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It impresses me as form overwhelming function. Heavy and structurally suspect. Blackburn racks are well regarded and both lighter and less expensive.
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33
General Discussion / Re: Trying to bike from Chicago to Pittsburgh, ideas?
« on: April 01, 2013, 02:42:40 pm »
Once you get to Erie, PA there is a Pennsylvania "Bike Route A" that has been mapped out and signed that goes south all the way to Morgantown, WV and passes just slightly west of Pittsburgh so that would be the easiest route to follow. Here is the link to the various bike routs in PA and Route A is the first one listed: http://www.pahighways.com/other/bicyclepa.htmlÂ
34
General Discussion / Re: Training: Schedule Critique Needed
« on: March 31, 2013, 01:54:46 pm »To answer your original question about training, here is my 2 cents: training on a stationary bike at a gym can offer great benefits if you are willing to do it right. It has to be intense enough. Spinning classes during the winter months for 60 minutes can be extremely beneficial. I have used this method for the past 2 years and I have condensed my training time. I have completed 500 mile week long rides in March for the past few years by riding outside once a week and then training on a spinning bike for a total of 6 hours inside on the other days (1 hour per day). I wear a heart monitor and go hard every other day. The schedule you listed looks ok to me. Have fun.Spinning worked for you but you were an experienced rider before you did it. The OP is pretty much brand new at this and needs all the road experience he can get along with the required conditioning. The gym is not the place to get it.
35
Gear Talk / Re: No Stove
« on: March 31, 2013, 08:57:22 am »OK, that was a bit of an exaggeration but I'm sure you weren't several days from lots of places with coffee and at least a microwave available.These days, most grocery stores have hot food sections and Starbucks is on every street corner so hot meals and coffee are easy to find.I guess it depends on where you tour, but I have fairly often gone several days without seeing either a Starbucks or a grocery with a hot food section and I have only toured in the US.
36
General Discussion / Re: Training: Schedule Critique Needed
« on: March 31, 2013, 08:54:25 am »I'm 5'10''. It says I should be between 58-60''. Is that once inch a problem?I assume you mean it says you should be between a 58-60 cm frame size. No, in fact a 60 cm frame would probably be significantly too large and a 58 cm marginal. At your height the 57 cm you showed should be about ideal.
37
Gear Talk / Re: No Stove
« on: March 31, 2013, 05:14:04 am »I did the TA and NT without a stove. I didn't miss it but I did enjoy occasional meals provided by a fellow cyclotourist with a stove. I do not believe a stove is necessary to eat either economically or healthily.+1 One of the benefits of bicycle touring is that grocery and convenience stores and restaurants are never that far away so carrying more than a small amount of food isn't necessary. These days, most grocery stores have hot food sections and Starbucks is on every street corner so hot meals and coffee are easy to find.
38
General Discussion / Re: Training: Schedule Critique Needed
« on: March 31, 2013, 05:09:56 am »The bike looks fine to me. Young people's bodies are more forgiving than those of us over 50.Perhaps but if he's 5'2" or 6'2" the bike just won't work. No one's body is that forgiving. It's important that the frame size be fairly close to correct.
39
General Discussion / Re: Training: Schedule Critique Needed
« on: March 30, 2013, 03:15:58 pm »No gym. Got it.Is the gearing low enough? What's the cassette and chainring range? You are going to need LOW gears at some point and the bike better have them.
First I need a bike. How about this?
(used) 2008 Jamis Aurora.
Price: $595.00
Frame Size: 57cm
Wheel Size: 700c
Speeds: 27
Steel frame
Shop owner said its never been on a long tour.
Is this an adequate bike to use for a 30,000 mile tour? Even if yes, what concerns should I have?
Thanks guys! This is beyond helpful.
Does it have eyelets to let you mount racks? Rear racks are absolutely essential. Front racks are useful to essential depending on how loaded you will be.
Finally, and maybe most important, is it the correct size for you. A 57 cm fame may be way too big, way too small or just right depending on your height, leg length, etc.
40
General Discussion / Re: Training: Schedule Critique Needed
« on: March 30, 2013, 06:26:20 am »Get out of the gym ASAP. Get on the road now. Riding indoors is not the same.+100. You not only need physical conditioning, you need saddle time to get used to the bike itself. Get those 20 mile days on the road, not in the gym.
Also, interval training is useful mostly for racers and other competitors. It will help boost your conditioning but really isn't of much benefit to tourists.
41
Gear Talk / Re: Pump Maintenance
« on: March 23, 2013, 06:34:53 am »
Nice to hear Topeak supported their product. I expect that rain and splashed water causes the death of most frame mounted pumps. They are exposed to the elements on every ride but used infrequently (unless you are VERY unlucky) so the water that gets inside sits there undisturbed and you only find out when the pump fails when you really need it.
I've had two Blackburn pumps fail to work and later found the ball checks were rusted into uselessness. Blackburn replaced them under warranty but now I test my pumps frequently so I get the bad news when it doesn't count.
I've had two Blackburn pumps fail to work and later found the ball checks were rusted into uselessness. Blackburn replaced them under warranty but now I test my pumps frequently so I get the bad news when it doesn't count.
42
Gear Talk / Re: Shaving Creme
« on: March 21, 2013, 07:24:40 am »You have to shave? On my first tour, I sent my plastic disposable razor home because it wasn't worth the 16 grams. On subsequent tours, I stop shaving a few weeks before the tour starts.I'll bet the resulting beard weighed more than 16 grams!
43
Gear Talk / Re: Camping Gas/stove
« on: March 17, 2013, 06:28:58 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.
44
Gear Talk / Re: Touring bikes...
« on: March 16, 2013, 05:41:01 am »The Salsa bike will make a fine touring bike for heavy loaded touring. And lightly loaded touring too. Pretty much identical to the Surly Long Haul Trucker, Trek 520, REI Novara Randonnee. All are 9 speed I think. Triple crankset. Bar end shifters. Steel frame and fork. All will work fine.And, these all have such similar geometry and dimensions that choosing one over the other depends more on availability, cost, dealer convenience and color preference that any minor "fitting" differences and those can be dialed out with minor stem an saddle changes.
45
General Discussion / Re: Touring Question
« on: March 15, 2013, 06:44:33 am »
Another inhibitor is a non-riding spouse that isn't real happy with the idea that you will be gone for a month or more, perhaps much more. A one week tour? Fine but not all summer.
"One thing you can do with kids and spouses is to take them along, either on bikes if they are old enough, or in a support vehicle."
I think this is very impractical advice for tours of more than a few days, along a very well defined daily route with prior agreed upon overnight locations. It gives the touring rider no opportunity to improvise. How many non-riding faimily members are willing to spend every day trying to find something to do while you are off riding?
"One thing you can do with kids and spouses is to take them along, either on bikes if they are old enough, or in a support vehicle."
I think this is very impractical advice for tours of more than a few days, along a very well defined daily route with prior agreed upon overnight locations. It gives the touring rider no opportunity to improvise. How many non-riding faimily members are willing to spend every day trying to find something to do while you are off riding?