Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Continental gator skin bicycle tires.

« on: February 22, 2023, 10:02:04 am »

I'm surprised you're able to get any grip on "wet roads with downhill curves that have soil run off."  That's a recipe for any tire to start sliding.  Perhaps the front wheel grip is from extra width on the front Contact?  A better approach would be to slow down coming into the curve and try to ride as straight as possible across the mud streaks.

Perhaps he's Tom Pidcock in disguise. https://youtu.be/fl5Xq3o_1TY?t=290

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General Discussion / Re: Your best single piece of advice

« on: February 20, 2023, 02:11:05 am »

I will be taking a short bicycle tour around the Scottish Highlands, canalligators, a few weeks before my TA trip.

And you won't have to deal with midges.

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General Discussion / Re: Your best single piece of advice

« on: February 20, 2023, 02:05:29 am »

Develop a gear and packing list. Start short and work to longer tours.  Take an overnight or weekend trip with all your gear.  Then take a week-long trip.  Update your list as you learn.  The starter trips are good for equipment shakedown, training and fun.

All good advice. If you use stuff sacks attach a label (next to nothing at Staples) with the sack's contents listed, then you aren't opening sack after sack to find that pair of warm gloves.

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General Discussion / Re: Lube when long distance touring

« on: February 20, 2023, 01:59:58 am »

What's T-9

A Boesheild product.  It is sold and used for stuff other than bike chains.  The aircraft industry use it as do gunsmiths and enthusiasts to name a few other uses.  It comes in aerosol cans, squeeze bottles, and in larger (gallon etc) cans.  Bike shops tend to have the small squeeze bottles or sometimes the aerosol cans.  I think it is paraffin based.

It says it's paraffin based on the bottle.
A mechanic once advised me "Use the cheapest chain you can find and change them every 800 miles" I may try that in future: not the most convenient for a long tour but I find the chain cleaning quasi ritual a PIA and I'm not sure it makes them last any longer.

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General Discussion / Re: Continental gator skin bicycle tires.

« on: January 20, 2023, 05:13:08 am »

One reason for using Conti's rather than Marathon Plus is that if you do get a flat in a Marathon+ they are a nightmare to take off at the side of the road.

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General Discussion / Re: Grizzlies in Yellowstone and Glacier

« on: January 20, 2023, 05:08:07 am »

I was riding the Icefields Parkway from Jasper and staying in hostels. At one I noticed cans of bear spray that people had left and I asked if I should carry bear spray myself. I was assured not.

As I was approaching the highest point on the Parkway at a very slow speed a grizzly bear walked into the road in front of me about 20 yards ahead. I stopped. The bear stopped and looked at me for what seemed like forever but probably no more than a second. He/she decided it wasn't interested in me and carried on across the road. It was a stunning sight and I was too scared to take a picture, not wanting any clicking and whirring of cameras to get its attention.

They are amazing beasts that move like greyhounds despite their size. It's shaggy coat looked like an Irish setter's that had been rolling in gray mud. A lady from Alaska I was telling about this assured me it was a grizzly and I did the right thing keeping quiet. It's a strange experience being looked at by a teddy bear: black button nose, black eyes, ridiculous Fozzie bear ears and a head the size of a cow's. Not one I'll forget. Fortunately I'd no food that could have got its attention.

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General Discussion / Re: Lube when long distance touring

« on: January 20, 2023, 04:33:29 am »

I’m hesitant to name the product as chain lube debates are almost religious.

Amen

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Gear Talk / Re: Breaking in Brooks B17 Imperial

« on: February 21, 2022, 01:51:12 pm »

Here's yet another view. I like mine right out of the box without a break-in period. That's for the  B17. Th Pro is a different animal entirely.

My experience too. When a B17 is new I tend to slide around a bit and that's it.

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Gear Talk / Re: padded shorts vs padded saddle - newbie here so go easy on me!

« on: February 21, 2022, 01:47:08 pm »

Englishman Tom Vernon was a social commentator, musician, epicurean and the 'Fat Man on a Bicycle'.  He wrote a couple of books under that moniker and even made a number of BBC television programs of his tours, some of which were shown on American PBS. The quote was something he said on one of his six-part 'Fat Man in France' series as he spontaneously stopped to investigate something interesting along the country lane he was riding.  I believe one of the 'Fat Man in France' episodes is on Youtube.

Me and a couple of friends did some of the stuff that the Fat Man claimed to have done and we very much doubted that he made some of the climbs under his own steam

10

General Discussion / Re: Finding accommodation

« on: December 01, 2021, 11:11:42 am »

Warm showers might be useful. It would not hurt to try it. What I heard is it is kind of a problem. I was a member for a while. Hey cyclist on the Atlantic coast route contacted me for a place to lay over a while. I was perfectly willing to let him stay here and rest. The problem was I was getting to takeoff on a tour of my own. I did not want to alter my schedule. I told him that. In the course of our correspondence he told me I was the only person from warm showers who had answered him when contacted. There is another psych a list on YouTube. That is The Bicycle Touring pro. He said March the same thing about warm showers. He said it took a lot of time to contact members. Some do not even respond. He said it was such a time-consuming thing that he just gave up with it.

When I tried it I contacted quite a few and some got back to me.  You have to expect that.  Some only have the account so they can use it to be guests.  Some may be away.  Some may not check their email.  Some may just ignore it unless they want to host.

The main reason I gave up on it was that setting plans and committing to them didn't fit my style and it was not fair to hosts to ask to stay and then not show up when they wanted notice so they could plan ahead.

I have to agree with all the above; it's a bit of a pain, like my old job in fact all this scheduling etc., having to meet people. I much prefer to take my chances with motels even though they might cost a few bucks more. Perhaps that's easy to say as I'm comfortably retired male.

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General Discussion / Re: Finding accommodation

« on: November 29, 2021, 12:47:20 pm »

JC sounds to have come a long way since 2009.

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General Discussion / Re: First time long distance tour (Knoxville tn- Cincinnati ohio)

« on: November 28, 2021, 01:29:20 pm »

Google seems to come up with the shortest not necessarily the easiest route: riding out of Osoyoos BC Google sent me up a road that cut across a switchback - it probably saved 1/4 mile but the the shortcut was so steep I ended up walking most of it!

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General Discussion / Re: Finding accommodation

« on: November 28, 2021, 12:47:06 am »

I too hate camping but I've always taken a tiny tent and sleeping bag in case I couldn't make it to a motel or hostel (almost non-existant in the US compared to Europe/UK) I've had to camp perhaps one night in 20. With google maps or the excellent ACA maps you can plan your next destination to be somewhere that has a motel. It's worth giving them a ring to see if they are still in business and if they have a room. I don't use Air B&B because a) I hate having to be somewhere and meet people at a particular time and b) motels have to conform to safety and licensing requirements so chances are they have a minimum standard of comfort; mind you I did freeze my butt off in one motel, Jeffrey City which was the only show in town. If you're like me and like to get a few miles in before breakfast it's worth phoning the breakfast place you're thinking of because they come and go.

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General Discussion / Re: For a California trip, what kind of shoes you recommend

« on: September 04, 2021, 07:29:45 am »

I'm intrigued. What would the bot be trying to accomplish?

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General Discussion / Re: For a California trip, what kind of shoes you recommend

« on: September 03, 2021, 11:37:38 pm »

Once again you are responding a not that resurected a 4yr old thread.

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Nothing like keeping up with the times.