Messages

511

General Discussion / Platform pedals for touring bikes

« on: June 03, 2008, 05:49:17 am »

Pedals are the interface between your legs and the road. The numerous
designs of this interface are designed to achieve specific purpose.
Aside from the arguable safety issue of staying with the bike in a crash,
platforms cannot facilitate an upstroke like clipless systems and are
therefore less efficient. But you may not want or need an upstroke.

People travel on their bikes for different reasons. Comfort, economy,
perceived need to employ every calorie of effort in order to get to the
destination are personal choices. Run the leg-road interface you enjoy.

david boise ID

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

512

General Discussion / A and D Ointment

« on: May 25, 2008, 07:56:39 pm »

I carry A&D or Butt Paste, same stuff, different mfrs. I also carry witch
hazel and a package of those pre-moistened towelettes. I have learned  
long hours in the saddle have different results under different weather
conditions. And my recumbent seat presents an entirely different set of
issues than wedgies experience.

For many people, petroleum jelly, by its very nature, is more of an
irritant than a salve.  Use it carefully on your butt on long rides till you
know how your system tolerates the chemistry under the peculiar
stress that is long distance riding.

I love Wikipedia for stuff like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_jelly
Chesebrough originally promoted Vaseline primarily as an ointment for
scrapes, burns, and cuts, but physicians have shown that Vaseline has
no medicinal effect or any effect on the blistering process, nor is it
absorbed by the skin. Vaselines effectiveness in accelerating wound
healing stems from its sealing effect on cuts and burns, which inhibits
germs from getting into the wound and keeps the injured area supple
by preventing the skin's moisture from evaporating.
Dangerous uses to avoid
As the substance became more common in households, it began to be
used for a number of medical purposes, some of which medical science
has shown to be dangerous or damaging.
Burns
It should not be used on fresh burns of any kind, including sunburn.
Petrolatum traps heat inside, worsening burns. After heat has
dissipated, however, it can serve as a dressing for minor burns to
soothe later pain.[1]
Nasal congestion or dryness
If particles of petrolatum are inhaled from the nose, they may deposit
in the lungs and lead to a condition called lipoid pneumonia, although
this is usually caused by excessive use, rather than daily use.[2]
Sex with latex condoms
Since petroleum jelly is oil-based, it interferes with the structure of
latex. Using petroleum jelly with latex condoms weakens the material
increasing the chance of rupture, and thereby the chance of conceiving
or spreading sexually transmitted infections.
.

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

513

General Discussion / WHAT IS THE BEST VALUE PANNIER.- help

« on: June 01, 2008, 12:00:04 pm »

http://www.mikebentley.com/bike/panniers.htm

Lots of dead links but fun to follow. So many choices from around the
world.

"best" and "value" may not be compatible terms. PUrchasing panniers
is also based on your needs for flexibility, utility, field repairability,
ease of mounting-dismounting. Capacity is another issue. If you buy
big panniers, you will fill them with stuff you shouldn't be carrying.

david boise ID

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

514

General Discussion / Sun protection

« on: May 18, 2008, 11:47:10 am »

I have my own shade.
http://www.easyracers.com/images/IMG_2316.jpg
For touring the Idaho desert, I run a bodyskin on my recumbent. Extra
sunscreen on my exposed head/face and legs.

david boise ID

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

515

General Discussion / Portland's Agony

« on: May 04, 2008, 11:19:40 am »

Perhaps you have seen the roadside memorials for car-related deaths?
You know, those odd crosses/shrines?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadside_memorial
http://pruned.blogspot.com/2006/02/
roadsidememorialamericacom.html

Great shrine photography:
http://webpages.charter.net/dnance/descansos/index.htm

See this site for a type of civil disobedience/political/social statement
that is uniquely bicycle-centric:

http://www.ghostbikes.org/

david boise ID


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

516

General Discussion / Speaking of Tires

« on: April 23, 2008, 07:45:49 pm »

when adventuring in remote areas, an ideal situation is everyone has the
same size tire and tube.

david boise ID

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

517

General Discussion / What to buy??? Bent or straight up???

« on: April 21, 2008, 07:07:55 am »

Recommending a recumbent for you is impossible, sadly. Your body,
energy, budget, propensity for standing out in a crowd, need for
speed, and ultimate goals are all factors no one but you can assess.
The online discussions are endless.

Wheel size/tire availability: the 405 is a BMX wheel, universally
available. The 451 is weird so I buy them two or three at a time and I
always take one on tour. There is no reason to assume I can find one if
I need one.
USS/ASS: strictly personal. European bents and classics like the Ryan
are USS but the trend in the USA is toward upright steering. Your
choice is easy to make if you can sample the bikes.
Bottom bracket height: Strictly personal. There may be valid
physiological situations but only you would know.
Wheelbase: There are so many choices; they're all fun and cool and
totally applicable to touring.

crazyguyonabike.com has dozens of recumbent touring articles.

