Countdown...

A little over a week before we leave. Both our cars on sitting hopefully on Trademe; Joy is confident hers will sell before mine.

I ended up getting the bike in Christchurch - Janet picked me up from the airport and we went straight to the bike shop. A quick ride around the block and the bike was mine. Richard met us at the bike shop and we went for a ride up the Port Hills. It was a baptism by fire coming back down a stony mountainbike track on my new touring bike! Richard's bike was the weakest link, though, losing its chain onto the ground and getting a big puncture at the same time.

My timing was a bit off, as Janet was on nights during the weekend I stayed at her place. Oops. It worked out fine though, I was able to ride my new bike all over Christchurch and back over the marvellous Port Hills again (and again). I loved the Summit Road.

A few days later I started suffering a bit of "Buyer's Regret" - worrying about the hassle of these new-fangled disc brakes ('why didn't I just get plain old V brakes?'); the weight of the steel frame; the drop handlebars.... It wasn't until I lifted my trusty old bike and discovered it was actually heavier than my new bike that I started to relax! My brother-in-law Grant still calls it "The Anchor" (I think it's about 14kg with all the racks included).