Tuesday, September 30 – Lancaster to Coschocton
A hoped for fast care-free ride – but not the case!
It started off well. A great
breakfast at the fine Shaw’s Inn (even had gluten free bread). We rode well but not that far—i.e., we got in
about 4 miles when Rob’s crank started disassembling itself. This is the part of the bike that holds the
three front chain rings together, with six sleeved bolts.
Upon feeling a wobble, Rob dismounted and quickly assessed the situation. Only three bolt sets were intact. One set was completely missing, and two other sets had pieces missing. Rob carries parts, but not enough, it seems. But he was able to manufacture a solution to make the bike rideable, so we soldiered on for another 34 miles to the next bike store, Three Sixty Bike Shop, in Zanesville, Ohio.
The owner, Anson, had a functional crank in his parts box that, while not a perfect fit, will get us through our journey to Bangor. Then, to help us stay on our tight schedule, and to avoid the rain that had begun before we arrived in Zanesville, he gave us a ride to the Roscoe Motor Inn in Coshocton where we had reservations. We had a nice dinner at the nearby, well-frequented, Edie Ryan’s Family Restaurant, and hunkered down for the night.
The 34 mile ride remained challenging with big Ohio hills continuing to frequently appear in front of us. It is hard to capture the essence of a big hill in photo. This one is close. Note Diane appearing over the crest of the hill... you know it is steep when the last thing you see is the bike.
Over the years of biking, Diane has given me the nickname of Mechanic Man. A term of endearment she says in recognition of being able to fix our bicycles on the road. While I was again able to live up to the nickname, this was an instance of a "Mechanic Man Fail." One of first rules of successful long term touring is check your bikes each night for potential issues - such as loose bolts etc. If I had followed that rule, the crank would have never been a problem. Definitely my bad. - Rob
The Crank with the jury-rigged bolts. Note the correct configuration is seen in the bottom right corner of this photo.
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Upon feeling a wobble, Rob dismounted and quickly assessed the situation. Only three bolt sets were intact. One set was completely missing, and two other sets had pieces missing. Rob carries parts, but not enough, it seems. But he was able to manufacture a solution to make the bike rideable, so we soldiered on for another 34 miles to the next bike store, Three Sixty Bike Shop, in Zanesville, Ohio.
The owner, Anson, had a functional crank in his parts box that, while not a perfect fit, will get us through our journey to Bangor. Then, to help us stay on our tight schedule, and to avoid the rain that had begun before we arrived in Zanesville, he gave us a ride to the Roscoe Motor Inn in Coshocton where we had reservations. We had a nice dinner at the nearby, well-frequented, Edie Ryan’s Family Restaurant, and hunkered down for the night.
The 34 mile ride remained challenging with big Ohio hills continuing to frequently appear in front of us. It is hard to capture the essence of a big hill in photo. This one is close. Note Diane appearing over the crest of the hill... you know it is steep when the last thing you see is the bike.
Over the years of biking, Diane has given me the nickname of Mechanic Man. A term of endearment she says in recognition of being able to fix our bicycles on the road. While I was again able to live up to the nickname, this was an instance of a "Mechanic Man Fail." One of first rules of successful long term touring is check your bikes each night for potential issues - such as loose bolts etc. If I had followed that rule, the crank would have never been a problem. Definitely my bad. - Rob
The Crank with the jury-rigged bolts. Note the correct configuration is seen in the bottom right corner of this photo.
Long distance touring is also taxing on bicycling attire. Diane has now gone through another set of gloves. She has a peculiar way wearing out her gloves. She say it comes from hanging on for dear live as trucks and RVs whiz by her on narrow roads.
To finish on a happier note, look at this "road repair as art" shot. This crazy string configuration of tar on pavement went on for over a mile but only on side of the road.... and the tar was not associated with cracks in the road. Go figure.
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