Messages

31

General Discussion / Re: Luxuries

« on: February 26, 2011, 07:36:23 am »

"Coffee!  ...  what are the (lightweight) alternatives?  "

For a semi-coffee caffeine fix, both GU and Cliff Shots make caffeinated espresso energy shots.  One of those while I'm breaking camp gets me to a cafe for some real coffee with second breakfast.

For a real coffee experience, the little Starbucks "VIA" instant coffee packets are surprisingly good... a three-pack weighs 0.35 oz, and grocery stores are starting to carry them.  Pricey, but not like any other instant coffee I've tried.

32

Gear Talk / Re: Long Two-Person Trip Tent

« on: February 20, 2011, 07:13:49 am »

Based on MrBent's suggestion my wife and I went out to our locally owned outdoor store yesterday and set up the Big Agnes Copper Dome 3.

http://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/CopperSpurUL3


Our immediate reaction was "wow" ---- what a nice tent.  Easy to set up, freaky light weight, two doors, easy sit up height.

We're in the market for a bigger tent because after about 10 years of solo touring my wife is ready to join in for a self-contained tour, and my little MSR Zoid 2 is really a one-person tent.  The amazing thing to me was that the Copper Spur weighs the same as my oversize bivvy Zoid.

Now for the price: $499 list.  Amazon has it at 20% off, and our local store had a 20% off Presidents Day sale coupon, so I'd look for paying about $400.  You'll have to look at your finances and how long you plan to use it--- but for us it was definitely worth it.

Thanks for the tip, MrBent!

33

GPS Discussion / Re: GPS: Ready To Go Cross-Country

« on: February 20, 2011, 07:00:35 am »

I used a GPS for the first time on a tour through the Netherlands and Germany last summer and was very happy I had it.

My original reason for the purchase was to help avoid getting lost on the bike, and it did help a lot in that area.  What I didn't expect was how useful it would be in finding food and lodging, atm's etc.  Also, when I was walking around in towns and cities I could store the location of my lodging, and then go out on a totally random walk, following whatever alley or canal looked inviting, with no worries about finding my way back.  One odd side benefit in cities was that instead of screaming out "TOURIST" by unfolding a map at an intersection, my handheld GPS looked more like I was just checking for text messages.

I bought a Garmin GPSmap60cxs based partially on the great advice on the GPS forum here, adding the Garmin "City Navigator" series maps.  (which do include a lot of country roads and lanes--- but not all!)  If I were buying today, I'd get the Garmin GPSmap 62s.

Since returning from my tour last year I've gotten interested in geocaching, but that's another whole world.

34

Gear Talk / Re: Handlebar bag

« on: February 13, 2011, 02:25:53 pm »

I agree with EnduroDoug on the Arkel sizes...
the smaller Arkel carries everything I take off the bike...
wallet, camera, cellphone, gps, sunglasses, journal, etc.

I actually find that I can tuck the gps into the map case
on top of my map as long as I float it on a kerchief so
it  doesn't slide.

I pull the shoulder strap down and through the two
mounts... that way I can pop it off the bike and
have it over my shoulder in less time than it
takes to lock up my bike.

Water has never been an issue for me with the Arkel.
I keep the bright yellow rain cover tucked into the
front zipper pouch, but it has to be a real steady
heavy rain for me to feel a need to pull it out use it...
the clear plastic map case on top plus the
overall design handles most rain showers.

I bought an extra pair of mounts so I can move
the bag between my summer and winter bikes,
the metal on metal secure connection is solid.

35

Routes / Re: Anacortes Hotels

« on: February 05, 2011, 07:14:23 am »

When I was starting east on the Northern Tier I stayed at the  Cap Sante Inn, what I remember mostly was that each room had its door directly to the outside so it was easy to roll my bike in and out.  Enjoy Washington State Route 20!

36

Gear Talk / Rohloff- two questions

« on: February 02, 2011, 05:30:29 pm »

I'm having a new frame custom built and considering Rohloff...

1) I'd be curious to hear from anybody who has actually toured with one what their experience was, especially just how noisy they can be in use.

2) I'm not very mechanically literate... but if I understand the system, to get a lower 'granny gear' you adjust the size of the front chainring.  I'd love advice from the many mechanically blessed members of the forum on a good front ring for touring for this 58 year old rider who doesn't mind going uphill at 4 mph as long as I can keep pedalling. 

Here's where to get some useful numbers that I don't understand:

http://www.rohloff.de/en/products/speedhub/sprocket_ratios/index.html

http://www.rohloff.de/en/products/speedhub/gear_range_comparison/index.html

Thanks in advance, and I hope people have good daydreams going about 2011 tours!

37

General Discussion / Re: camera choice

« on: January 22, 2011, 10:50:10 am »

I thought I needed an ultra-zoom until I got spoiled by a little weatherproof Canon Powershot D10...

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_d10

It lives in my handlebar bag in a micro stuff sack, when walking around fits in a pocket, no worries about water or cold (on a recent Death Valley winter trip when other digital cameras were balking at the cold my camera was shooting away.

For bike touring I'd always wanted a camera that ran on AA batteries to be  independent of a charger, but I've found that the tiny lithium rechargeable in this works amazingly well, I carry an extra battery and when I'm in a hotel/motel charge both batteries up.

This is a camera that's so easy to pull out and snap that I use it on tour.

38

General Discussion / Re: Wear eye glasses/sun glasses while riding

« on: January 22, 2011, 10:38:14 am »

For dog-sledding my wife discovered "Croakies" --- lightweight straps that hold any type of glasses snug and safe, there are other brands, some eyewear shops carry them.

http://www.croakies.com/eyewear/sport/sport.html

39

Gear Talk / Re: Rain Pants

« on: August 24, 2010, 05:47:51 am »

For me, rain pants are more about staying warm than staying dry.  I've had good experiences with Marmot Precip rain pants... they make a full-zip version which is very bulky and not useful for biking.  I like the lighter version that unzips just enough to go over my bike shoes.  Some stores only stock the full-zip version, so you might have to hunt around a bit.

