SF:SD Santa Cruz to Big Sur (State Park)

Today’s blog will be posted later when we have internet access.

Click on any photo for a larger image.

Today (Tuesday) is supposed to be the most beautiful ride along the “Seventeen Mile Drive”. The drive is in forests of old large trees and along the Pacific Ocean.  It has 6 golf courses, including Pebbles Beach, and is the home to homes mostly over $10,000,000.  Last year an empty lot was listed at $8,000,000.

But once again we have a dreary and cloudy day. Hopes for spectacular photos diminish; I decide to switch the camera to Black and White.

 

 

It’s only day four of the tour but we’ve had a lot of mechanical problems.

1. On day one, Debbie and Henry’s Dallas tandem falls over while they were taking a picture and then won’t shift properly.  A mechanic straightens the derailleur hanger and the problem is fixed.
2. Jack (Colorado) had his bike overhauled before the trip but on day one had an intermittent groaning sound. A mechanic discovered the rear wheel bearings were not properly adjusted. Or maybe the quick release skewers are not properly tensioned.
3. Judy (California) had shifting problems. One mechanic adjusted it and it was ok for 10 miles. Then the rear derailleur wouldn’t shift at all. An Amgen mechanic was passing by and stopped to help. He discovered her front bag was stressing the cables and the rear derailleur cable was completely broken.
4. Late in the day on Sunday Bob (Mass) had a broken spring in his rear Campy shifter. He found a bike store (4:00 pm on Sunday) which had the part and the mechanic stayed late to rebuild the shifter.
5. On Tuesday Rachel (Toronto) had shifting problems which also turned out to be a bent derailleur hanger, probably from shipping the bike.
6. Today was my turn. We left a coffee shop in Carmel and I heard some rattling going down the hill. But everything seemed to work ok. We stopped at Safeway to use the restroom. When leaving the store, while pushing the bike I discovered the rear brake pads rubbing. I got my tool to adjust it and discovered I couldn’t. I suspected a broken spoke but discovered something far worse – the hub in my rear wheel was broken.  Fortunately a bike store was within a quarter mile.  They didn’t have any wheels but took one from their bikes. Of course I didn’t get the Bike Mart discount but am the proud owner of a new $300 Bontrager Race Light rear wheel. I’ll get a matching front wheel in Dallas.

So my question is: how many of these problems could have been prevented?