Messages

16

Gear Talk / Re: Selle Anatomica Titanico X

« on: March 19, 2013, 09:24:17 am »

I will play devil's advocate here...

I cannot get one of the Titanico saddles to work for me.  And I have a buddy who cannot survive the break in on a Brooks, but loves SA's offerings.  Titanico's do have a stretch issue, so expect to replace them every year or two if you ride a lot.

I have a Brook Imperial, and I have two Brooks B-17s that SA put their cut out in.  The SA cut B-17 is my favorite saddle.   SA got started by buy B-17s from Brooks and then applying their cutout. One of my B-17s is from this vintage.  Last time I checked, Monarch Leather, the leather vendor to SA was charging $100 to cut a Brooks, so buying a Brooks saddle and sending it to Monarch Leather is an expensive way to go.

I have a Brook Conquest (no longer made) that I put an SA style cutout in.  I used a handheld drill and a Dremel tool.  My handiwork is not as good as Monarch Leather's handiwork, but the price was right.  It works well, and you would have to be an engineer to tell that I hacked it.

17

Gear Talk / Re: Touring bikes...

« on: March 18, 2013, 10:05:13 am »

Every time I have bought a stock bike, they have swapped parts for the difference in value between the parts.  The bike shop eats the labor as that is part of the cost of selling the bike.  I think they budget and hour of shop time to get the bike ready, and if they have to build the bike up, there is no shop labor to eat as they have to put a crank and cluster on it anyways.

If the shop you pick wants to start gouging you for shop labor, as it has been said, buy somewhere else.

18

Gear Talk / Re: Camping Gas/stove

« on: March 18, 2013, 09:58:54 am »

Coleman Feather 442           Alcohol stoves        Gasification, forced-air, woodburning stoves.  They're on youtube.

Gasoline (Petrol) stoves can be refuled at any service station. "Coleman Fuel" is a cleaner version of the same thing and available in most outdoor and even big-box stores but only in gallon containers. 

Multifuel stoves can use petrol, kerosene, mineral spirits, etc. so you have a lot of choices and fuel sources but the stoves tend to be more expensive.

Fuel for alcohol stoves can purchased at most hardware and big-box stores but, again in large containers.  Also, alcohol has a much lower energy value per volume than petrol so you will need more of it.

Wood burning stoves require a source of dry wood sticks and they aren't always available.

Compressed gas stoves (usually a propane/butane mix or straight butane) require proprietary cannisters and you can't always find the right one.  Also, you can't bring them on an airplane so you would have to use a type available in the US and widely distributed.

I might disagree about alcohol fuel only being available in large sizes. 

Many gas stations (where things get cold enough to worry about gas lines freezing) carry Heet in the yellow bottle.  This is 11 or 12 ounces big.  Most hardware stores and REI stores carry alcohol by the quart.  Any Walmart, Lowes, or Home Depot should also have alcohol by the quart, but as I have never purchased it there, I cannot be 100% sure, but it is the kind of thing they should carry.

Yes, the BTUs per volume of alcohol is lower, but it is generally easy to resupply.  A bigger concern is that alcohol is harder to light at freezing (32F) temperatures.   I just eat out when that happens.

Personally, I would go alcohol, as the stoves are pretty reliable.  I have a Trangia burner, but I don't use their pots and pans as I already had a set of MSR pots and pans from a back packing class.  My other stove is an MSR Whisperlite International, and it much more of a hassle to use.

19

Gear Talk / Re: Touring bikes...

« on: February 18, 2013, 10:34:19 am »

I personally cannot imagine showing up, buying a bike, and then doing the TransAmerica.  I know some people just hop on a bike and ride, but I am bit more cautious than that.

So I think there is an argument for buying a bike in Sweden, doing some test tours, and then shipping your gear to the US.  You might not be traveling as light as you think will be traveling.

Lots of people ride LHTs as their only bike, and I am sure that one would suit you just fine if the local bike shop can get the fit right. 

Should you be a challenge to fit, I might make a plug for Gunnar.  Gunnar is the more off the shelf brand for Waterford bikes.  A favorite bike shop of mine has a large client base of petite Hispanic women, that have all been fitted with Gunnar bikes.   I have no idea how a bike shop in the Detroit suburbs of Michigan developed a large client base of petite Hispanic women, but they are all happily riding Gunnar bikes.

20

Gear Talk / Re: Brooks B67

« on: January 22, 2013, 11:11:50 am »

I have found the staff at wallbike.com to be really good.  You might ask for their take as to which saddle is right for you.

21

General Discussion / Re: When You Are the Only Cyclist in the Family

« on: January 22, 2013, 11:08:07 am »

For me, my family came first.  I think you have a moral obligation to a good parent to your kids, and a good partner to your spouse.

That said, I think the trick for you is to make what you do fun for them.  Involve the kids somehow.  You did not say how little they were, but perhaps a kiddy trailer or trail-a-bike is in your future.  Maybe a tandem.  Kids will get more independent with age, and give you more space.

I live in Michigan, and there are a lot of summer event rides put on by the cycling club in Traverse City, a popular vacation destination.  My wife loves Traverse City, and basically I am empowered to do any event ride that I want in Traverse City.  I have since partnered up with a ride buddy whose wife is good friend of my wife, and they now go to Traverse City with us too.  So the guys ride, and the wives play too.

