In preparation for the upcoming cycling trip to Sicily (did I mention that already? I guess I should blog about that) I cycled to the bicycle shop two days ago to get my bicycle looked at. Every time I go to a bicycle shop I go there for the same reasons: worn-out brake pads and clunky gears. I also told them to look at some minor annoyances that have been bothering me ever since I first had it. I expected a semi-decent quick-fix, but what I got was a complete overhaul. I'm quite happy with the result.
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The price surprised me: 210 euro's! WTF? I was expecting it to be a lot cheaper, but looking at what they did to my bike (and the hourly labor cost ><;) it makes sense. When I picked up the bike today the repairman told me that before I took it, he needed to warn me. Apparently, if I kept going with my current front wheel there was a fairly large chance that it would break in two while braking. Since a new wheel is not cheap they wanted to ask me first, and I figured why not get it all over with in one go. The front wheel has been wobbly ever since before the big Japan trip. Now it's all new, all good. I can start working on messing it up again ^^.
That said, I can't help but think about future trips! I want to go to New Zealand. I want to finish a whole circumference of Japan, as I didn't even do half of it last year. It feels unfinished. I'm also longing for adventure. For the next big trip I want to be travelling a lot longer than the 2 months I did last year. It's something that I can't delay for too long, or else I"ll be old, gray and dead. And that's bad.
2012 it is then!