The Kona Caldera "Before"

My Caldera getting dropped off at Wolfi's Dubai for the "makeover"

This is a "stock" photo of what my 2008 Kona Caldera (barely used) looked like.

Wolfi's Bike Shop of Dubai should be finished with the rebuild this evening.

Some of the touring bike conversion changes are:

1. Larger rims (front and rear) for Touring, built from scratch
2. New slick tires for paved surfaces
3. New disc brakes
4. New Chain
5. New Touring Hand Grips
6. New Clip Pedals & clip biking shoes
7. New Gearing on rear hub
8. New Seat
9. Rear Pannier Rack (To hold the "panniers," or saddle bags)
10. Head Lamp
11. Tail Light/reflector
12. Bell (all preceding 3 are required by French law)

Tomorrow (Monday Sept 5, 2011) morning I will get a quick test drive before they pack it in a box for the flight. And a quick tutorial how to put it back together once in France. The unpacking and re-assembly is a bit nerve racking for me. I've never had to replace or install the rear rim (mess with the chain etc) on a bike. It makes sense in principle how to accomplish this, but as a kid I always wondered how it would work.

The current plan is to take the Tuesday (Sept 6) morning flight to Paris and spend one night there to shop for water proof Panniers (Saddle Bags)- something I could't find in the desert.

Then on Wednesday (Sept 7) take the TGV down to St. Nazaire; the start of the EV6. Depending on how early I get to the Atlantic coast, I could start my ride towards Nantes that day.

One more night of work and I'm officially on vacation. I have to make sure to fill the Jeep up with gas (super humid here & prevents condensation buildup in the tank), and pay all my bills tomorrow morning after work. I may not be back in Dubai for a month. And returning to an apartment with the electricity cut off would be, well, a rude return.

Yes, I'm a little nervous. I'm about to leave for 3+ weeks and I don't have a single hotel reservation or even a good idea how much distance I can expect to cover in a day.

Does it matter?