As for touring, you are just going to have to work something out with your family.  Give your spouse as much time to do her thing as you take to do your thing.  You won't get to do everything that you want to do, but that is the price of being an adult.

22

General Discussion / Re: Bicycle tourism route mapping advice and examples?

« on: January 07, 2013, 10:12:09 am »

Maybe you should try contacting Google Maps.  I do not know how they implemented their bicycle option, but it come up with some amazingly good routes. 

Maybe Google will be helpful, they don't seem to be anywhere near as evil as Facebook...

23

Gear Talk / Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter

« on: December 17, 2012, 10:23:05 am »

I have a 12 year old Gortex jacket that I truly love.  What makes it such a joy to use is the zippers that the were sewn in for ventilation.  This is what makes the jacket comfortable over such a great range.

Granted urethane coated nylon next to bare skin gets pretty gross pretty quickly.  Gortex next to bare skin is not bad.

So your budget creation needs ventilation.

24

Gear Talk / Re: sleeping bags

« on: November 16, 2012, 10:48:54 am »

There are lots of good vendors out there making good sleeping bags.  I think you need to go to your local REI or other outdoor outfitter and start crawling into bags and developing opinions.  You might want to narrow down your criteria if you are ever going to pick a bag. 

I do most of my trips with a light weight bag rated to 45F made by Mountain Hardware.  It will scrunch up small enough to go into a cook pot (that is where my friend sticks his).  I just bought a bag for colder weather, and settled on one made by Big Agnes that is rated down to 15F.  I have really broad shoulders, and don't fit all that well in a lot of sleeping bags.  In a cold weather bag, fit is much more important, and not being able to zip the bag up all the way is not a problem during the summer months.  Big Agnes also has this feature where they make a pocket that you can shove your mattress into.  It looks really good for making sure that you don't slide off the mattress, but that really has not been a problem for me either.

I do short trips of a week or less and can match my sleeping bag to the weather I expect to encounter.  Your situation is probably different.

25

General Discussion / Re: New Touring Bike Suggestions

« on: October 31, 2012, 09:43:47 am »

I don't think I understand why or how wheel size would contribute to stability.  Generally you might choose 26" or 700C for other compelling reasons.  The frame size needs to be chosen based on fit.  Her leg length would determine frame size, but torso length would also be an important consideration.  I think you really need to work with a trusted bike shop.  Longer frames are more stable, and a stem shorter than 75mm is going to compromise stability.

Given the trauma that she has gone through, maybe a recumbent or even a recumbent trike would be worth looking at.  My wife also has stability issues, mostly because she has not ridden a bike in 20 years and lacks confidence.  I bought her a recumbent trike and it is a pretty fun bike.  I would have to think about how to mount bags on it but I am sure I could do something with a trailer. Unfortunately I think the only touring I could ever talk my wife into is going from one B&B to another B&B.

Good luck in your search.

26

Gear Talk / Re: Tablets/IPad or laptops

« on: October 02, 2012, 09:54:44 am »

I think there could be an argument for a 7" tablet computer. 

I took an iPhone on this summer's tour across New York, and it got a lot of use because I seemed to get off route a lot.  Doing serious navigation and not taking on an iPhone is a test of my patience.  While I don't think I could have made room for a netbook, I could make room for a 7" tablet.  Using the iPhone as a local hot spot, I could have done some serious navigating and not taking.

27

Gear Talk / Re: Surly and Jeff Jones H-Bars

« on: September 10, 2012, 09:22:03 am »

Maybe when you went shopping for a new bike you should have considered a recumbent...

I know, not what you wanted to hear, but given the limitation with your neck, the LHT might not have been the best choice.  I can't speak much for touring on a recumbent.

If you still want to try and make the LHT work, what about one of those adjustable stems?

28

Gear Talk / Re: Help me accesorize my Surly LHT

« on: August 17, 2012, 10:09:42 am »

Any god bike shop should be willing to swap parts on a new bike that they are selling you.  If they won't, I would consider going somewhere else...

29

Gear Talk / Re: Shimano Triple Shifter Problems

« on: August 17, 2012, 10:06:01 am »

This could be a lot of things.  Better shifters have four positions for the front derailleur:  small, left of middle, right of middle, and big.  It is harder to set up and maintain cheaper derailleurs.

What kind of derailleur and shifter are you using?

Start by cleaning everything around the derailleur--get rid of all gunk and try fresh lubricant.  After that you could need new cables and houseing, and then a new shifter.  This is hard to diagnose, so you may have to swallow your pride, open your wallet, and go to a bike shop!

One of the reasons why bar end shifters are popular, is that the front derailleur is run non-indexed.   You can continuously retrim the derailleur to the best position.

30

Gear Talk / Re: Maya Trailers

« on: August 15, 2012, 09:40:31 am »

The Maya design elements are pretty much the same as the Bob trailer.  No expanded metal mesh, which are used for structural integrity and bash protection.  So I would not take a Maya off road.  I can't see why a Maya would otherwise be any better or worse than a Bob trailer.