40

Gear Talk / Re: Bicycle Shipping Cases

« on: July 22, 2010, 07:43:42 am »

Even if you are flying, if an AMTRAK station is within reach, consider buying one of their boxes. 

It's inexpensive, so there's little pain in abandoning the box at your destination.  All you need for prep is removing the pedals and turning (or with bar ends dropping) the handlebars.  The only extra gear I needed to carry was a lightweight pedal wrench and a baggie with a dollop of grease for reattaching the pedals.  The pedal wrench gave good service pounding in tent stakes!

Delta had no issues accepting this box on a recent flight from the U.S. to Amsterdam, aside from the $200/euro charge.  While I was assembling my bike in baggage claim a Dutch traveler picked up his bike from his flight home from Los Angeles--- also in an AMTRAK box!

BTW, if flying home from Amsterdam, Schiphol airport sells sturdy cardboard boxes for bikes that are the same size of the AMTRAK boxes.  I'm holding onto that box for my next overseas trip.

This was my first time flying my bike, and it was not difficult at all.

41

Gear Talk / Panniers- EZ on/off

« on: July 19, 2010, 12:47:10 pm »

In U.S. touring, my panniers always stay on the bike... seems like I'm either camping or in a budget motel where I just wheel the whole bike into the room.  The fact that my Jannd attachment system is not quick and easy has never been an issue.

BUT, in my first European tour recently...  every lodging I stayed at happily provided a secure place for my bike, but then I needed to unpack-repack my panniers.  My Jannd expedition panniers simply were not designed to come on and off easily while loaded.

I envied the local cyclists who simply lifted their rear panniers off the bike at the hotel and carried them in as their luggage.

Any recommendations for rear panniers with a large capacity that will easily and repeatedly go onto and off of a bike with a Jannd Expedition rear rack?

Thanks in advance!

42

Gear Talk / Re: Heavy Duty Handle Bar Bag

« on: July 19, 2010, 12:28:31 pm »

My arkel handlebar bag has travelled with me for 6 years and shows no sign of wear... I'm still very happy with it and extremely happy with Arkel's service and communication.

I like the smaller Arkel bag because it forces me to discipline what goes into it:  wallet, camera, cell phone, GPS, sunglasses, journal all fit nicely.  The metal-on-metal mount system makes it easy to take the bag off so my valuables stay close to me, but once the bag clicks in the mount it is very solid.

The map case on the smaller bag is not 100% waterproof like on Arkel's larger handlebar bag, but it's been fine for me, ACA maps fit without any trouble.

For light rain, the bag is water-resistant.  I find the rain cover easy to pull over in case of downpours, and also easy to lift up to peek at the map.

43

GPS Discussion / After-Tour Track Maps

« on: July 16, 2010, 02:16:27 pm »

During a recent tour I had my Garmin capturing daily tracks files, which I downloaded to my computer. 

I'd like to be able to easily see each days ride on a map.
mapmytracks.com  seems to be a great site,
easily produces a map with elevation profiles for each day.

You can choose to have maps private or public,
here's one day I made public:
http://www.mapmytracks.com/explore/track/59059

Do folks have recommendations for other tools/sites for the after-tour part of the ride?

Thanks in advance!

44

GPS Discussion / Re: fietsersbond / Netherlands

« on: July 16, 2010, 07:40:20 am »

Having just returned from 3 weeks of biking across the Netherlands and Germany, I wanted to share what I learned about using the fietersbond web site.

First, the Netherlands has two parallel bike networks, both of which can be used from this website.  The "recreatieve" or green system is more scenic, but can be longer point to point.  The "van-deur-tot-deur" or red system is more direct, but often uses bike paths that parallel the roads and highways.

When biking, direction signs often include both 'red' and 'green' routes to the same destination, with distances to let you know the tradeoffs.

I used the 'green' routing from Schiphol Airport to Haarlem, and it was a far more pleasant ride than the slightly more direct route most websites steer you towards.

To get the fietersbond.nl routings onto my Garmin, I used the free Garmin Base Camp application to import the tracks files created by the web site, and then had Base Camp convert the tracks into routes before loading them.  It was fun jumping from Base Camp into Google Earth and then Google Street View to get a preview of parts of my route.

This was both my first European tour and my first time using a GPS... I definitely plan to return to Europe with my bike, and the GPS was a real asset. 

45

Gear Talk / Re: Recommendation for a great shop to buy touring bikes

« on: July 14, 2010, 08:07:54 am »

"Thanks for the suggestions. I'm in Yuma, AZ and would prefer to buy from my LBS...
Any other suggestions for a touring bike without drops?"

My local bike shop built a touring setup for me based on a Surley Cross-Check frame, avoiding drop handlebars... with bar ends to provide multiple riding positions.  We went with the Cross Check to get adequate stand-over height in for my size and height.  Because the Cross Check is Surley's basic steel frame, even built up with nice components and racks the complete bike was well under $2000.

Surley is QBP.com -- a national bike shop supplier, your shop should be able to get the frame easily.

Folks who like drop bars prefer them, just like folks who prefer recumbents like those.  Some of us really do like riding upright with bar ends to get even more upright.  You might want to experiment with different stems when you get whatever bike you choose, I found that slight changes in the height and angle of my stem made a big difference in my level of fun. 

I've toured and commuted thousands of miles on my Cross Check, including just getting home from 3 weeks of riding across Germany and the Netherlands with it, and still really enjoy the bike.

Good luck with the purchase and happy biking!