It is after dinner here at Memorial Baptist Church, where we are the guests of Pastor Michael Boyle and his young family, in Parkston SD. I was met by son Michael Jr., worldly beyond his nine years. I was late arriving due to mishap on the road, so he found me a place to park my bike. I told him I didn't want to get into trouble for parking where I did, but he assured me "it will be okay; I know how to deal with adults. I can fix bikes, too. Yeah, I've seen a lot." Well, right now he's getting a world of experience, entertained by 'E-Train' and 'Gelding', two of our more notable characters (who will remain anonymous to protect their identity, unless of course you follow their link).
E-train, Gelding, Sioux Rex, and I started the day strong. All of us are over 50, but after a day's rest all felt at least 49. Susan has been known as 'Sue Rex' on this ride for years for her propensity to wreck, but we've changed it to 'Sioux' in this territory. She is on her 6th FCBA. She is an inspiration and example for many of the women on these rides, not to mention many of the men. She holds her own.
On a climb the four of us were on 30 miles into today's ride Susan shifted into her low gear and her rear derailleur caught her wheel, breaking off and tangled into her spokes bringing her to a screeching halt. We all agreed this was a fatal failure for her equipment, so E-train and Gelding went on while I waited with her for the support vehicle. We discussed removing the derailleur and making her bike usable as a single speed, and Alaska Mike, our resident mechanic, stopped to concur. Susan agreed to give it a try so I proceeded to dismantle the mess.
With my Topeak multi tool I disassembled the chain, removed the derailleur, removed the necessary links and reassembled it so that Susan had her small chain ring and a moderate gear on her rear cassette. The chain had to be straightened to keep it from climbing to the next higher gear, and with some tweaking we had her on the road. With this gearing she was able to traverse the relatively flat terrain of South Dakota for the next 37 miles, keeping speeds between 14-17 mph as I pulled draft. Miles later she started developing a slight click, and then suddenly some serious noise so we stopped her for the day, five miles short of finishing. What had happened was that the chain climbed to the next larger gear of her rear cassette, and then again making the hard noise. It was incredibly tight, so when we stopped we released the wheel to break the tension. In retrospect it would have been prudent for her to sag out when the failure occurred, but we saw a challenge we couldn't resist. I would do this on my own bike, but being more familiar with the mechanics I would notice if it had skipped gears and attended to it immediately.
Upon arrival here in Parkston we called local shops immediately. This is not a common part, so our second support driver and FCBA veteran Geezerman took Susan and her bike back to Sioux Falls, an hour and half hour drive away. There, Spoke N Sport sprang into action, calling another shop to get the parts. The repair was made, bike cleaned and adjusted and spare parts provided, and they were back here in 4.5 hours. Spoke N Sport was our support choice during our stay in Sioux Falls so understood the urgency of such a repair. The next bike shop is 300 miles west. (Note: expenses incurred for repairs are the responsibility of the rider, and Geezerman's generosity in providing his private vehicle at his expense in support of us is invaluable.)
The adventure continues. As I've been writing the children have been worn out by these 30 new playmates their Dad invited to dinner, and the riders have retired to the chapel for a movie. We have 102 miles to ride tomorrow. God knows what delights we're in store for.
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