This is my old bike and I’m selling it! I had three options : send it back to France which will be expensive. Find someone to cycle with me but it will be hard to find and I’m not sure if this bike is ready for it as I keep my trailer. The final option is to sell it. I need to be lucky because if I don’t find anyone, I will have to change my mind very quickly! It has been a really good machine. The reason I’m changing is simple. This one is a competition bike with 30 speeds. With one chain I can ride around 2500km. I’ve changed it many times already plus I had to change the cassette, the chainrings. Well this is something I will have to take care of a along the way.
Few months ago I’ve discover the Rohloff Speedhub which is a hub with 14 gear inside it. No need to clean or change any piece. I can ride 100.000 kilometers with it with no problem. The only thing I will have to care about is to change the oil every 5000km and it’s apparently very easy to do.
Around the same time, I discover the carbon belt system which replaces a classical chain. I used to have to clean my chain every week to avoid noise and extend the lifetime of it. With a belt drive system, there is no need to clean it, there is no oil to apply on and it’s silent. Bonus, it last 3 times longer than a chain. The only problem with a belt is you need to have a special frame that allows you to open the rear triangle to fit the belt. This is not like a chain that you can open itself.
This is why, search after search I’ve decided to change my whole bike :-) This bike was great but the new one is going to be even better and more adapted for my trip. I will just have to enjoy the ride without thinking of cleaning/fixing stuff. I like fixing stuff, this is not the question, but this is going to be a peace of mind.