Day 37: Rest Day in Savannah

Yesterday morning, I went to Savannah on Wheels bicycle shop to get my bike fixed. The shop was very busy and won’t be able to look at my bike until noon. I told the mechanic that I’ll come back around that time to check on the bike and to learn about how to take the back wheel off.

I walked to the Collins Quarter at Forsyth Park for an early lunch. I had a spicy chicken sandwich and a cup of sweet tea. The food came out very fast and I was out of the restaurant in less than 30 minutes. I felt a bit rushed, but I wanted to walk all the way to the waterfront so I wasted no time.

Spicy chicken sandwich at Collins Quarter

The fountain at Forsyth Park

I walked through the famous squares in Savannah including Monterey Square, Madison Square, and Chippewa Square. I also walked through Johnson Square and arrived at the waterfront. I didn’t do much there since I wasn’t going to shop and I just ate brunch, so I walked west then back through more squares, such as Ellis Square, Telfair Square, Orleans Square, Pulaski Square, and Chatham Square. These squares were more like parks and had no monuments, unlike the ones I walked through before.

Savannah squares

Around 11:45 AM, I arrived back at the bike shop. Mike, the mechanic, was watching a YouTube video about the bike. I ended up showing him how to take off the back wheel. We worked together to put a replacement spoke in without taking out the tire from the wheel since it was difficult to take it out. First we tried to thread a new spoke, but we had trouble getting the spoke out of the machine. When Mike was able find a spoke of the right length, we were able to put it on the wheel. I didn’t know how to true the wheel so Mike did that part. I was surprised at how much I learned about spoke replacement and was glad that Mike allowed me to help him.

Mike’s assistant, Doug, then helped me with the tire since it wasn’t sitting properly on the rim. I tried for a long time, but I couldn’t do it. In the end, Mike said that the tire might just sit properly after some riding.

Lastly, Doug helped me to get the rear wheel on the bike. The alignment was off with the disc brake pads so we had to adjust the nuts until the wheel fit properly. If all this effort sounded like a lot, it was. I was in the shop until 2 PM to get the spoke replaced and the wheel back on. There was no way to fix the shifting issue since that’s more complicated and Mike said that he might have to order a new shifter from Priority, which would take days. I guess I’ll just have to live with the shifting issue.

Mike and Doug of Savannah on Wheels

By the time I left the bike shop I was tired. I came back to the Airbnb to relax, then took a nap. At around 5:15 PM, I went out for some BBQ ribs and chicken legs at Munchie’s BBQ and Soul Food nearby. I ordered so much that I barely finished my food.

When I came back again, I stayed in for the rest of day. I felt a bit lonely since I have not met another cycling companion. Even though I took a rest day, I dread of getting on the road again, especially I have to ride on route 17 to get to my next destination, which is Darien. I felt like this cycling trip is becoming a chore that I don’t want to do. But I need to hang on. In a little over two weeks is the wedding and soon after will be the end of this cycling trip. I’m hoping my bike doesn’t have another broken spoke or any other problems.

I had a long sleep last night, from 7 PM to 5 AM. I will follow route 17 today to Darien and I hope there’s a wide shoulder all the way.