More wheel trouble

The problem with my front wheel was that the brake pad had worn much of the way through the rim. I had the same thing happening with my rear wheel, and soon after getting back on the road after Elko I began kicking myself for not getting a rear wheel as well. This was especially going to be an issue because my route included an 80 mile section of dirt roads.

Sure enough, halfway through the dirt road I noticed a crack developing in my rear rim. This time I was sure I was screwed as not only most of my weight rests on the rear wheel but the road conditions were especially bouncy and certain to stress the wheel past the breaking point. Lacking other options, I continued biking, figuring that I would either have to catch another ride or walk out once the wheel failed.



I continued down the road. I didn't even want to look at the wheel, so I kept going, fighting the wind as usual and steering clear of the large amounts of mining traffic that kept bouncing along the road. The kept holding and kept pedaling until I actually made it to the pavement at the end. The wheel continued to hold until I got all the way to Winnemucca, a town where I had contacted a Henry through the warm showers website. Not only did Henry agree to host me for the night, but he had a basement full of bikes and bike parts.



Henry on our ride out of town.

He was confident the local bike shop would have a suitable wheel for me, but it seemed he would certainly have one if that option failed. To top it all off, Henry turned out to be the most bike-intensive person I have ever met. His knowledge of bike mechanics was encyclopedic, but he had himself done numerous trips including many endurance bike races. For instance, he biked across Australia in a matter of two or three weeks. He did a bike race in Alaska that follows the Iditarod. It's a 250 mile course and he finished in third place with a time of about 24 hours. Suddenly, my 100 mile days didn't seem so impressive.



Best of all for me, however, was the fact that Henry appreciated how biking all day makes one hungry. He fed me plate after plate of food. For dinner we had a three course meal, then later bought ice cream. Breakfast was huge, as was lunch. I left his home at around 1:30pm but didn't have to eat again until 6:00pm, which is incredible as I usually have to stop at least every two hours for food.

When the bike shop did not have a suitable wheel Henry lent me a 26" to haul with me if my breaking wheel finally fell apart. My wheel made it all the way, however, and quite incredibly. I now have a new wheel and am set for the next leg of the journey.