Topics

1

Gear Talk / Cross Spoking the Rhyno Lite.

« on: May 14, 2023, 03:31:03 pm »

I built a new wheel using a Rhyno Lite rim but rather than use the spoke holes closest to the flange I used the spoke holes farthest from the flange. This gives the equivalent strength to a flange 5 mm wider. Most rims won't let you do this but the Rhyno uses brass ferrules. Santana Tandems uses a 60mm wide flange compared to a 55mm wide flange on Shimano spline brake hubs. This will make the wheel stronger but there is some disagreement on how much. I would say about 25 percent. I can't see and disadvantage to this design unless you are using very large flanges or very small wheels. Not my design it is at least 100 years old. As usual it will be tested to destruction. No photos I can hardy tell the difference from my old wheel.   

2

Gear Talk / My Pannier Design

« on: February 28, 2023, 07:54:17 pm »

I've had bags on my bicycle for the past 30 years. Even when I'm not touring I keep them loaded for testing. These generally fail by pulling apart at the seams. So I decided to eliminate the seams and use lap joints. Every thing you see here is irrelevant this is just an exercise in lap joints. The rest of the bags design makes best use of materials I found on tour. If I do another one I will use a Nomex flight suit and the layers will be glued together with one of the spray on rubbers then sewed and sprayed again so it will be one complete piece. This is primarily a computer bag so I didn't want any bolts going through it. I have some plastic that will fastened to the rack and some that will go inside behind the computers. Each one of those straps are rated at 500 pounds and there are no breaks. I was going to fasten the buckles under the lid but then decided to attach them directly to the rack. There is no way I'm going to allow even the possibility of the straps getting into the wheel so there is additional sewing needed. The buckles came off of shopping carts. The plastic piece shown is called a keeper and can be used if you break a buckle. I found the lawn chair material after sewing the straps or I would have put them under the straps. I will use some leather to reinforce the corners and the lid hinge. Also on the new design I will use a slant design on one side to give heel clearance. I know they are ugly prototypes are allowed to be ugly. https://flic.kr/p/2ojzsfm https://flic.kr/p/2ojzt4v

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Gear Talk / Crescent wide jaw adjustible wrench.

« on: November 01, 2022, 07:09:12 pm »

My tool kit has not changed much photo below. I lost my adjustable and had to buy a new one. I wanted the lightest wrench that would fit my headset which seems to be 34mm. I bought the extra wide which opens up to 1.5 inches. It says 39mm but mine is closer to 38.2mm. I wanted the Crescent locking adjustable but the 10 inch does not open up wide enough. Brookstone used to sell a simular wrench but there was a patent dispute. The Chinese wrenches will not be as strong and heavier that the American made which are no longer sold. I expect it will be strong enough and they did a good job reducing the weight. Also I like the new larger screw. I spent $10 extra for the black coated. This is bolted to the down tube with two hose clamps and a screw in the water bottle boss.  https://flickr.com/photos/63373992@N07/7122658997/in/photolist-bRpunt-AGna4m-oEQuyi-xzjuP1-MvVXCt-fraX88-2k4T9NY-mZvSwp-mZvh98

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General Discussion / Cycling in the hurricane.

« on: October 09, 2022, 06:26:32 pm »

I want to be the first to admit I made a big mistake. I have been out in 80 mph winds twice. Once in Salt Lake City on the interstate. An 18 wheeler blowed over. I took shelter at a rest area. Once in South Dakota also on the interstate. I was in my lowest gear the 20 front 39 rear going about 6 mph when I got hit by a gust that stopped me dead. The wind lifted me up when I stood on the pedal. I also managed to get to a rest area. I was in Tampa when I heard about the hurricane and decided the best thing to do is to get inland to high ground. I thought the winds would generally be going in the same direction as the hurricane. But hurricanes travel slow and the winds go around in a circle. So I faced head winds. I made it to Lakeland. I bought some coffee and sat down and watched the wind for a couple of hours. It was almost keeping up with the interstate traffic. At dark I went to my hidey hole under an interstate overpass. I could have checked into a hotel but I didn't trust them not to blow over. I stayed dry and out of the wind and slept well. The wind woke me up several times and I estimate it at 80 mph. Officially Lakeland got 60 mph winds. Lakeland lost some carports but no roofs. 

