Suddenly my luck has run out, and I’ve got three moderately serious mechanical issues that are likely going to keep us in Croatia longer than expected. It’s not a bad place to be stuck, I have to admit, but I’d rather be on the road cycling or at the beach swimming vs. fixing my bike.
- The spring in one of my Crankbrothers Eggbeater pedals suddenly broke, meaning the pedal no longer clips onto my shoe. I’m a bit disappointed that these fancy pedals lasted less than a year, so I’m looking to go back to regular SPD pedals, which are standard almost everywhere. I can still pedal on the pedal but it’s very uncomfortable and my foot slips around a lot. Amazingly, for a city of 300,000 people, Dubrovnik has precisely 0 bicycle shops! So the only pedals I can find here are the flat variety, which would get me going again, but given that we may not have a good bike shop again for a few months, I need a better solution.
- In the process of diagnosing why my pedal wouldn’t clip in, I first decided to replace my cleats, which were just about toast anyway. However, one of the bolts was so tight that it completely stripped when I tried to remove it. A friendly mechanic on Korčula helped me drill it out, but in the process, the plate that attaches to the shoe became warped so that it is painful to walk in and uncomfortable to cycle in. So I need a new cycle shoe, but again, no cycling shops in Dubrovnik. We called around to a few locals and talked to some mechanics, and no one knew where to get these things.
- Meanwhile, my prescription cycling sunglass lenses have been slowly cracking on one corner. Finally the crack became bad enough that I tried to repair it to no avail, and tonight they’ve completely broken and will no longer stay in the frame.
So, the closest decent cycling shop is a 3 hour car drive to Split. We’ve got a rental car reserved and will head up there tomorrow to get new cycling shoes and pedals, after we hobble our way 50km to Dubrovnik with my one-legged cycling. Then I’ve got to find an optical shop to get some new prescription sunglasses. Hoping we can get a quick turnaround on those, but if not, we might just camp on the beach somewhere nearby until they are ready. Wouldn’t be a bad excuse for a beach holiday near Dubrovnik…
Reminds me of time, passing through some remote village in Spain, one of my SPD plates came loose; I’d lost a bolt. Then discovered I wasn’t carrying the right-sized Allen key. Shade, eat then think! I heard voices, followed the sound and found two very helpful locals. They GAVE me an Allen key then followed me to the next town to ensure I tried the tasty water from the town’s ‘famous’ fuente! Then I found a mechanic who suppiied me with a screw to hold the shoeplate. Game on!
Awesome luck!!
Good luck in getting everything rectified. Sorry to hear about these issues. Take care and don’t stress too much. Is there a quote that says “all things happen for a reason.” Now, I didn’t have to say that!!!
Love you both,
Mom Carnes
Loving that you’re maintaining high spirits and good humor throughout. It’s all part of the adventure!! Love you both!! Lisa
You will, in some further off locale, look back on this, recalling the Dubrovnik affair.
It’s all just a part of the journey.
All will be solved and continue you will.
Thinking of you both.
Hi Tim , have you considered taking the Ferry to Split? You could take your bike it takes 3 hours
Nigel from Oz
Good thought, I just looked into it. Bikes aren’t permitted on the catamaran ferries, unfortunately, so we’d have to take the 14 hour ferry with the bikes. I could go without the bikes and leave them in a hotel in Dubrovnik, but the ferry times would require us to stay overnight in Split, meaning we’d pay for two hotels, one in Dubrovnik where the bikes are, and one in Split.
Considering what your bikes have done is a breakage now such a bad thing ? I guess you now know what extra part/ weight you may have to carry …. I’m in the Philippines riding faster than the cars! Training for a big November ride in Oz ….. I print out your reports occasionally and put them on the cafe notice board … if you get to Busselton you’ll be celebrities!!!