Messages

1

Gear Talk / Re: New touring bike recommendations

« on: January 30, 2023, 10:40:37 pm »

2012? Are you joking?  that Kona is not remotely dated!!  I've run into people that were touring across the USA on bikes made in the 1980's!  I had plan to tour on a 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe until a car sideswiped me and totaled the fork, so I had to buy another bike and ended up with a 2019 Masi Giramondo 700c, but I still wish I had the Schwinn.  So, no, your Kona is not dated, and in fact is an excellent bike, keep it, and take care of it, and will last you the rest of your life.

2

General Discussion / Re: Continental gator skin bicycle tires.

« on: January 20, 2023, 06:19:33 pm »

My experience with those Conti tires is sidewall damage, kind of a nightmare on the road when you can't repair the tire.

A tight-fitting tire is actually a good thing, in case of a flat or blowout a tight-fitting tire is actually a lot better because the likelihood of it coming off the rim is a lot less, which really becomes important with a loaded bike.

If for some reason you need an emergency spare tire just to get you to a bike shop, then the Conti would be great for that since it is lightweight and will fold up; although you can take a beaded tire and twist into a figure 8 and store those as well.

Yes, Schwalbe Marathon tires are very tight fitting, but there are ways to make it somewhat easier to install. The first thing you need to do before putting on the tire is try putting talcum powder on the tube and bead of the tire; then make sure you use a very strong set of tire irons like the Lezyne Power Lever XL, these are impossible to break; then you need a second tool called the Kool Stop tire Bead Jack, that's right Jack, this thing works like a dream, instead of lifting the last section of the tire out away from the rim and up as a lever will do which all that does is make it more difficult, it slides it up alongside rim and then into the rim.

By the way, if the baby powder doesn't work, you can do a soapy solution and that will work better.

Kool Stop Bead Jack is the same principle as the VAR tire lever but it's made a lot stronger than the VAR, I have both of those levers, and while I never broke the VAR, had a feeling when using it on the Schwalbe Amotion tires that it could break, so instead of finding out, I ordered the Kool Stop.  Problems with the Kool Stop; one is that it is longer than the VAR and thus won't fit into small or medium seat bags, but it will fit in longer ones, the VAR is shorter and has no problem fitting in any seat bag; the second problem is the side of the lever that goes on the edge of the rim was not made very deep, in fact, it is quite shallow and I had trouble keeping it on the edge, sort of strange the company did that and then over the years never corrected it, but I managed to get it to work, it just isn't ideal.

3

General Discussion / Re: Lube when long distance touring

« on: January 13, 2023, 11:54:56 am »

I wipe the chain down after every ride as I said, it doesn't take long, maybe 60 seconds at the most by the time you grab a rag, spin the chain backward, and put the rag back.  I average about 8,000 miles on a chain and about 3 times that on my gears, so I think I'm doing this stuff correctly.  Some lubes I've used in the past I didn't get that 8,000-mile range, but with RnR Gold, and ProLink Progold I did; not sure yet about Dumonde Tech, but when I checked the chain wear after 3,000 miles it was only about 10% on my regular road bike with a Shimano 105 chain, so I have a feeling I should see 8,000 or hopefully more. On my touring bike using a standard KMC X10 chain, which put a lot more load on a chain due to carrying additional weight, that chain with Dumonde Tech is showing 15% at 2,000 miles, so I consider that really good.  I check my chain wear at the beginning of every season. 

4

General Discussion / Re: Lube when long distance touring

« on: January 11, 2023, 05:52:45 pm »

I wiped down after every ride as other posters said to do, and which I do anyways with any lube I've ever used, and the chain stays relatively clean.

You wipe down after every ride without putting new lube on first? I want to make sure I'm reading this right.
Thanks and way to resurrect this thread!

Yup, you read it correctly.  There is no need to reapply lube after every ride, there is such a thing as over-lubing a chain, but some lubes are crap, and will only last a single ride.  I go by sound, and when my chain starts to make noise I re-lube it, with Dumonde Tech lube I'm using that is around 500 miles before I have to reapply it, and after each ride, I wipe the chain down, why is that? because the instructions say so that's why, in fact most lubes if not all lubes recommend doing that.

So, congratulations, you get an A in reading comprehension...that is actually sort of rare these days.

5

General Discussion / Re: Lube when long distance touring

« on: January 09, 2023, 10:51:33 am »

As I mentioned before I tried the Dumonde Tech Lite lube, and I believe this is the lube I will be using when I tour.  I realize I have to bring a small bottle of it along and reapply it ever so often, but so far testing on my touring bike the third application of it proved to be a lot longer lasting.  I found the first application only lasted about 100 miles of dry conditions, the second application lasted about 200, and the third application lasted about 400 miles!  I wiped down after every ride as other posters said to do, and which I do anyways with any lube I've ever used, and the chain stays relatively clean.

