Woken early by reception, our Fedex package has arrived. Just out of the shower, but time to throw on enough clothes to be presentable and more importantly warm. Hit with a 639 rup customs charge, which per the documentation is 339 customs as clearly calculated based on % of assessable value and then a other charge of 300.. Given that freight was paid at time of purchase and the value of the goods is relatively insignificant our skepticism meter was clicking overtime but desperate for the goods and invoiced officially I didn't argue. Back in the room we open the package shredding the box like two excited children at Christmas who still believe in Santa. The lock ring is as expected but the chain whip is bigger then anticipated, Soph decides would be an effective club if defense is required. Admittedly the chain on the end would look a little medieval in the dark.
Stoked with our progress after ten days we take our cubicle at the Basal for celebratory porridge and coffee. Best wheat porridge in Almora prize is awarded.
At Hotel Shikar the roller doored shed is opened and light shines on the bikes for the first time in what feels like eons. Dust has accumulated but memory flash backs confirm it was dusty before. Flip bikes and remove back rims from both. Stride confidently down Mall Rd to some Motorbike repair places to access an adjustable wrench, at the second place we succeed in at least locating a wrench sized perfectly for the lock ring head. We leave our curious bike crowd, having loosened the cassette sufficiently and power walk back to the hotel, brimming with excitement edged with uncertainty.
We relocate to the sunny spot on the terrace before the stairs to the banquet hall. This place IS massive, I initially thought this terrace was as low as it went(being only a floor below our accommodation) but there appears to be a further four floors below.
Team Lonely Bob goes into action Soph doing the honors with tire and tube removal and I, trying to look semi bike shop enlightened, stripping first the cassette and then the disc brakes to be able to bend and thread the broken spokes from the rim. It is quite tricky especially at first when you are trying to gentle the spoke out. Virgin spoke repairer. With a little knowledge comes confidence and the second spoke is replaced much faster. Refixing the cassette is a little rudimentary. We are not stocked up on either kero to clean nor a torque wrench to achieve recommended Nm. So tighten to tightness. Satisfied with our mornings efforts we seek reward in a City Heart restaurant meal.
To get to the restaurant requires passing the taxi and bus areas. Every time we pass you get the Hello friend.....taxi? Or the more business like taxi? Or just the destination. All take a smile, shake of the head or neigh very well, which is nice, because pushy touts are more painful than painful children on a long journey. (or so I have been told)
At the hotel we reaffix the rims back onto the frames. Try working through the gears and the bottom gears appear a little sticky and sloppy on changes, but otherwise working ok. We roll along Mall Rd down to the bike store we dropped into last week. We both work on communicating that we need the rims trued, or the straightened, which involves tightening and releasing spokes around the rim to take out side wobbles. He understands and then starts on my bike, front wheel goes fine, but within minutes on the rear one spoke is snapped and a second's nut is cracked. Shoit. We decide to go ahead with truing on Sophs and it all goes fine.
Quick trip back to the hotel to pick up the tool kit and then return to the bike store. The son of the owner has turned up. I strip the cassette and disk smoothly and then hand the bare rim across, he smoothly swaps out the spoke and sets up a truing frame. He works magic on the rim finding several other spoke heads that he replaces, whilst constantly spinning and correcting. By the time he finishes the rim is near perfect. Whilst he is spinning I clean up the cassette and clean out the grit / old grease. Again the reassembly of disk and cassette goes much more smoothly. We discuss the sticking and then we both click that it is only sticking in the extreme gear combinations where you shouldn't take the chain to anyway.Ride back to the hotel and the BMC is smooth for the first time in a long time.
Last meal at the Glory which is as standout as always. I am officially a Naan junkie, and Soph, well she has eaten Jeera rice everyday for the past two weeks. So it is her junket of choice.
Once again we pack for the road. And couldn't be happier. Unfortunately two people now have identified that the road to Nainital is in particularly bad form and that we should head to Ranikhet first. Still we are set on our original plan, so thick or thin we will face the landslide effected rode together.