Brief description

Bike tour with 2 panniers: minimalist approach without 2 lowriders
Trip from Stuttgart to Avignon, then back by train. The bicycle was disassembled on site, the valuable parts taken along, the rest remained in France.

Impressions, insights and experiences

Summary

A lovely bike ride where I experienced the Warmshowers community for the first time. During the ride, my front tire was cut about 5cm by a piece of glass "in the middle of nowhere". The repair – see the topic "Houston, we have a problem" – held up perfectly for 30km.

Houston, we've had a problem

On the cycle path along the Rhône, I rode over a shard of glass hidden in the muddy ground, which cut a 5 cm long slash across the tread of my tire. Continuing my journey was out of the question; of course, I didn't have a spare tire with me, and to top it off, I was in the middle of nowhere.

Necessity led to an improvised repair attempt: Just like in the movie Apollo 13, after the emergency call "Houston, we've had a problem" was made, I also spread out everything I had with me for repairs on the bike path and thought about how I could solve the problem.
An old glove was placed inside the tire as a patch, covered with plenty of duct tape, and the whole thing was stabilized with cable ties. To make the contraption drivable, the front brake was disconnected.

And indeed, it worked. I rolled on with surprising stability. Kilometer after kilometer, the contraption held up – almost 30 kilometers in total along the Rhône, without showing any signs of wear on the temporary structure.

Finally, a small mobile bicycle repair shop appeared by the roadside, right by the river. Perfect timing. The mechanic looked at my front wheel, examined the glove, tape, and cable ties – and then burst out laughing.

His comment came with an incredulous shake of his head:
"I've never seen anything like it."

A short time later, a new tire was fitted – and my bike tour along the Rhône could continue as normal. The improvised repair remains a highlight of this tour.

Galerie

Impressionen meiner Balkanreise