, now, I get to monitor them too. I'm considering investing in some higher end touring rims so these wheel problems will hopefully cease.The Phoenix metro area will be the area where that transition will be made. There will certainly be some challenging mountains and miles between here and there.
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