Have fun shopping. It's an exciting and difficult decision.

david boise ID




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

518

General Discussion / What to buy??? Bent or straight up???

« on: April 19, 2008, 08:22:51 pm »

Have you actually ridden the TE? If you were not instantly captivated by
the feel and can clearly see the wonderful potential of this classic bike,
then you're not ever going to be happy with a recumbent.

If you have not ridden the Tour Easy, or any other long wheelbase
recumbent, you will forever wonder if you made a dumb decision
getting the wedgie.

It's a no brainer for me. If your goal is to tour, the comfort and
spectacle of heads-up, high-def bicycling cannot even be imagined by
committed upright bicyclists. Their inability to imagine a better ride
makes us a very special and elite clique that, curiously, has no elitist
prejudices.

You want to spend a few days lurking at  
www.bentrideronline.com
and the user forums on the Easy Racers site. Be sure to visit the "ERRC"
folder. ERRC used to stand for Easy Racers Recumbent Club but we
have since evolved to embrace all human powered vehicles.

We see dozens of "which bike" inquiries every month. Your answers are
all on the sites but you must test ride the bike.
Or not.
I bought mine sight unseen 30,000 miles ago in 2002. Never had a
single regret. Not ever. Handmade in America, the Easy Racers
machines represent astounding long distance and commuting
transportation values and they are very groovy sleds.

I run a fairing and a bodyskin when touring. I don't do self-contained
but we know of many (hundreds?) of TE people who run all kinds of
trailers including Burleys, Bobs, and those German units that have the
single wheel in the geometric center. The Bob, IIRC, requires a special
skewer so you want to make absolutely certain that whatever bike you
buy can be modified.

david boise ID (Where the BOB is made.)

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

519

General Discussion / c-pap machines when "tenting" on group rides

« on: March 29, 2008, 06:23:14 am »

I have a buddy who uses c-pap unit at home but a mouthpiece when
traveling. His apnea may not resemble your condition, though. Can
your doctor fit you with a temporary system for adventure traveling?

david boise ID

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

520

General Discussion / Where's your bike taking you this summer!?

« on: March 20, 2008, 08:59:29 pm »

I'm an organized tour-type buy.
August: Ride Idaho #4 a loop around the Idaho Falls area and into
Wyoming.
September: Cycle Oregon #21, loop from Elgin into Hells Canyon on
the Idaho end and up to Joseph.

david boise ID

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

521

General Discussion / Laptops while touring?

« on: March 20, 2008, 09:33:42 pm »

> I have some notion that maybe I should just get away from it all and
leave computers at home.

Well, that's my suggestion. I'd never want to take a $1-3K toy along on
a tour. Easy to have it ripped off. And it's three to five pounds of
absolutely dead weight (include the charger, universal power adapters,
cables, protective case, some blank DVDs, some movies, maybe a
system restore disk, oh, and thyat bluetooth headset, that's cool, and,
hey, why not the wireless mouse, and that groovy USB LED thingy for
typing in the tent in the dark, oh, an maybe that solar charger.  

How did we ever get along with cell phones, computers, Internet, and
GPS back in the olden days?
We hit the road and we made a few collect telephone calls and we
wrote postcards.

david boise ID

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

522

General Discussion / Eating on Tour

« on: March 20, 2008, 09:07:22 pm »

Recipes are too subjective. Suggest you examine any of the several
backpacking recipe books like the Roughing It Easy series. There are
incredibly delicious freeze dried meals on the market these days.
Expensive emergency rations but light, easy to prepare, and nutritious.
I'm not a fan of carbohydrate-based bike touring plans. Eat lots of
locally produced foods. if you can find them, like fresh fruits and
veggies. Here in Idaho, you might run into locally superb peahces,
cherries, strawberries, melons, lamb, veal, buffalo, beef, ostrich,
steelhead, crawfish, trout, salmon, and sturgeon. Wines. Baked goods.

The trick is to get off the bike and walk around the little towns. Stop at
those roadside stalls.

david boise ID




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

523

General Discussion / Transporting a tandem

« on: March 03, 2008, 07:55:56 am »

http://www.adventuresportsonline.com/club/tandemclub.htm
http://www.co-motion.com/faq/resources.html
http://www.co-motion.com/faq/resources.html#Org
http://www.thetandemlink.com/TLLinks.html

david boise ID

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

524

General Discussion / Communication from the road

« on: February 29, 2008, 07:40:49 am »

Here's what we used to do just ten years ago: Send postcards.

david boise ID

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

525

General Discussion / Highway question

« on: February 14, 2008, 08:03:44 am »

> I see them riding south of Boise sometimes.

Lots of training possibilities in the Boise area, several charity rides and
centuries. Drop by one of the bike shops and look for the posters and
pamphlets. RIDE IDAHO would be your perfect first tour. As of Feb 15, it
was already half full.

rideidaho.org

david boise ID

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