A day in Munich

September 11, 2021

Yesterday’s trip from Paris to Munich was fairly uneventful. I had previously uploaded my vaccine card and filled out the German pre-entry form to Lufthansa so there were no issues at check-in. Although each European country has its own and varied set of entry requirements forms, if you pay attention and follow instruction everything goes quite smoothly.

It was late afternoon by the time I arrived at my hotel in the old quarter of Munich. I unpacked and assembled by bike (aka Vivien George), and noticed there was a bit of drag on the rear wheel. On a cheerier note, I found a home for my three new traveling companions that were a birthday gift from Carla. By that time, it was almost 7:30 and I decided to venture no farther than the hotel wine bar for a surprisingly good meal of kohlrabi salad and grilled trout. As tired as I was, I had a fitful night sleep – a combination of pre-tour anxiety and worry about my rear disc brakes.

Vincent welcomes our new touring buddies to their new home in the handlebar bag

The first order of business the next day was a trip to the bike shop. Fortunately, there were several within walking distance – I feared doing more damage if I rode the bike before expert evaluation. The verdict was mixed: a slight warp to the rear disc resulting in a minor amount of drag, but not too serious. As they had no replacement discs, I rode away resigned to the fact that I would have to work just a wee bit harder over the coming month. That’s when I noticed a problem with the electronic shifting – the front derailleur wouldn’t shift to the small chain ring. This had happened in Wyoming and we McGyvered a way to move the chain to the small ring, where it stayed for the last three days of the trip. The problem was due to a faulty wire, but I thought replacing wire back in NC had done the trick. Clearly, I needed to address the problem before heading south over the Alps. Unfortunately, the nearby bike shops had no experience with electronic shifters. I needed to be in Salzburg on Monday and hoped I could find help there.

The rest of the day was spent as a tourist - visiting a camera store for lens cleaning supplies; stumbling into IAA Mobility, a massive auto/transportation expo that encompassed most of central Munich; enjoying my first strudel and a coffee while seeking shelter from the rain in Marienplatz; and wandering through city streets. I found a small Italian cafe where I had the most decadent meal of spaghetti alla forma di parmigiano with black truffles.

Crowds were lined up in the Max-Joseph Plaza to see the latest from BMW

Mural atop the Bayerische Staatsoperopera - an opera house and performing arts center

Odeonsplatz - One of the two Lions of Feldherrnhalle, the Theatinerkirche, and a glimpse of IAA Mobility

The Mercedes-Benz exhibit dominated Odeonsplatz

The New Town Hall (Neue Rathaus) in Marienplatz

Bike seats and baskets make a nice table in a pinch

Close-up of pillar at Museum of Five Continents

Regierung von Oberbayern - Government offices

The Maximilianeum from an island in the Iser River

The Friedensengel - Angel of Peace monument in the Maximilian Gardens

Back at the hotel I mucked around with the plugs on electronic shifters and went to bed hoping for proper shifting and a promising beginning to this last tour of my birthday trifecta. After all, good things do come in threes!

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Scott AndersonI’m sorry to hear about your warped disc, but you might try stopping in at another bike shop when you get to Salzburg. I suffered one of these when we a river in Minneapolis back in June and stopped in at a bike shop, like you hoping they could replace it. They didn’t though - they straightened it! There’s a tool for this - a warp remover - and if you’re lucky enough to find a shop that knows of this and has the tool maybe you can ge t it repaired. It didn’t take long at all. I’ll see if I can find a photo of the tool, and maybe you could use it as a visual aid.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonFound it. It’s a rotor truing fork, made by Park Tools: https://www.parktool.com/product/rotor-truing-fork-dt-2. The Park Tools website also has an article on how to use it, either to true it on the bike or (better and more accurately) on a truing stand: https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/disc-brake-rotor-truing.

It looks like a pretty basic procedure if you were in luck and found the right bike shop.
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2 years ago

Susan CarpenterTo Scott AndersonThanks a bunch Scott. I’ve found a bike shop in Salzburg that looks promising. I’ll stop in later today when I get to town. See you soon!
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Susan CarpenterThis place? http://www.stadtrad.at/kontakt/

It’s only a few blocks from our hotels and looks like a real repair shop. We’ll probably stop by there ourselves before leaving town to see if they’ll replace our brake pads.
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2 years ago

Suzanne GibsonYou certainly got around in Munich, and even saw some of the IAA! I wish you could have caught some of the large anti-automobile demo. I didn't join them because I don't like riding in large groups, but I read that 25,000 cycists and walkers came into the city from Munich's surroundings, demonstrating for less cars and more infrastructure for bikes and public transport in the city. ... Hope you can get your bike fixed in Salzburg!
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2 years ago

Lucy MartinWishing you the best on the repairs. Hoping you don’t have to do the tour at warp speed. 🚀
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2 years ago

Laura ChiharaFingers crossed that your electronic shifting problems is easily solved!
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2 years ago

Mike AylingTo Scott AndersonLooks like a useful item to have in your tool kit if you travel a lot with disc brakes.
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2 years ago

Kathleen JonesType your comment here
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2 years ago