5

General Discussion / 6 REI’s no bags

« on: May 18, 2022, 09:07:49 am »

Just rode from Indianapolis to Miami. I stopped in 6 REI’s looking for panniers. In every case their website said the bags were in stock. In every case the bags were not in stock. One employee said he used the last set to replace a warranty return. One other employee tried to sell me a single bag from a set. There is no excuse for this. They should hire my sister who runs computers for Eli Lilly.

6

General Discussion / Free Air

« on: February 28, 2022, 07:36:53 am »

Truck stops and Pacific Pride gas stations are a reliable source of free air. I just found a pump at Lowes and I expect they will be going nation wide.

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Gear Talk / Adapting ordinary sockets to hex keys.

« on: September 12, 2021, 08:38:08 am »

The whole idea here is to make a light weight tool set to take on tours. Useful sockets are 8 9 10 12 and 14mm. What you will need is a 1/4 inch square piece of metal. I found one in the road which was a key to a shaft. You may need to make one. You could grind down a 1/4 inch hex key or perhaps a 1/4 inch screwdriver bit. https://flic.kr/p/2moPbGZ

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General Discussion / Watch for sand on new pavement.

« on: September 07, 2021, 07:24:37 am »

I just did the Smokey Mountains. Both Cherokee and Gatlinburg are excellent destinations. However if you get the chance I recommend turning West at the northern visitor center and following the Little River Gorge. You are in a gorge 1000 feet deep at spots. I think you are required to use lights in the day time. They are paving. I have been through enough new pavement that my fenders are coated with tar. I stopped at the rest stop at the top for an hour then decided I wanted to get out side of the park before dark. I took off on the right coasting there is not much shoulder. By the time I get to the front of the line the flagger opened up the lane. So I took off at 40 mph. The speed limit is 35 and they let me have the lead. A nice ride on good pavement until I came to a patch covered with a light coating of sand. You can't skid or you will crash. So I put down one leg and braked lightly exactly like I do on ice. I got lucky and didn't crash. I let the 2 miles of cars pass me and proceded at a more reasonable speed. 

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General Discussion / Pedestrian deaths up again.

« on: April 03, 2021, 09:21:50 am »

In the first half of 2020 pedestrian deaths went from 2951 to 2957 in spite of the fact that motorists drove 16.5 percent fewer miles. In addition the arrests for people driving over 100 miles an hour has increased though I don't have nation wide data. In the past year I have been hit by a suburban type vehicle. I can't see it was any thing but a murder attempt. 2 people have either tried to hit me or they thought it would be funny to try and scare me. I was in a cross walk and a driver who was on the phone made a right turn in front of me then hit the brakes. He was then rear ended by another driver who was also talking on the phone. The second driver got out and jumped up and down on his hood. I decided to leave rather than get involved in a road rage fight. I now believe cell phones are causing 20 percent of all motorist pedestrian and bicycle deaths.

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South / Selma and central Alabama.

« on: November 09, 2020, 08:12:32 am »

