I changed bikes

 A critical, recumbent specific part broke right after I left the Little Rock motel. That was the second time when that happened. It was problematic because I needed to order online and wait each time that a Bacchetta specific part needed replacing. And the wait is potentially extensive because of limited availability. I want to clarify that it's not a judgement on Bacchetta. I like the bike and Bacchetta customer service has been good. I thought that I had adequately inspected the used bike. But parts which would have required disassembly to properly inspect are breaking. With parts being limited due to various factors, I have realized that touring with a bike with so many brand specific parts is problematic, at least at this time.

I am still a recumbent enthusiast. I would have stuck with the Bacchetta for the tour if parts availability was normal. But they aren't. So I decided to buy a mountain bike for the remainder of the touring. I am keeping the recumbent. I am having it shipped to a friend who has the garage space. I will revisit the recumbent once I resettle.

A twist in this is that I had both recumbent and mountain bikes before the trip. I considered going with the mountain bike but I opted for the comfort of the recumbent over the flexibility of the mountain bike.

It is fortunate that the Bacchetta broke down in a metropolitan area where there were multiple bike shops and a means to ship the recumbent. I still had some difficulties finding a shop with a bike which fit my size. Trek Bicycle Little Rock had 1 bike which fit. It is a Trek Roskoe 8. It was more expensive than I desired. It cost $2000. But it is a solid bike. I still needed to go to another shop to get the neck extension which I desired. Spokes Giant Little Rock helped me with that. Trek Bicycle Little Rock is prepping the recumbent for shipping. I will have UPS ship it when it is ready.

The new bike has a couple major advantages over the recumbent. The obvious one is that the more standard parts will make it easier for maintenance. But the Roskoe 8 has a very wide gear range which makes uphill rides much easier. So, although an expensive transition, it may very well make for a better trip.