I read a lot of chain lube reviews and they're all over the map.  But for touring purposes, it seems the consistently best ones are Dumonde Tech, and Chain L.  The Chain L has had a wide area of durability though, with reports of one guy saying he has to reapply every 40 miles? yet another will say every 1,000 miles?  So, it was very difficult to nail down how long Chain L would last, and is it any better than Dumonde Tech?  I think that Dumonde Tech should make the chain cleaner to the touch vs Chain L since it's a tacky wet lube, due to the tacky nature of Chain L it's very difficult to wipe clean with a rag, thus the chain gets too dirty you have to clean the chain off completely of the lube and then reapply, whereas Dumonde won't get that way from what I've read.

It took me a while to respond back simply because I needed to use Dumonde Tech Lite for a while before I said if I liked it or not. 

Thanks for all the responses, if anyone has any other suggestions or thoughts then let's hear them.

6

Gear Talk / Re: New touring bike recommendations

« on: January 03, 2023, 07:01:55 pm »

When I did my research back in 2018 and 19, the only other bike that had most of all the stuff I needed was the Kona Sutra, but it was more money than the Masi Giramondo.  The gear ratio needed to climb steep mountain roads with gear on the Kona wasn't as good, in fact, none of the other bikes had good gearing, but that can always be replaced; but the Kona also didn't have rear racks while the Masi had both front and rear steel racks, and steel racks are expensive; the brakes on the Kona are now hydro while the Masi is mechanical disk which while out in the middle of nowhere and something happens, it's easier to work in the field with mechanical disk brakes than hydro disks.  Back in 2018-19 when I was looking the Kona Sutra used mechanical disk brakes, but they changed over to hydro recently, if the Masi hadn't been available I would have bought the Kona.

All the other bikes I looked at, which others have listed here, were either stupidly expensive and or didn't have what I wanted in a touring bike.

I suggest you make a list of what you have to have for your touring requirements and find a bike for the least amount of money as possible that fulfills more of the list than not, and whatever the bike doesn't have what you do need is the cost to replace that part cheap or expensive, and does another bike have what you want for less than it would cost to replace the part?  Some small stuff like pedals, neither the Masi nor the Kona came with pedals which is understandable, also the tires are usually cheap tires and not really ideal for touring on, and most bikes come with cheap saddles except for the Kona and few others came with the Brooks B17.

Anyway, just things to consider, and of course depends on how much you want to spend.  I decided on spending as little as possible because touring bikes get beat up, and I didn't want an expensive touring bike to get beat up in a couple of years of touring.

7

Gear Talk / Re: New touring bike recommendations

« on: November 29, 2022, 11:59:48 pm »

I went through a major search for a touring bike that would have the stuff I wanted.  The Trek 520 and the Surly disk Trucker were overpriced with lower quality components compared to what I thought were the two top contenders for the price. The Kona Sutra, and the Masi Giramondo 700c.  I settled on the Masi because it was about $500 less expensive than the Kona, but the Kona is a fine bike.

Both the Kona and the Masi have slight differences.  At the time I bought the Masi in 2019, the Kona came with a Brooks B17 saddle, the Masi had a cheap WTB saddle which I replaced with first with a Advocet Touring saddle, then recently I bought a Brooks Cambium, not sure what I think of that saddle yet.  Kona comes with a really nice steel front rack, but Masi came with not only the same front rack but also the same rear rack that Kona does not include.  Kona came with fenders the Masi did not, but for $45 I got a set of Topeak Defender fenders that are better than my Planet Bike Cascadia fenders I had on the old bike.  Kona does come with a bit nicer Schwalbe Mondal 40c tires while the Masi had cheap heavy Kenda Drumlin 45c which I have since replaced those with Schwalbe Almotion 38c which is way better than the Mondal tires.  The Masi has the best gearing in the business for climbing a steep grade with a heavy load.  Both bikes come with Microshift bar end shifters, they are cheap plastic  but they are functional, though I will probably replace mine this spring with something that is all aluminum.  Both come with cheap wheelsets, I had to adjust my spokes because the wheels were flexing under load, that took care of the issue.  Neither bike come with pedals.

I can't think of anything else.  I got the Masi because it had a bit more for what I was looking for with less expenditure to get stuff it either didn't have or needed improvement than the Kona would have cost not only new but to get a Tubus Grand Tour rear rack alone is about $225!  Plus better gearing another $45 or so I would have had to spend that to get the Kona up and running right.  I' didn't include the cost of the pedals since neither bike comes with pedals so there is no advantage with either bike in that area. 