I did a tour from Mobile to Birmingham in the middle of the Covid virus. First of all there are the flies. These are half the length of regular flies. They can fly 15 mph and when you stop they get in your hair in your ears and in your eyes. I had to kill them with my sock hat to be able to read my map. There were no Dragonflies and no birds to keep  them under control. I opened the lid of my coffee and them of them landed in the water before I could take a single drink. A perfect example of koyaanisqatsi. Under Alabama law a bicycle is a vehicle. It is illegal to pass a vehicle on a narrow bridge. Not a single person stopped to allow me to cross. On one bridge I stopped to look behind me and a 18 wheeler had 4 by 4 logs hanging out of the undercarriage. I ran down the hill which the driver must of thought was funny. I expected them to impact the bridge and bounce back to hit me. It seems to be some sort of status symbol to tow a trailer. Around 5 percent of the vehicles were towing a trailer with outrigger wheels most of them with nothing on them. I was not able to get on the WiFi of a single library between Chicasaw and Hoover. The land is a swamp and there are 4 wheelers riding under every bridge. I was confronted but they decided to back off after they saw my Bear spray. Of course I came across an idiot cop. He pulled me over for not having my lights on. They were on. He may have been lying about this. Along the way I picked up tools in the road and put them in a box on the back rack. The 8 inch blade ice pick was clearly visible and he failed to see it see link below. My conclusion is he has no night vision and should not be driving. Avoid the area. The limits of the flies are flies are Mobile Meridian Birmingham and Montgomery. Mississippi does not have the internet yet so you may want to avoid it also. https://flic.kr/p/2k4T9NY

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General Discussion / The high altitude body type.

« on: February 28, 2020, 10:13:36 am »

I'm one of those people you see tossing telephone poles at the highland games. Having high altitude genes or growing up at high altitude changes your body. Basically you will need a longer top tube. Along with this the high altituder will be a bit heavier. This is just the opposite of bicycles designed for women. I use 4 strategies to cope with this. First of all you need to find a bicycle with as close to a stand over height as possible. If you need say a 24 inch frame using the old 10 speed standard and all you can find is a 23 inch frame then this will result in a top tube that is 1 inch shorter than an already too short top tube. Different manufacturers have different standards for frame sizes so try to find one in a shop to try to find out what the stand over height is. Second  buy a bicycle designed for fat tires and use skinny tires. The smallest tire I can use with out getting pinch flats is a 35mm or a 1 3/8 inch tire. As a practical matter 38mm or 1.5 inch tire is easier to find. This lowers the top tube by 8mm or 1/3 inch. Third try to find a bicycle with a sloping top tube. This type of frame will need a longer seat tube and possibly one with a larger diameter. Shaq broke a seat tube just by sitting on it is a bicycle shop. My current Specialized Hardrock uses a 1 1/4 seat tube which is just what I would have designed in a steel frame. After this you will need to add a longer stem. 150mm is usually the longest standard stem. Mine is 145 mm chrome molly and I transferred it from my old frame after 100000 miles. Of course the best solution is for manufactures to realize this and design frames with short regular and long top tubes. The top tubes and down tubes will need to have a larger diameter. 21 inch frames are twice as stiff as 25 inch frames which is just the opposite of what it should be. One study which I will post as soon as I find it found larger frames which were designed to be stiffer were less stiff than smaller frames. Flimsy frames shimmy. My Cannondale touring frame did this even unloaded.   I don't expect this to happen any time soon. Half the worlds population lives within an hours drive of an ocean. Before I went out and cycled 100000 miles loaded down I had a considerable amount of money in the bank. I passed up the Americano the BLT the Atlantis the Nomad the Long Haul Trucker the Safari any thing made of aluminum and several custom builders because the frames were not strong enough and stiff enough for me.

12

General Discussion / Title 23 Section 109m United States Code.

« on: December 08, 2019, 09:58:15 am »

