The good, the bad and the indestructible
Blog posted by bex on Aug 14th, 2009
The good: rush hour in Nouakchott © Listen to Africa
The good news: We’ve reached Nouakchott in southern Mauritania, just a couple of hundred kilometres away from Senegal and sub-Saharan Africa. (And beer.)
The bad: Bex's front rack © Listen to Africa
We got rid of half of our water to make space, strapped my front panniers onto our rear racks and wobbled onwards along a road that was more scenically interesting than any we’d seen in a long while. There were hills, naturally occurring trees (the first we’d seen for two months?) and thatched stone huts (the first of the journey).
Then… Huw’s front rack broke. This time, only the brackets sheared, so we bodged it up and carried on. (Note to other cyclists: these were the racks that came with the Dawes Sardars. They immediately struck us as looking like afterthoughts and we almost replaced them with Tubus Taras, but decided to give them a chance…)
It was, to state the obvious, hot. Despite resting through the heat of the day, by the time we bumped along the piste into Terjit, Huw (carrying lots of extra weight and still not fully recovered from his flu) was showing all the symptoms of heat exhaustion, including vomiting.
The good: Huw, in the shade at last, in Terjit Oasis, Mauritania. © Listen to Africa
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The next day, with Huw now feeling human enough to enjoy it, there was music in the oasis, played under the date palms using instruments that included a pair of flip flops and an upturned bowl, with a rickety old soundsystem powered by a car battery:
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White-crowned wheatear. © Listen to Africa
The indestructable: Safely in Nouakchott, we planned to buy two solid rear racks and fit them on the front – a system Huw’s successfully used on a couple of his previous tours. But after a quick look around Nouakchott’s bike shops – mostly toy shops selling a handful of bikes – we realised that the strongest rack we were likely to find was made of metal about the thickness of a metal coat hanger. So we went looking for welders instead. 200 metres from the hostel we’re staying in, a group of welders took on the job and, the next morning, my new front rack was ready:
The indestructible. © Listen to Africa
It’s not the lightest rack in the world and its centre of gravity is pretty high but it will, surely, outlive the bike and, very probably, me. Huw, whose rack was in a less critical state than mine, decided to wait and see the result before getting another made. We’re pedalling off first thing tomorrow but Huw, impressed, is going to get the design copied in Senegal.
So one way or another, and with the odd casualty, we’ve crossed the Sahara in high summer. What next? Ah yes, West Africa – in the rainy season…
Hey,
I remember that Oasis – it was awesome and a great rest to Keith and I too…
Great to be following you guys on your trip! Keep on pedalling!
Jeremy
Hi guys,
Oh, this is actually one of my biggest worries: to have either a rack or a wheel (or, God forbid, both!) giving up on us in the middle of nowhere…
We heard so much good stuff about Tubus racks but decided to settle for Blackburn ones, cheaper but still reliable (well, we hope so anyway!).
We are glad to hear that you have kept your spirits up despite everything… your new front rack certainly looks unique and up to the task! :-)
Hi guys!,
I think the new rack officially deserves the title of “juggernaut.”
I’m sure its superb aerodynamics will at least make up for its added weight.
Smiles!,
Erik
What an adventure ! Happy ending, anyway, with the new sturdy rack.
Glad to hear the flu and the discomfort are gone.
Thinking of you both all the time and enjoying the reading, the bird songs, the music taken out of simple everyday objects that we couldn`t dream possible.
Love,
Maria Helena
Thank you folks!
Marlène – I’ve only used Tubus before but Huw swears by Blackburn – he’s had problems with Tubus but never Blackburn (although that could well be chance.) Hope they hang together for you!
Erik – Heh, OK, juggernaut it is. And yes, the aerodynamics are superb :-) .
Hi Guys
Well pedalled so far. have been off line for 3 weeks so just had a good catch up.
Sent your parcel (and a letter that arrived after you left) to Poste Restante, Dakar on the 19th Aug. hopefully that should be there when you get there.
And I much preferred the uncut blog you did a while back. I agree with Huw. On the last trip you sometimes over crafted the blog (though last time you did have a certain length you had to adhere to) but now you have a free reign so my preference is to write longer and edit less. I’ll put my soap box away now…….
Keep well and enjoy the beer in Senegal
Phil
PS. How much weight have you lost since you waddled out of England and who’s lost the most?
Funny thing, I meant to ask the same question Phil did, as you both look rather skinny in Isabel´s sketches.
Maria Helena
Phil – brilliant, thanks for sending the parcel. Yep, I’m coming to the conclusion you and Huw are right about the over-editing. OK, I’ll go with the long updates when they feel natural (you asked for it :) Hope you enjoyed the Canal du Midi tour!
Phil and Maria Helena: We haven’t found any working scales since Salvagnac (France) and we’ve been looking (want to weigh the bikes as much as anything else). But I can tell you Huw has lost loads and is officially lean and wiry now. I have not and am not! I’ve lost a bit but I’m still waiting for that tipping point (it seemed to happen at six months in last time, but maybe that was down to the rigours of Sudan)! We’ll put the weight loss in the “in numbers” series next time we find scales.
Cheers both.