Messages

466

Gear Talk / Women's touring saddle

« on: February 03, 2008, 08:21:34 am »

> Terry has an excellent policy - you can buy any of their saddles
(direct from their web site), ride it and return or exchange it (30 days)
if you don't like it.  

Yes, I'd want to make sure I liked the saddle before taking off on a long
tour.  Curious how far a woman needs to ride on a saddle before she
knows it's right for her anatomy, bike, and riding style. Back when I
rode upright bikes, I changed saddles every 500 miles or so before I
found one that I could ride on a century. Adjusted post height and
saddle position every 20 miles before I founnd a good fit.

(Then got my recumbent with its 4" cushion and full back support!)

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

467

Gear Talk / Recument tandem vs Trike

« on: February 01, 2008, 08:09:16 am »

bentrider online has a dated buyers' guide and an active trike
discussion forum.
http://www.bentrideronline.com/

crazyguyonabike has several tour diaries from various tandem riders.

Have fun on your trip, please come back when you're done and tell us
about it and which bike you bought.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

468

Gear Talk / Touring Saddles?

« on: February 18, 2008, 10:27:16 am »

> I'm looking for options.

It's getting boring, yes, sorry: I run a recumbent. My touring saddle is a
huge four inch thick, anatomically cut, multi-layered foam chair with a
full backrest made of breathable mesh that includes lumbar support.

When I finish 100 miles, I'm as tired as everyone else, but there isn't a
muscle group or tissue area on my body that hurts because of my seat
or my riding position.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

469

Gear Talk / Touring bike for smaller person?

« on: January 27, 2008, 10:52:02 am »

My standard for all such inquiries about touring bikes: Recumbent.
Fitting a diminutive physique is relatively simple because the selection of
of different designs and wheelbase configurations is quite large. There are
many other benefits to touring on a recumbent  - sheer comfort and
delight among my favorites - but the ability to obtain precision fit through
the inherent adjustability of the bikes may trump all the others.

The buyers guide at www.bentrideronline.com is out of date but it's where
many of us started exploring. Not everyone has the chutzpah to ride a
recumbent, not everyone understands that touring can be so much fun
without pain.

david boise ID



go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

470

Gear Talk / Bike Selection

« on: February 18, 2008, 10:19:50 am »

> Finally, are there options I should consider?

Lord, yes: recumbent.
Other: used bike. A used Cannondale is still a fabulous bike. I've had
two Cannondales, loved them, especially my road wedgie with the little
shock. They used to make a touring model with their Silk Road
headshok, 5/8" of travel, probably from 2000-2002. Find one.

A quick visit to the C'dale site shows to my amazed disappointment
that they have dropped the Silk Road shock systems from their range
of bikes. Total bummer.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

471

Gear Talk / Pannier Sizing Question

« on: January 06, 2008, 10:44:22 am »

> I say this because you can only put two panniers and a seat pack on
a 'bent. For long distance self contained touring,<

Not necessarily, depends on the recumbent. Many will accept front
panniers easily. Many European 'bents can be outfitted with front,
midship, rear, and a trunk. (I will state again, if you have room, you
will fill it with unnecessary stuff.)

The main AC site has an excellent article on trailers vs panniers that
includes a short mention of recumbents and tandems.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

472

Gear Talk / Pannier Sizing Question

« on: December 29, 2007, 12:15:53 pm »

Welcome to the family. Be sure to put several thousand miles on the
recumbent before lighting off on your tour. Visit bentrideronline.com
and search the touring forum for helpful advice.  

Here's the only thing I know about going self-contained: If you have
large panniers, you will fill them with stuff you don't need and
shouldn't be carrying. Research "ultralight backpacking" and then adapt
this practical advice to your physical needs and comfort levels.

terracycle.com carries pannier selected carefully for 'bent compatibility.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

473

Gear Talk / trailer pulling and old guys

« on: December 16, 2007, 03:36:07 pm »

Join a local club, you can probably find one for older citizens but look
for the words non-competitive and no-drop in the club listings. Ride
with them, don't try to race with them.
Enter every charity ride in your local area this season.
JOin a gym and start a rigorous but safe cardio plan after you've
discussed it with your doctor. Join the spinning sessions.

