Distance: 57 miles Damascus, VA to Wytheville, VA
Ride Time: 4:42
Average Speed: 12.2 mph
Maximum Speed: 31 mph
Altitude Gain: 3828 feet
Average Temperature: 84
I decided this morning that with the continued problems I was having with my bike shifting and it had been such a long time that I had been in a town with a bike shop that I would see if they were more talented than I was in getting the shifting adjusted. The first shop I went into told me it would be at least Monday before they could work on my bike. I went to another shop down the street and they said they would work on it while I waited. At first they thought it was just a matter of adjusting the derailleur tension. They adjusted the tension and it shifted fine the first few times and then it started skipping again. As they played with the derailleur, it was noticed that the hub had about 1/4 inch of play in it. They had no parts for a through-axle hub and they were the Specialized bike shop in town. They ended up cutting the end of a handlebar grip to use as a spacer on the end of the axle. That seemed to do the trick. It is soft plastic, so we don’t know how long it will last. I also had worn out a pair of gloves, so I bought another pair.
It was near noon by the time we left Damascus. This is a real late start, but I felt better about my bike shifting and the day started out with another big climb. Up over the Creeper trail head. The bike shops in town must have shuttled more that 5 vans full of riders for their down hill ride of the Creeper Trail. I also rode the length of the Mount Rogers National Recreational Area. It was a beautiful ride with trees draping over the road. I passed several groups of Harley-Davidson riders. By the end of the day, the handlebar spacer was worn to the point I had to start adjusting the derailleur tension.
Because of narrow and steep roads, Kathie had to go out to the freeway and take it to Wytheville. We met each other at the Lowe’s in town. We couldn’t find any campgrounds that weren’t full and decided to stay in the shade of the WalMart parking lot. With the shade and a breeze it was fairly comfortable.
ThruUSA2 