Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Medication

« on: September 16, 2011, 11:54:34 pm »

I think this might be my only option. It won't be my pharmacy though, I would just have a family member do it. Can you overnight general delivery to the post office?

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General Discussion / Re: Medication

« on: September 15, 2011, 11:52:06 pm »

Any ideas on how to transport medicine that needs to be kept cold?

I take Enbrel that must be stored around 40°F. This isn't a problem for my shorter trips. I can go two weeks without giving myself an injection. I am planning my multi-month trip for next spring and I will need to give myself an injection once a week.

I've thought about having someone ship a needle to me once a week, but that seems too difficult. It would be hard to say where to mail it to and for me to be there on time. I'm not so sure about a little cooler and ice. It might get too cold or too hot. I wish I could just go to any pharmacy and get one shot for that week. But they are packaged 4 to a box.

3

Gear Talk / Re: tire and rim compatability

« on: September 15, 2011, 11:33:43 pm »

One thing I do when putting a tire on a rim, especially if it is a difficult fit, is to pump up the tire just a bit. I then go around the rim, pushing the tire in so that I can see if any of the tube got pinched between the tire and the rim. Once I am satisfied that the tube is in the tire and nothing poking out, I will add a couple of more pounds of pressure. I check both sides to see if the tire is seating correctly. If everything looks good I will put more air in and check the seating as I go.

This isn't always needed and often I don't do it this way. I only do it on difficult tire/rim combinations, and all kid tires, those are the worse.

 

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Gear Talk / Re: tire and rim compatability

« on: September 15, 2011, 06:10:32 pm »

That tire width is fine for those rims. Mavic's tire recommendations for their 17mm mountain rims is 2.1 inches or about 53mm. Your 47s fit within Mavic's specs.

Good old days? I have to disagree, using the old sizing is much more troublesome. 26x 1 3/8 is not the same as 26x 1 3/8 S-6, and these aren't the same as the 4 or 5 other 26" size. The ETRTO system is much more clear.

5

General Discussion / Re: Cadence Question

« on: April 03, 2011, 11:13:08 pm »

My cadence doesn't change when touring or just out for a ride. Though, my speed does.

I don't think cadence matters a lot, as long as you are not mashing a high gear. I have a pretty high cadence, usually between 110 and 120. I use a smaller gear than my buddies, but I go just as fast. This is my natural cadence and it is much nicer on my knees. I tried using a higher gear and lower cadence and my knee would hurt the next day.

The two biggest "mistakes" made by new riders is too low of a saddle and pushing too big a gear. Both of these can cause knee problems and wear you out faster. I think if you are above 80 and are comfortable, you will find a good cadence for yourself. You won't need to track it much, it will just come natural to you.

6

General Discussion / Re: Free Camping

« on: April 03, 2011, 10:59:39 pm »

I am not sure about this, but I wonder does ACO have a list of members, who might offer you a bed or allow you to set up your tent, in their backyard?

I can't recall ACA having anything like that, but you might want to check warmshowers and couchsurfing.

7

Gear Talk / Re: Hammock Systems....

« on: November 09, 2010, 09:42:42 pm »

Yes, hammocks work well for stealth camping. Besides being a more comfortable night of sleep, there are more places you can hang a hammock than place a tent.

Tree Huggers work very well.

You don't need trees to hang a hammock. If you think creatively, you can find many places to hang a hammock. People have hung them in corners of fences, in shelters and other man made objects. If you have rock climbing experience, you can use nuts to hang on rocks. People have also just used long ropes to tie around rocks. And if all else fails, you can just use it like tarp tent. Really, it is more like a non freestanding tent.

There are some great ideas on how to use your hammock on the ground. One way is to use your bike as part of the system. You can see an image at http://hennessyhammock.com/images/astent5462.JPG  More detailed pictures at http://hennessyhammock.com/sp-bike.html

I haven't had the time recently, but I plan on making my next hammock with going to ground in mind. What I mean is that I will have hooks, loops, straps, etc built into the hammock for ease of going to ground. I will also design it so that is will be more like a bathtub floor tent when not hanging with a bit more ease of getting in and out.

8

General Discussion / Re: To have and have not - spare tyres when touring?

« on: May 31, 2010, 04:26:55 pm »

I wouldn't carry a spare tire on a trip within the US, unless I was using an odd size. A tire boot should get me to the next shop to buy a new tire.

I am thinking about getting a 650B wheeled bike. Most shops, at least most shops that I know, don't carry 650B road tires. I would carry a spare for this bike, because I don't want to have to sit around for a couple of days for a 650B tire to be sent to me.

9

Gear Talk / Re: white gas or cannister stove for month long trip in Wyoming/Montana

« on: May 21, 2010, 09:27:03 am »

Kmart also sells white gas. They also sell it in smaller sizes than the gallon. I think they sell it is quart sizes.

10

Gear Talk / Re: breaking spokes

« on: May 21, 2010, 09:22:23 am »

You want comparable wheels.  Your rear is defective because it was built badly.  Your front might be OK.  And it sounds like your dealer might be inept or lazy.  Wheels need to be true (in one plane), round (a perfect circle), and evenly tensioned.  Tensioning is what is wrong with your wheel.  It is really an art to get all three right.  Probably, by the time they got your wheel true and round, the tensioning was all messed up.  Some spokes are being pulled harder than others, and these are the ones that break.

The dealer could replace your wheel with an identical wheel, or rebuild the wheel with new spokes (reusing the hub and rim).  Just make sure that your new wheel matches the old one.    They could be trying to hoist a crap wheel on you. 

I am surprised the the dealer did not offer to rebuild the wheel.

Not necessarily. The wheel could be built true and round with the correct tension and still break spokes if the spokes are near their elastic limit. Also, it is more likely that if it is a tension issue, it would be the loose spokes that will break.

Why would the shop rebuild the wheel? That would not make sense. The wheel will be a warranty issue and should be replaced by the manufacturer. Rebuilding the wheel means the shop would pay for that labor. 

11

Gear Talk / Re: loose spokes

« on: December 04, 2009, 09:06:21 pm »

This wheel however just loosens up and the spokes don't break as long as I keep tightening them back up.

They haven't broken yet. The best way to break a spoke is to ride on a loose one. Spokes break because of fatigue. A loose spoke has a very short fatigue life.

That wheel is not strong enough for you. Like above, I recommend Peter White. He will talk with you and give you his recommendation, which will come with his guarantee. I would think something like the Dyad 40 or even 48 hole rim. Maybe 40 up front and 48 in the rear.

12

Classifieds / Wanted: AC LowRider Front Rack

« on: September 21, 2009, 11:38:39 pm »

I hope posting a "wanted" ad is ok. I am looking for the front rack from Old Man Mountain called the AC LowRider. Unfortunately, they have stopped selling it. If anyone has one that they don't need anymore or if anyone knows of a store that still has them, I would love to hear from you.

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Gear Talk / Re: Good Rear derailer for touring

« on: May 04, 2009, 09:57:37 am »

A do not think that an SRAM derailleur will not work.  My understanding is that a SRAM derailleur will work only with a SRAM shifter, something about the proportions of the parallelagram being different.

That would depend on what SRAM derailer you get. SRAM makes both 1:1 and 2:1 pull ratio derailers. Shimano uses the 2:1 ratio. If you get the SRAM 2:1, it will work fine.