Topics

1

Gear Talk / Gear cable breakage

« on: June 10, 2025, 10:06:11 am »

My 2020 Trek 520 suffers from repeated gear cable breakage. The cables break mostly on the right brifter (rear derailleur cable), but I've had the left side (front derailleur cable) break as well. The breakage is at the typical spot, in the brifter, the cable head breaks off. It is not unusual for me to bust a cable after 1500 miles. Reliability is key for me as I'm looking forward to some longer and more rugged tours.  The bike has Shimano Sora 3/9 brifters. If I switched to Ultegra Flight Deck ST-6510's, will that alleviate the problem? I think that's what I had on my old bike, a Cannondale T1, and I did not have an issue.   Any other suggestions? Thanks. 

2

Classifieds / Allegheny Mountains Loop ACA Map wanted

« on: August 26, 2022, 12:14:25 pm »

Thanks.

3

Routes / Recommendation

« on: March 17, 2022, 08:54:38 am »

2024 will mark the 50th anniversary of my intro to bike touring. If I wanted to celebrate with a 1 month trip in the US, what is "the best" route? If I wanted to celebrate with a 2 month route, what is "the best" route? My priorities are low traffic quiet roads, interesting varied scenery and beautiful mountaintop views. I also like easy logistics, which often means a loop that begins/ends not too far from a transport hub, but it could also be one way.  My own favorite over the years, was a figure 8 1,800 miler from Sacramento to Lassen to the Pacific Coast to Bodega Bay back to Sacramento and then to Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, back to Sacramento.   Thank you for your inspirations.