My Round The World ride (inc top blagging at Spa & The Ring)
Discussion
Now that I'm in Asia where the roads are a bit less "smooth" than you normally get in Europe I decided it was time to switch to my off road tyres....
....which coped brilliantly over 55km of dirt road over a 2025m mountain pass.
I was so confident that my new "Double Defense HD Ceramic Guard SnakeSkin marketing b
ks" tyres would be up to the job that I happily gave away some patches to help out a young lad with a puncture on the way down from the pass....
Only to get my first puncture the next day.
I'm still smiling because it's only my first puncture but it did take three attempts (& three of my rapidly diminishing supply of patches) to fix because the patches kept coming off as soon as I pumped the tyre up so I fitted a brand new previously unused tube which lasted all of about 3 hours before the valve stem gave up it's fight to keep the air in leaving me with a nice surprise in the morning just as I was getting ready to leave.
So two punctures in two days wasn't a great start but to be fair they both appeared to have been caused by defective tubes rather than anything getting through the tyre but....
....that evening we (I met a Danish couple in Batumi who cycled with me to Tbilisi) rolled into a camping spot only for my super duper new marketing bks tyres to act as some kind of thorn magnet leaving themselves (and me) pretty deflated.
I think I've now been to every bike shop in Tbilisi (so probably every bike shop in the whole of Georgia!) on the hunt for some 700c tubes without any luck so my journey to Baku where I'm getting some stuff posted to could turn out to be a very long walk!
....which coped brilliantly over 55km of dirt road over a 2025m mountain pass.
I was so confident that my new "Double Defense HD Ceramic Guard SnakeSkin marketing b
ks" tyres would be up to the job that I happily gave away some patches to help out a young lad with a puncture on the way down from the pass....Only to get my first puncture the next day.
I'm still smiling because it's only my first puncture but it did take three attempts (& three of my rapidly diminishing supply of patches) to fix because the patches kept coming off as soon as I pumped the tyre up so I fitted a brand new previously unused tube which lasted all of about 3 hours before the valve stem gave up it's fight to keep the air in leaving me with a nice surprise in the morning just as I was getting ready to leave.
So two punctures in two days wasn't a great start but to be fair they both appeared to have been caused by defective tubes rather than anything getting through the tyre but....
....that evening we (I met a Danish couple in Batumi who cycled with me to Tbilisi) rolled into a camping spot only for my super duper new marketing b
ks tyres to act as some kind of thorn magnet leaving themselves (and me) pretty deflated.I think I've now been to every bike shop in Tbilisi (so probably every bike shop in the whole of Georgia!) on the hunt for some 700c tubes without any luck so my journey to Baku where I'm getting some stuff posted to could turn out to be a very long walk!
Edited by neilski on Wednesday 22 August 17:13
I am so jealous of your trip - I haven't the fitness to do it myself but I really wish I did.
I have been running on Conti Gatorskin Hardshells on my 700c city bike for the last several hundred miles without a single puncture. Thinking to expand the bike's raison d'etre a little, I bought some Conti Cyclocross tyres with the same puncture resistance as the Gators, although I ended-up buying a full-on MTB and never used the Cyclocross tyres. I use the city bike to tow my daughter in her trailer but she's toying with her first pedal bike at the moment so when she's ready, and I no longer have to tow her, I shall try those Cyclocross tyres out.
And I only use Conti tubes since Halfords had them in for half price (so I bought a dozen).
I wish we could get some tubes out to you. Don't suppose you know of an air-drop coming over anytime soon?
Hope it works out.
I have been running on Conti Gatorskin Hardshells on my 700c city bike for the last several hundred miles without a single puncture. Thinking to expand the bike's raison d'etre a little, I bought some Conti Cyclocross tyres with the same puncture resistance as the Gators, although I ended-up buying a full-on MTB and never used the Cyclocross tyres. I use the city bike to tow my daughter in her trailer but she's toying with her first pedal bike at the moment so when she's ready, and I no longer have to tow her, I shall try those Cyclocross tyres out.
And I only use Conti tubes since Halfords had them in for half price (so I bought a dozen).
I wish we could get some tubes out to you. Don't suppose you know of an air-drop coming over anytime soon?
Hope it works out.
