Are you ready for this? I left Pocatello, Idaho at 7:30am, still on my original frame, hoping it’ll last. However, just before 11, it started grinding again and I just felt sick in Blackfoot, Idaho. I thought my trip was over.
Little did I know, my wife had called unicycle.com to talk with them about the situation and possibilities we had. The customer service person forwarded her to Amy, a CEO. She assured my wife that the frame is made of chrome and I can just bend it. But better yet, I didn’t even need a new frame to fix my problem because it wasn’t the frame that’s the problem, it’s the wheel bearings that the frame sits on. They are the ones that keep slipping out of place. (Picture below of frame grinding with crank shaft followed by me working on it.) She kindly emailed us directions of how to fix it. Miracle!
When my wife got to me, we grabbed lunch and went to a couple stores to buy the things we needed. We found a local sports shop called Bill’s Sport West…but apparently, they only do skis these days. Luckily the man was so kind to find a couple things in the shop that could help us along. We worked on Uni right outside. It was hot but worth it. Simply put, we safely glued the wheel bearings to the hub. (Picture of how it’s supposed to work and then another of me hoping it works.) I hope it does the fix and permanently!
I was back on the road by 1:50pm. Only 25 miles to go. I made it to Idaho Falls, Idaho! I met my wife at the Idaho Falls LDS temple at 4:30pm. In order to do that, I had to go through downtown…not the smartest. They have no shoulder at all and they’re fairly busy streets. But hey, I got to see the temple. Today was a day with lots of hardships, but it was a miracle that I still made it 52 miles.hanks Kristie, Halls, Amy at unicycle.com and the worker at Bill’s Sport West! Without you, we couldn’t have made it through this day!
A bit thanks goes to Kristie, the Halls, Amy at unicycle.com and the worker at Bill’s Sport West! Without you, we couldn’t have made it through this day!
Day 5 Stats:
Started at 7:30am in Pocatello, ID
3-hour lunch and maintenance break in Blackfoot, ID
Ended at 4:30pm in Idaho Falls, ID
5.25 hours of riding
52 miles
Random Fact:
The One Wheel Man added a horse’s head to his unicycle in high school while he was the mascot, a lancer.