I'd suggest you investigate a recumbent bike for touring but I say that
to everyone. I'm about 55, I put 5k miles on my Tour Easy every year
and plan to keep doing so till I can't.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

474

Gear Talk / Changing from Drop bars to Straight bars

« on: December 16, 2007, 03:28:45 pm »

 I say, take all the pressure off your hands and arms, have a big comfy
seat, and ride heads-up all the time-- get a recumbent.

My personal prejudice, of course, not everyone can ride a recumbent on
tour and enjoy it.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

475

Gear Talk / Best Headlamps / Handlebar lamps

« on: December 02, 2007, 09:37:55 pm »

"Best" is, of course, relative. I've been commuting for decades but I do
not ride trails or tour at night.

During the last twenty winters my lighting needs have changed with
my commute distance. I'm now riding a 12 mile round trip that takes
about 35 minutes on sub-32 degree mornings and 25 minutes return
in the evenings. That's about an hour each day. These days I run three
lights: a NiteRider HID, a NiteRider halogen, and a Cateye 500 LED.
They each have different uses and battery run times but the LED is
mainly for backup. I run two Cateye wide/skinny 5-LED blinkies and a
Blacburn super bright blinkie for taillights. I also have the NiteRider red
LED rig but the cable is broken, just need to solder it. Someday this
spring maybe.

I sometimes add more lights depending on weather conditions and I
have a reflective vest and an AlertShirt with five big stripes of retro-
reflective tape.

I ride past three schools on my route and I see everything that's
WRONG with bike lights every morning. If you're commuting, you need
to be seen. Flashers are great for that but they don't help you see the
road.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

476

Gear Talk / rain gear

« on: November 18, 2007, 12:38:03 pm »

Do you like the breathable suff or are you all about waterproofness?

Depending on where you travel, it's more important to be warm than dry.
Here in Iderho, you can count on your stuff drying out in a day, two max.
On Cycle Oregon, however, if your gear gets wet on the first day it can
stay wet for the entire tour.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

477

Gear Talk / Touring Pedals

« on: November 18, 2007, 12:41:02 pm »

"Touring" implies you're going places where you can't just drop into a
bike shop and get parts. Carrying replacements for weird pedal systems
is a personal decision. That's how I ended up back at SPDs after trying
Frogs and Bebops and some Cranks. You can get SPD parts anywhere.

On my recumbent, the security and power boost of being clipped in is
essential and pleasant.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

478

Gear Talk / Rear Derailleur

« on: October 27, 2007, 08:21:23 am »

Just be sure the new one has the same cage clearance as the one you're
replacing. Couple of different sizes depending on your biggest cog. Many
touring bikes have larger lows.

Assuming you take better care of the rest of your rig than you did your
rear mech, replacing the whole thing is definitely the better idea.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

479

Gear Talk / Touring Friendly LBS in D/FW

« on: October 06, 2007, 09:46:27 am »

I'd find some bike mfrs you like and ask them who sells their bikes in
your market area. Imagine trying to find a bike shop that is touring
friendly and understand recumbents in Boise ID. We have neither.

I know of only a precious few shops that proudly cater to all forms of
the bicycle world but it's not really something that you can expect.
Hardly any retail outlet can cater to all forms of a sport or niche. For
instance, it is rare to find a camera shop that carries 4x5 view cameras,
underwater housings for dive photographers and a huge selection of
the hottest selling point and shoot digitals.

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

480

Gear Talk / USS Recumbent water :)

« on: October 04, 2007, 11:01:48 am »

The mfr of your bike should be your second stop after you spend a few
hours exploring bentrideronline.com where you will find tons of USS
discussions from hundreds of riders.

I second the bladder advice. Hacking water bottle cages is kinda silly,
just a set of compromises on mechanical integrity and accessibility.
I have the same problem with headlight mounts on my Easy Racers
bike. Decades ago, the original designer had a huge supply of small-
diameter tubing and he used it for the handlebar crossbrace. Ever since
then, we have all been trying to hack a decent solution for mounting
any and all conventional handlebar accessories. Nothing really works
well except expensive third party solutions.

david boise ID



go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."