Packed and ready to go...

... well, mostly. I'll be driving my Amazon to the boat tomorrow, with my bike in the boot.


The easiest way I can do it is to remove the front wheel and put the rest of the bike in with the handlebars and front mudguard hanging out over the bumper. I've road tested it like this with no real problems, as long as I keep the windows closed to stop exhaust fumes coming in. Every other time I've gone boating recently it's been via the 240 with its bicycle-swallowing boot.


The box waiting on the kitchen floor has the essentials: maps; insulated mug; multimeter; muesli, log book; headlight and so on. There's also a pile of waterproofs and warm clothing: according to the weather forecast we're in for some arctic conditions. All part of the fun!


The road test earlier today was to Amazonia to get the brakes fixed: the handbrake lever had suddenly gained lots of extra travel. It turned out that one set of brake shoes (example above) had completely disintegrated. Had it been binding and overheated? I would surely have smelled it, but I didn't. Or was it poor manufacture? Don't know. I just paid for a new set, plus new brake cables as the old ones had deteriorated.