If you need anything in a random location near where you are now - PM me. My father visits 50 different places a year, a lot of them in Eastern Europe and central Asia. If he's not going there, one of his colleagues will be, so there'll probably be a way. Tbilisi is definitely one of my Dad's stations, although I don't know when he's planning on being there next.
Thanks for all the offers of help, it's much appreciated.
This week I spent two evenings fixing punctures only to check the bike the following morning and had flat tyres front and back both times so the tubes have been ditched in favour of some 29er tubes as a bit of a bodge job to get me to Baku but if they ride ok then they're staying in until they puncture.
I've bought 5 more 700c tubes from CRC plus a bunch of other stuff that my parents are going to send to Baku but it's pretty expensive to post with no guarantee it'll arrive or that I won't have to pay some sort of bribe to pick it up.
Herebemonsters, do you have any idea when your dad or one of his colleagues will next be in Baku and if it's within a week? Any longer and I'll get it posted but if there's a slim chance that someone is coming then any help you can give would be great.
This week I spent two evenings fixing punctures only to check the bike the following morning and had flat tyres front and back both times so the tubes have been ditched in favour of some 29er tubes as a bit of a bodge job to get me to Baku but if they ride ok then they're staying in until they puncture.
I've bought 5 more 700c tubes from CRC plus a bunch of other stuff that my parents are going to send to Baku but it's pretty expensive to post with no guarantee it'll arrive or that I won't have to pay some sort of bribe to pick it up.
Herebemonsters, do you have any idea when your dad or one of his colleagues will next be in Baku and if it's within a week? Any longer and I'll get it posted but if there's a slim chance that someone is coming then any help you can give would be great.
A dry bag, helmet, 5 inner tubes, some patches, a back light, bar tape & a book about the silk roads. It's all at my parents house ready to be posted but after asking for help in the lounge the advice I got was that Azerbaijan can be a bit corrupt and the parcel might disappear.
Could they get it to you or a colleague and it be brought to Baku in person & I'll meet you / them. I should be there in about 4 days then staying there for 5 days plus while I get my Uzbek / Tajik / Kyrg visas then wait for the ferry.
This is the biggest item I need bringing & everything else fits inside.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ortlieb-rack-pack-travel-b...
Could they get it to you or a colleague and it be brought to Baku in person & I'll meet you / them. I should be there in about 4 days then staying there for 5 days plus while I get my Uzbek / Tajik / Kyrg visas then wait for the ferry.
This is the biggest item I need bringing & everything else fits inside.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ortlieb-rack-pack-travel-b...
neilski said:
A dry bag, helmet, 5 inner tubes, some patches, a back light, bar tape & a book about the silk roads. It's all at my parents house ready to be posted but after asking for help in the lounge the advice I got was that Azerbaijan can be a bit corrupt and the parcel might disappear.
Could they get it to you or a colleague and it be brought to Baku in person & I'll meet you / them. I should be there in about 4 days then staying there for 5 days plus while I get my Uzbek / Tajik / Kyrg visas then wait for the ferry.
This is the biggest item I need bringing & everything else fits inside.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ortlieb-rack-pack-travel-b...
I won't be there myself untill the end of Sept so it'll involve other people and groundstaff in GYD.Could they get it to you or a colleague and it be brought to Baku in person & I'll meet you / them. I should be there in about 4 days then staying there for 5 days plus while I get my Uzbek / Tajik / Kyrg visas then wait for the ferry.
This is the biggest item I need bringing & everything else fits inside.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ortlieb-rack-pack-travel-b...
I'll ask the question tomorrow as I will have to involve the company as it will be an unaccompanied bag. I'll get back to you from AMM tomorrow night.
Here's my route so far and in six months I've ridden 9165km in 18 countries. Next up is Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and a less than toasty Chinese winter.
Money raised for unicef so far is about £3,200 including £2,700 in a single night donated by the Baku Caledonian Society when I was guest of honour at their Ceilidh last Saturday and sat on the top table with the Chieftan & the British Ambassador. It's still very weird when stuff like that happens but nice when it does!
Money raised for unicef so far is about £3,200 including £2,700 in a single night donated by the Baku Caledonian Society when I was guest of honour at their Ceilidh last Saturday and sat on the top table with the Chieftan & the British Ambassador. It's still very weird when stuff like that happens but nice when it does!
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