Spanner in the spokes

On closer inspection, Marcus concluded his bike wheels were already too worn out to make the whole journey safely.

So a purchase of Mavic A719 rims was made to replace the old Alex Adventurers.

By his calculations it would be an easy swap over and he didn't want to replace the spokes if possible. So it was off to good friends Jason and Dale's house to do some wheel building.

Most DIY projects usually encounter something unexpected, a spanner in the spokes.

But on the contrary with this particular undertaking everything went perfectly!

We had one wheel built by lunch, stopped for a delicious soup and homemade bread (thanks Dale) and after lunch we tackled the rear wheel.

This one took a little longer but got it finished by 6, not bad for a days work.

We have also had a chance to try out our sleeping mats, sleeping bags and the tent by doing a little test run in our apartment. A very strange sight indeed!! And not just for one night but two consecutive nights!! It wasnt too bad although the -5 degree sleeping bags were a little ill suited to our temperate indoor climate. 

25 days to go. 

PS We have just organised accommodation in Stockholm, more about that next.