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April 7 Friday Bicycle touring Italy from Genova Italy to Celle Italy Bicycle parts have a limited life and it appears as though ours have reached it. Both our chains need replacing -- Sharon's more so than mine. Some of the rollers that encase the chain links have worn completely through and fallen off. Needless to say it doesn't induce smooth action -- actually sometimes it jams -- particularly on an uphill shift, which does not make for pleasant commentary to my virgin ears. We pulled our fully loaded touring bicycles to a stop outside a sport shop and enquired about repairs. They said, Yes. I was then approached by an immaculately clean chap with a white shirt and sweater vest. This was the bike mechanic? He indicated for us to take our bikes to a side door. We wheeled our bikes inside and he put Sharon's on the rack. I winced at the thought of that white shirt. He had a bike tool and was going to replace the chain link, but we indicated we wanted a new chain, chain rings, new rear cluster, and, while he was at it, would he mind regreasing the bottom bracket, too. Might as well do it all at once. They didn't have the parts. He gave us the name of a large bike repair shop in Celle, about thirty kilometres away. We pedalled off and arrived in Celle at 12:30 PM. They had closed at noon and weren't expected to reopen until three. We pushed our bikes to a deserted beach and
seafront and had a picnic lunch. Once we cycled out of the vicinity of Genova, traffic was a bit less, but this is still the Italian Riviera and it is heavily built up. You are never farther than a few kilometres from a town around here. Got back to the bike shop at 3 PM. The place is called Olmo and they are huge. They even make their own bikes. It took a long time to explain what we wanted -- going through three people in the process. They didn't have a rear cluster with a 32-tooth low gear; 28 was their largest, so, even though Sharon was not happy with it, we had to settle for it. Then they couldn't find a 36-tooth chainring. Sharon settled on a 39-tooth, but when they went to put it on her spindle, it didn't fit the bolt holes. I saw the mechanic with Sharon's crank arm trying to match up chain wheels. The smallest chain wheel they had was a 26-tooth, whereas Sharon's old one was 24, so she is losing a bit on each end of her lowest gear. When they finished the installation and brought the bike back over to us, we discovered it had a 36-tooth mid chainring on it, so apparently they found one somewhere. They also greased the head set and bottom bracket. The mechanic and a translator together, explained, "Some parts bigger, some smaller." Total damage? $72. Unbelievable! For all that? I think he made a mistake. That is an excellent price for all those parts and labor. Sharon said they must have felt sorry for us. She said the mechanic looks like a touring cyclist in the photos on the wall of Tour Africa. We cycled happily away and camped at the top of a hill inside the yard of a 1757 fort-castle named "Giacomo." It has rooms and stairs and terraces galore. There are even stairs leading to a dank underground passage somewhere. But it was too dark for me to explore. Luckily I had no flashlight. We ate spaghetti and drank the sparkling wine Lorenza gave us. Superb! |
