We decided to take a day off after our epic ride yesterday and ended up doing some work on the bikes: taking apart the wheel and cleaning out all the dirt and grit that gets stuck there, regreasing everything and putting it all back together. Like most good jobs, this one took far longer than we thought it would and included a few minor hassles, including trying to figure out how to untangle Andrew’s chain from his spokes. Don’t ask how the chain got wedged between the spokes in the first place.

If you are tempted to do the same to your bike (take the wheel apart, not mangle your chain and spokes), here are some step-by-step pictures we took. Just click on the photo to start the slideshow.

You will need cone spanners that fit your bike’s wheels (we used a 17 and a 13 but ask at your local bike shop), grease, a clean rag and, if you plan to do the back wheel, a tool to help you get the back cassette off.

We’ve returned to La Chatte Gitane, a peaceful corner of the Ardeche where our friends Bert and Patricia happily give us tasks like building stone walls and weeding the garden in exchange for room and board. This really is paradise for us, a quiet place to relax and take a break from our bikes. It’s spring here and everything is beautiful so today we took some pictures and put them into a groovy new slideshow program we found. Just click on the photo to start. We may add more shots over the next 3 weeks.