A small, but vital, part became lost from the box on the flight to Beijing for our Silk Road Crossing, two trips ago. It cost us 12 days and finally the inability to use our drum brake. We were fortunate to have uphill headwinds on the downhill side of the Tien Shen mountains in Western China, or it could have been a problem. Our loaded tandem, including us, weighs around 400 pounds. That weight puts such pressure on standard brakes and brake pads that we risk an exploded tire from overheated rims, not a good thing at speed down a steep mountain. So, I have become more than a little obsessive about ALL of our bicycle getting to the start of a tour at the same time as we do. I now wrap the whole bike in pallet wrap before it goes into the cardboard box. That way when the gorilla driving the fork lift pokes a hole in the box, there is another layer of protection to keep all the parts where they belong.
Claire Rogers writes on cross-cultural adventure drawn from her travels across the Silk Road from Beijing to Istanbul, around Australia and of course, through Iceland–all by bike.
She’s currently traveling by tandem with her husband Bob, through southwest China, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Check out NewBohemians.net for more information on their travels.