Federal law prohibits banning non motorized traffic from a highway. A summary of these laws are (m)Protection of Nonmotorized Transportation Traffic.—
The Secretary shall not approve any project or take any regulatory action under this title that will result in the severance of an existing major route or have significant adverse impact on the safety for nonmotorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project or regulatory action provides for a reasonable alternate route or such a route exists. Keep in mind the United states Code is not the law it is the Cliff notes to the readers digest condensed version of the law. So I'm going to offer the following with out proof. The federal government a state or a county has the authority to move a highway. The new route must be within 2 miles of the original route and be of equal or greater quality than the original route. Therefore if a detour for non motorized traffic exceeds this then it is not legal. If an interstate is built within the right of way of a pre existing highway then a state can not ban non motorized traffic on that section of the road. A state law that is in conflict with a federal law can not be enforced and may be unconstitutional. A recent ruling in Louisville is relevant here link below. Here are several roads that I think are in violation of this law. Interstate 5 on the northern California border. All interstates in Arizona. They allow bicycles but prohibit pedestrians. Interstate 25 on the northern New Mexico border. Interstate 72 on the western Illinois border. Interstate 69 where it blocks highway 57 in Indiana. Interstate 20 where it runs over highway 78 in Alabama. In addition any highway that is shut down for maintenance must provide a detour route even if such a detour route runs across private property or an interstate. The detour route then legally becomes the highway. Again non motorized traffic can't be banned on this detour. https://www.wdrb.com/in-depth/louisville-judge-rules-kentucky-speed-limit-laws-unconstitutional/article_41bee7d0-db1c-11e9-90c3-4f53828e8df3.html

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General Discussion / Judge rulls traffic sign unconstitutional.

« on: September 29, 2019, 08:08:38 am »

A judge in Louisville Ky has ruled people are required to obey the law and not the sign. This is a variation of the original speed trap case. This case has been expanded in courts to include all traffic control signs.  That is if some fool places a traffic sign stating bicycles are not allowed on a road we do not have to obey it if it is in conflict with the law. Here is the law                                                                                                                                      (m)Protection of Nonmotorized Transportation Traffic.—
The Secretary shall not approve any project or take any regulatory action under this title that will result in the severance of an existing major route or have significant adverse impact on the safety for nonmotorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project or regulatory action provides for a reasonable alternate route or such a route exists. We now are able to bring constitutional charges against police officers who harass us. https://soundcloud.com/stevelehto/no-speed-limits-in-kentucky-ep-6008

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General Discussion / Australia cracking down on drivers using phones.

« on: September 23, 2019, 09:00:24 am »

In 2016 the number of people killed by drivers using phones increased by 8000 in the United States. Of course pedestrians and cyclists are much more likely to die in these events. Australia is using cameras over automobiles as well as cameras that photograph plates to issue fines to drivers. I think this is the best solution for other parts of the world. I do not advocate the ability of governments to pull a license of some one for 1 infraction. Pulling a drivers license will not stop people from driving. Also mistakes can be made and a license can be pulled from some one who is not actually driving. I was surprised to find out all of this was worked out by the trucking industry. They make a distinction between drivers who are using a phone and drivers who are using a radio to receive instructions for doing their job. Ideally some of the fines will be diverted to rebuilding the infrastructure. I willing to take a back seat to wheelchair users. Building curb ramps helps cyclists as well. We can use these when the road becomes too crowded. I caught a school bus driver doing this. I sent the school police an email stating I would be photographing this and would use deadly force against any police officer who interfered. The problem here is a school bus driver who knows they have been caught will accuse the photographer of photographing the kids. Georgia shortly changed the law after this and it is now illegal for any school bus driver to phone and drive. The police left me alone though a few of them came by to look at me while I had my coffee in McDonalds. https://techxplore.com/news/2019-09-australia-technology-drivers.html

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General Discussion / Transport Topics.

« on: September 03, 2019, 08:19:49 pm »

 I have been touring and forcing governments to obey road law for more than 20 years. Recently I came across the magazine Transport Topics. They were discussing the proposed interstate 10 toll road. I sent them an email stating the new project should include lanes for non motorized traffic which would allow the state to comply with Title 23 Section 109m United States Code should highway 90 ever need to be shut down for repairs. Of course I was ignored and the new toll road has been killed after overwhelming opposition. I think this is an excellent magazine to email if you ever come across a violation of non motorized road law. Don't sent them a I think this would be a good idea email. They claim to be a general magazine. Let's show them that all highway departments will violate the law if they think they can get away with it. https://www.ttnews.com/