Messages

46

Gear Talk / Folding tires

« on: January 07, 2012, 03:20:57 pm »

I hope to take my first tour this spring. It's nothing special for most of you folks -- Baltimore to Bangor -- but it's a big deal to me. I'm getting new Continental Gatorskins. The bike shop recommends folding tires. I understand the advantage of folding tires for spares, but he's recommending I get all folding tires. He was going through all the advantages of folding tires. When he was done, I was wondering why they make wire bead tires/ Are there any disadvantages to folding tires? I noticed the widest tires come only in wire bead (on at least one site).

47

Connecting ACA Routes / Atlantic Coast Route to Hermon, ME

« on: December 26, 2011, 02:29:58 pm »

I want to ride from Baltimore, MD to Hermon, ME in the late spring. Fortunately for me, the Atlantic Coast Route works great for that. But I don't know the roads in ME. I could take Rte 1A from Stockton Springs to the Hampden area, then pick up Coldbrook Rd to Hermon. Google bike seems to prefer smaller streets starting at Winterport. Or I could shoot up a series of back roads from Belfast. Is one of these better? Is there anything that's important to avoid?

48

Gear Talk / Re: Why internal hubs?

« on: July 30, 2011, 08:25:21 am »

If you're going to spend all that money, why stay with a chain? I have heard a belt drive doesn't need to be lubricated, doesn't come off the sprocket, and in general is more reliable with less maintenance.

49

Gear Talk / Re: Fitting a Brooks Saddle

« on: July 23, 2011, 12:57:26 pm »

Just to show how individual saddle fit is, my Brooks felt perfectly fine from day 2. I say from day 2 because on day 1 I applied a liberal amount of Proofhide on both the top and bottom (inside) of the saddle. It probably helped that I got it just before winter set in, so it had a couple of months for the proofhide to do whatever it does. You don't know how long you are riding. I typically do a short (1.5 hour) ride 3 to 5 days a week and a long ride (5 to 7 hours) once a week.

I have the same feeling of little friction from the saddle. I also found that I had too much weight on my hands. It has encouraged me to change my stance on the bike somewhat. The only way I can describe it is to say that it's a more active stance. Keeping my sits bones towards the back of the saddle keeps the pressure off my groin and my weight distributed between my feet and my sits bones. IMHO, keeping weight on the sits bones is a key in having a comfortable saddle. That's the part of our anatomy that was designed to take the weight. I also find it's important for me to keep my back straight.

I have another bike with a cheap saddle that also has always felt fine. Compared to the other bike, I find the Brooks is very sensitive to angle. The Brooks does not work very well if it is even a little bit "nose down".

I got a new bike, a new saddle and a professional fit all in the same day. I don't know how much the fit has to do with my comfort. It certainly didn't hurt. Using clipless peddles and shoes also helps, especially with the active stance.

50

Gear Talk / Re: Rain

« on: May 28, 2011, 04:44:00 am »

Lots of good advice. Thanks. Sometimes I over-think things. I bought some Under Armor socks (mail order). We'll see. When I was a kid, I wore nylon socks. I hated them. But that was a loooong time ago.

51

Gear Talk / Rain

« on: May 22, 2011, 04:01:37 am »

This is about more than just gear, but gear is part of the question so I decided to post here.

Until this year I avoided riding in the rain. I'll be on some short (2 to 4 day) tours in the coming months. Cold weather won't be a factor, but the dates are fixed; I have to be prepared to rid in the rain. We had a good shower this week (plenty of rain, not too cold, no lightening) and I took a short 45-minute ride. My brakes didn't work very well. After a quick forum search, I installed salmon Kool Stops. My REI Novara rain jacket worked quite well. I didn't feel the need for rain pants, but then again it was a short ride. My plastic shoes were fine, but my cotton socks soaked up the water right down to my toes. Taking care of the bike when I got home was easy, since I had a nice dry garage handy.

I'm finding I can't imagine how I would cope on the road and in a tent if it rains. I could bring a towel to wipe the bike down, but in the morning I would just have a wet towel to go with my wet bike. Wiping the bike down sounds futile if it's raining anyway. I can't imagine how I would lube the chain in the rain. How would my beloved Brooks saddle survive an overnight soaking? Are rain shoe covers useful, or do the feet just get too hot for comfort?

What are your suggestions for riding in the rain?

52

Gear Talk / Re: Gear Chainring

« on: April 29, 2011, 10:36:58 am »

I had my 28 tooth chainring, swapped for a 24. I love the gearing, but I found that I occasionally drop the chain off the inside of the chainring when downshifting. My second chain-stop fixed the problem. The first one was too cheap -- it would rotate over time and stop working.

