Topics

1

Gear Talk / self sealing innertubes

« on: April 27, 2007, 08:27:22 pm »

I am considering using self sealing innertubes to reduce flats.  I don't have a problem with changing tubes, but they can be a pain, especially on a fully loaded touring bike and most of my flats seem to be very small punctures.  just wondering if anyone has used them and what brand seems to work the best.

2

Gear Talk / front racks

« on: April 27, 2007, 03:45:40 pm »

I am looking for a good front rack.  I have a rigid fork with no mounts or hole in the top of the crown.  I have seen racks that use the brake bosses for support and they sound like a good idea.

3

Routes / raleigh nc to traverse city mi

« on: April 27, 2007, 05:20:40 pm »

I plan on taking nc bike route 4 to near piney creek nc.    from there I would like to pass through va wv and into ky.  madison indiana looks like a likely place to cross the ohio river.  from there on to monroeville In and follow the north lakes route to traverse city MI.  just need some suggestions how to fill in the gaps.  (routes, can't miss stops etc).  I plan on rustic camping most of the time.  any suggestions greatly appreciated.  

4

General Discussion / good experiences with motorists

« on: May 03, 2007, 08:16:12 am »

I know as cyclist we tend to rant quite a bit about inconsiderate motorist.  we have all ran into them, we could go on and on.  recently on a trip home after a hard day at work, I had quite an uplifting experience.  traveling down a paved road that suddenly hit a stretch of "broken pavement", I found myself traveling probably too fast on over inflated too skinny of a tire.  the rattling shook my recently purchased light off my bike.   the car behind me, to my amazement instead of swerving to take it out actually stopped and picked it up for me.  this made me think of some of the other good experiences I have had.   there was the guy who at six in the morning waited for me to change a flat, when I was trying to figure out how to use my new co2 inflater.  the guy who flashed his lights at me in the middle of the first snow storm of the year and asked me if I needed a ride.  (which I of course to his amazement turned down)  then there are the faces you see every morning who wave at you politely even though you only know them from the car they drive.  the list goes on and on.  Just remember the next time you are cursing under you breath(or maybe not under your breath) that we are all human.  I still remember the motorist who stopped that time I came down a hill on wet pavement and skidded through a stop sign.  

5

General Discussion / traveling on the cheap, high daily mileage

« on: April 30, 2007, 10:32:57 am »

I have been reading with great interest the responses to spephanieps discussion about traveling cheap.  I think a lot of people seem to forget the true spirit of adventure cycling.  it is just that AN ADVENTURE.  true there may be a lot less worrys and concerns with a large bank account to back yourself up with, but I couldn't think of a greater accomplishment.  It has been stated that anyone  with enough money can summit mount everest. WHAT A SHAME.

I too am considering a low budget trip. Let me start by saying  I have a job and usually work about fifty hours a week.  also when I get to my destination I will have a job waiting for me.  I am recently divorced, and after paying bills and child support, I usually have just enough money to buy food with.  a solo epic trip is something I have always wanted to do, and now other than my financial situation I am able to do it. unfortunately because of time restraints, and not a macho thing, I plan on logging some pretty high mileage days, which goes against a lot of other rules of cross country cycling.  I do plan on taking a camera, keeping a journal, and having a very good time.  
    so some advice for a guy going through a midlife crisis, planning a epic trip on the cheap, and logging high daily  mileage,  would be greatly appreciated.    

6

General Discussion / worst weather conditions you have been caught in?

« on: April 30, 2007, 09:48:24 am »

hello fellow adventure cyclist.  I have been a daily commuter to work for about the last eight years.  For all but the last six months I lived in northwest lower michigan.  during that time I commuted a minimum of eighteen miles, and a  max of sixty daily. I have been exposed to pretty much everything mother nature has to offer.  I have been in torrential rains with lightening, fourteen inches of wet snow,  -20 deg, to fifty mph headwinds.  probably the worst was the fifty mph headwinds on roads that went from rain to freezing rain to ice and then snow all in the same afternoon.  
     I guess my real message here is that I am considering a trip from where I live now back to michigan.  when I tell my non cycling friends they think I am crazy because of the weather I might encounter.  My response is it can only get so bad.

7

General Discussion / common mistakes for first epic road trip

« on: April 27, 2007, 08:34:03 pm »

I am considering a trip from raleigh north carolina to traverse city michigan.  I am a very experienced roadie usually logging between 200-300 miles weekley.  I plan on sleeping in a tent most of the time and my most biggest concern is having a place to sleep overnight.  I am also concerned about planning a route that doesn't end up and a closed dirt road under construction with a bridge out.  that kind of stuff seems to happen on my new training routes!
  I am sure there are many things I am overlooking and taking for granted, but I am after an adverture!