Topics

1

Urban Cycling / Touring in New York City?

« on: April 28, 2023, 05:44:58 pm »

Hello!
I will be biking through NYC this fall as part of my Northern Half of the Atlantic Coast bike tour. I very much want to walk along the High Line, but I'm concerned about theft while away from my bike.

Bikes are not allowed on the High Line, so there are bike racks at several entrances. I'll be coming through fully loaded with panniers and bags. I feel somewhat confident that I can secure my bike, but how do I secure panniers and bags? I'll of course remove and carry with me critical items (wallet, phone), but would probably need to leave panniers, bags and accessories on the bike. I would likely be there at a low traffic time- Monday morning(?), and probably be away from my bike an hour or two. Outside of normal bag closures and mounting, any suggestions on how to secure my bags? Or am I overthinking this? Will people just leave my bike and bags alone, if it's locked to a bike rack with a sturdy lock? I think the High Line is a fairly popular tourist attraction, would that mean more eyes=safer, or does it mean more opportunists for thieves?

I'd like to think I'm an experienced solo bike traveler, and have tried to reduce the chance of theft as much as possible- When away from the bike, take critical items with me, close and secure all bags, remove removable accessories and stow, lock with an appropriate lock, try to stay within eyesight of bike, minimize time away from bike. My past tours have been mostly rural areas, with just passing through urban areas, or when staying overnight in urban areas, leaving bags and bike at lodging. This will be the first time I'll be leaving my fully-loaded bike in such a big city!

2

Gear Talk / Best Water Bottle?

« on: September 14, 2021, 02:53:05 pm »

In your opinion, what's the best water bottle? Are there any water bottles out there that keep water cold for more than an hour? That don't leak?
I've been using Polar Bottles for a long time. In the morning I load them full of ice and fill with water. Within an hour of riding in 70-80 degree weather the water inside is air temp. And no matter how tightly I screw the cap they always leak. So spare filled water bottles in my panniers have to be sealed inside ziploc bags.
I can deal with all that, but it seems like there should be better water bottles out there?

3

Gear Talk / Leg warmers: Over or under?

« on: May 24, 2021, 09:50:14 am »

What is the "correct" way to wear leg warmers: Over your cycling shorts legs, or tucked in under your cycling shorts legs? I have tried both ways and they always creep down after a couple of miles.

4

Gear Talk / Solar battery/charger?

« on: May 07, 2021, 03:00:32 pm »

Can anyone recommend a solar charger/battery combo? Something that's about the size of a phone, but with solar cells on the top. Expose the solar cells to sunlight and it charges the internal battery, from which you can plug in your own devices for later charging. Doesn't need to be huge, it should have enough storage to charge a standard phone once or twice. A year ago I tried to buy such a thing from LitSolar, but turns out it was a scam with the product never arriving. (Got the charge reversed from my credit card, but it was a hassle and I really wanted the product!) So now I'm wary of the reliability of online searches for tech like this, and would rather get an endorsement from an actual person. Thanks!

5

Routes / Border crossings on Northern Tier (Buffalo, Niagara Falls)

« on: March 23, 2017, 09:30:00 pm »

What is it currently like crossing to/from Canada on a bicycle on the Northern Tier at Buffalo and Niagara Falls? How long does it usually take, and how big of a hassle is it? Are there other reasons to cross into Canada, other than the "better" side of the falls? I've seen the falls before, and wouldn't mind seeing it again, but need to weigh the falls against the border crossing/passport/time/money etc. of crossing into Canada. Your thoughts?