53

Gear Talk / Re: Handlebar bag

« on: February 11, 2011, 01:52:42 pm »

Thanks for your comments. I didn't realize that there was room for the GPS with Ortliebs (and Arkles). There's much to think about. I'm inclined to agree with waynemyer.

54

Gear Talk / Handlebar bag

« on: February 07, 2011, 05:05:13 pm »

I'm 62. I've been slowly working up to touring. I'm riding a Trek 520. Last year I was able to ride 65 miles once / week. This year, I plan to do several multi-day rides with some level of support. I will use a tent, but I'll be using restaurants for meals. I have identified most of the items in my touring kit, but I'm struggling with the handle bar bag. I plan to put my wallet, phone, etc in the handle bar bag. I was looking for a waterproof bag that "clips on" for secure mounting and easy removal. So far, the only bags I found are Ortleib and Banjo Brothers.

http://www.amazon.com/Banjo-Brothers-Waterproof-Quick-Release-Handlebar/dp/B003D4EYI4/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I23W4V4XZ474HI&colid=1ML6NQ8HNFZNM

I'm not very happy with either solution. Sometimes I use a map for navigation; sometimes a GPS. (My GPS is a waterproof outdoor unit.) It doesn't seem there will be room to mount both GPS and bag to my handlebars. The Ortleib has both a map pocket and a GPS pocket available, but if purchased with both, it seems quite expensive for what it is. Banjo Brothers doesn't seem to have a way to let me mount the GPS to the bag.

I can't be the first person to want to do this. What am I missing? Any advice?

While I'm at it, are there any books that give great tips about life on the road?

55

GPS Discussion / Re: Garmin Edge 705 and long distance routes..

« on: June 26, 2010, 04:01:05 pm »

Try http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/

56

GPS Discussion / Re: Newbee here. Download routes from google maps to gps?

« on: June 15, 2010, 04:30:30 pm »

Going back to the original question - I just found http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/. It uses Google maps to create a route, which you can save as a GPX and then send to your Garmin from your PC, or send directly to the Garmin with Garmin Communicator.

57

Gear Talk / Re: Cross-USA touring bike choices

« on: April 29, 2010, 06:40:26 pm »

Will the 520 cassette get me through the mountains or should I assume I need to replace it?

I have the Trek. Only 500 miles so far, but it feels solid. Instead of changing the cassette, I'm thinking of changing the small chain ring from 26T to 22T.

58

Gear Talk / Re: Trek 520 chainring

« on: April 25, 2010, 06:14:53 pm »

I get it. Thanks again.

59

Gear Talk / Re: Trek 520 chainring

« on: April 25, 2010, 02:05:28 pm »

Thanks Wittierrider. Sounds like the 22 will be fine.

Just to clarify: the 26 chain ring works with the 4 largest cassettes now (that's not cross-chaining). Moving from a 26 to a 22 would move the gears down by two cogs compared to what I have now. The overlap between the 26 and the 36 is 2 - 3 cogs. With a 22, the overlap would be 4 - 5 cogs. That's why I need at least half the cassette with the 22 T. (At least, that's what I'm thinking). The chain isn't rubbing against the side of the front derailleur. It's  rubbing against the bottom of the part that guides the chain back and forth. The problem is right now is small chainring - middle cog lowers the chain until it's riding the derailleur, if that makes sense. I looked, and the front derailleur can be lowered. I'm just not sure how much.

60

Gear Talk / Trek 520 chainring

« on: April 25, 2010, 12:02:22 pm »

I'm just starting out. I rode 2K miles last year on a hybrid and decided I am interested in touring. I bought a new Trek 520 this year and have about 500 miles on it. I'm still working up to my first tour, but I have noticed the gearing is too hard for some of the hills. (At least for me.) The new Treks come with a 11/32 9-speed cassette which I like a lot, and 26/36/48 chain ring. That gets me down to about 22 gear inches. I would like to swap the 26 T for a 22 T, which would get me down to 18 gear inches. But even with the 26 T, the chain starts dragging on the front derailleur 4 gears up from the bottom on the cassette. 

Can the front derailleur be adjusted to work with a 22 T chain ring and give me at least 5 gears on the cassette? Will it work dependably? Or should I settle on a 24 T, which at least gets me to 20 gear inches? Does anybody have experience with this?

I plan to take advice offered in several other posts and include a chain stop to prevent the chain from rolling off the inside of the cassette.