Problem with the Masi is that it hasn't been in stock since Covid hit back in 2019, I got mine just about a month before the covid shutdown.  Modern Bike claims they have 2019 27.5 x 2.1 tires in stock...2019?  I find that odd, but when I clicked on various sizes they put a bike into the bin!  I would call before ordering it just to make sure it's not some sort of error.  That Masi is essentially the same as the 700c but with different tire size, more for off road adventure, but you could put narrower and smoother tread on it; also that bike does not come with racks or fenders, so it will end up costing more than the Kona would.

I haven't had any problems with the Masi, so if you get the Kona that should be the same experience since they both use the same transmission and the same brakes.

8

Gear Talk / Re: Gear that I was glad to have taken

« on: November 19, 2022, 04:58:32 pm »

I saw that burrito chair, and I didn't like the idea, When I sit I want to be comfortable and not be balancing a chair constantly on two rear legs, I know that can get quite uncomfortable as time goes just from trying to do that in standard chairs, it's not fun for more than 15 minutes.

But if you like doing that, which it sounds like you do, then by all means do it of course, it's your thing, not mine.

9

Gear Talk / Re: Gear that I was glad to have taken

« on: November 16, 2022, 12:13:59 pm »

how does the BaoFeng BF-F8HP compare to the Yaesu VX-3R?

On the Yaesu website, they did not mention it could receive NOAA broadcasts.

10

General Discussion / Re: Bicycle pump that works as advertised.

« on: November 15, 2022, 10:41:09 am »

There is no way a mini pump would have ever, at any time in the history of mini pumps, pump to 90 psi in 30 to 35 strokes, the pump chamber is too small to allow that to happen, thus physics will not allow that to happen;

Some of the minis do get a bit of extra volume for their length by either of two methods.  Some use a push pull scheme to pump on both the push and pull strokes.  Others telescope adding some more volume for their collapsed length.  90 psi in 30 to 35 strokes, no, but they do manage to do a bit better than expected for the diminutive size.

Mini pumps have always been emergency pumps, get enough air so you can go home, and hopefully without getting a snakebite on the way home.  I carried a frame pump for many years, up until about the mid to late 90s when I got the Torelli, but dreaded ever having to use it.

I have used a few different models of mini pump on tour happily as well as a Topeak Mountan Morph on others.  That was for long tours up to and including a coast to coast ones and running at least 90 psi on most trips.  I can't point to exact models, but I used a lezyne, a blackburn, and an HP if memory serves.  I didn't mind any of them and they were all used on at least multiweek tours if not multi month ones.

Don't get me wrong, when there was a floor pump available I used it

If you have read my earlier posts, I did say there are now a few pumps that do reach 90 psi like the Lezyne Road Drive (larger model makes it easier with less strokes than the two smaller sizes), and the Topeak RaceRocket HP, and according to tests, which I posted the website, there are others that do so as well, but the number of strokes go way up as does the effort involved.  My emergency use only comment was especially aimed at the discussion I was having with another poster who said mini pumps in the old days could pump 90 psi in 35 or so strokes, to which I replied not only was that impossible, even by today's newer mini pumps but back when they first made mini pumps they were for only to get you home at bare minimal PSI.

A huge majority of mini pumps for mtb use are not designed to reach 90 psi, they were designed to put a large volume of psi into a tire fast as possible.

The Topeak Morph is not considered to be a mini pump, it is more of a half-frame pump, sort of like a full-size pump cut in half, whereas a mini pump is half the size of a morph, (all this half-size stuff I'm mentioning is strictly for a rough guide, not to be taken literally).  I own a Topeak Morph myself, I really don't like it, not that it can't reach high psi and do so faster than a mini pump, it's just that if I'm going to that size of a pump I might as well go to a full frame pump which works even better than the Morph does, and both weigh darn near the same, plus the full frame pump doesn't look as ugly as the Morph does!  LOL!! So the Morph just sets in one of my drawers in the garage getting no use, I have reserved it for emergency at home use only should something happen to my floor pump.

11

General Discussion / Re: Bicycle pump that works as advertised.

« on: November 14, 2022, 08:39:36 pm »

When these pump manufacturers and sellers conceal the number of strokes it takes to reach a certain pounds per square inch in different sized tires, it means they don't want you to know. Why else would they conceal it? The fact is most are selling overpriced junk. I had the cheapest little Walmart pump, a stand-up pump. I could get 90 PSI absolute Max in 28 to 35 pumps. The last 8 or 10 would be very short as in lifting the plunger three or four inches and pressing in. The gauge said 160 PSI. It took absolutely every bit of my body weight and strength to get to 90 PSI. That is with a 700x32 tire tube. It used to be easy to get a portable hand pump that would go to 90 PSI in 30 or 35 strokes. They were cheap and lightweight and durable. I wonder why they took those off the market and replace them with junk.

I had a Zefal standup pump I got from Walmart about 10 years ago, it lasted 5 years, I didn't pay much for it, so I guess that's why it didn't last long.

There is no way a mini pump would have ever, at any time in the history of mini pumps, pump to 90 psi in 30 to 35 strokes, the pump chamber is too small to allow that to happen, thus physics will not allow that to happen; I was riding bikes when mini pumps first came out and they were the worst ever!  The best one I found was a very small Torelli, forget the model, but that thing could get to 60 psi and after that, it was a huge struggle to get to 65 or 68, and it took a lot of strokes, I don't remember exactly but somewhere around 300 strokes, which would wear me out, god forbid if you did something wrong and had to deflate and redo it!  That one I got sometime in the mid 90s to the late 90s, I held off buying a mini before then because they were horrible, people I knew who got them said they couldn't even get to 50 psi! Even a fat but short pump could pump a lot of air till about 40 psi then it would start to get difficult, so much so that it would be impossible to pump it once it got to around 50 to 55.  Fat pumps are made for low-pressure tires, and skinny pumps are made for high-pressure tires, using a skinning pump on a fat tire would take a huge number of strokes, around 500 to 600 strokes just to get to 50 psi.  Mini pumps have sucked since they first came out, and didn't start getting useable until the last 10 years, and now only a handful are useful.  Mini pumps have always been emergency pumps, get enough air so you can go home, and hopefully without getting a snakebite on the way home.  I carried a frame pump for many years, up until about the mid to late 90s when I got the Torelli, but dreaded ever having to use it.

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Gear Talk / Re: Gear that I was glad to have taken

« on: November 14, 2022, 06:52:21 pm »

.

13

Gear Talk / Re: Gear that I was glad to have taken

« on: November 14, 2022, 06:50:14 pm »

Of course, even in the more remote areas, we can usually pick up a cell signal every day or two to check weather forecasts.

Before loading anything extra to take up space on the bike and in the brain, I always remind myself, it is supposed to be adventure cycling, and the adventure is provided by the unknown. Just a thought.

Unknown can be fun, as long as it's not a tornado, or extremely high winds that could shred a tent either from the wind itself or tree branches flying into it, or extremely heavy rain for a long period of time.  Even a good tent, short of it being made of Dyneema, will leak rain in if the fabric gets saturated, and you didn't spray it with waterproofing and reseal the seams just before you left on tour.

Leakage can result from a combination of factors like capillary action, surface tension, and to a lesser degree hydrostatic head.  Hydrostatic head has to do with the numbers that a tent manufacturer will put on their rain fly to withstand water, the lower the number the less pressure the fabric can take before allowing water in.  Dyneema has a very high number, but it also doesn't breathe which allows for condensation to form.  Capillary action has a lot to do with Hydrostatic head, the smaller the fabric "pores" are the less water can penetrate.   Surface tension is about gravity, as the water pools in a certain area on the tent.   The driving reason for leakage is the surface tension, but it can also be the result of a tent with an insufficient hydrostatic head.

This is why it's important to not have anything touching the wall of the tent, which can be difficult to do in small bikepacking tents.  It's also important to spray waterproofing stuff on the tent and reseal the seams every season, though some experts suggest doing it after every heavy rain, they seem to think that heavy rain can wash some of the waterproofing off the fabric, but it would be sort of a pain to take waterproofing spray and sealant with you on a long tour, and then once you spray the tent you have to wait 12 hours before you can put it away!  Also, I found out from my tent manufacturer that you need to contact the maker of your tent and ask them which waterproofing spray they recommend to use on your tent, for some reason some brands of waterproofing may do little to waterproof your particular fabric, and could even ruin the fabric, same with the seam sealant.

I'm not an expert on this stuff so feel free to correct anything I've said, I'm learning along with most of you.

14

General Discussion / Re: Camping in Churches

« on: November 14, 2022, 11:37:32 am »

I asked my pastor this same question this last Sunday, and he said camping on the back part of the churchyard he would be ok with, but not inside the main area, although, the front lobby is always open and if the weather was bad he would be ok for them to come into the lobby and put out their bag and mat on the floor.  He also said he would expect a call to ask permission to camp in the yard or inside the lobby.

15

Gear Talk / Re: Gear that I was glad to have taken

« on: November 14, 2022, 12:21:03 am »

Cabelas sells a very small Midland that runs on 1 AA bat for around $17, I may look into getting it since it was the smallest I could find.

Be sure to run a test to see how long it runs on that battery, just so you'll have an idea of how many batteries to take. These radios serve their purpose best if you leave them on all the time.

good idea, I also have to check out how well it's made, a lot of the ones I've seen or owned have been junk.