Messages

1

Gear Talk / Re: Touring novice seeking bike advice

« on: April 16, 2012, 05:07:19 pm »

You can tour on almost anything. When I rode I had a Surly Long Haul Trucker (which I suggest if you can afford it), and my buddy had a downhill racing bike. He had the 26" knobby off-road tires, suspension on the front, and he loaded everything on the back. Zero front bags. He kept up with me just fine.

I'd say keep your bike. Get the wheels and rims checked out, replace your chain and cables maybe, load it out and go.

I read of a hiker named Grandma Gatewood. In her 70's she hiked the triple crown (PCT, CDT and AT), without fancy gear. She had a pair of Keds, and a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. Don't get too caught up in the latest and greatest.

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General Discussion / Re: Touring Across America

« on: April 16, 2012, 04:50:21 pm »

I rode the Long Haul Trucker on my trip, have never toured on another bike so I can't compare it. However it was a nice stable ride, well designed for carrying loads. All the bells and whistles for attaching racks, fenders, water bottles, bike pump, spare spokes, etc. I also rode on Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires at 700 x 28. I felt the 28mm was a tad too narrow for me. I felt every nook and cranny of the pavement, and the wheels seemed, well, almost fragile. Not that I had problems with them, but I think I may go for 35mm next time.

Also, check out the parts department and the gear ratio calculator at HarrisCyclery.com. They have some good gear combinations for touring, and lots of information on all things bicycle.

If you are the least bit mechanically inclined, you also may want to put your bike together on your own, and shop for the best deal on parts. I found this to be cheaper than the pre-built bike, plus I got exactly the components I wanted. Also, you now know your bike inside and out, making repairs that much easier.

3

General Discussion / Re: Rain pants? Yay or Nay

« on: April 16, 2012, 04:31:02 pm »

I did. Not only for rain, but chilly nights and mornings where you're not ready to be cold, or for windy overcast days. I'd bring sandals for rain gear too. I used them in the public showers anyway, and when it rained I'd pack away the shoes and ride in sandals - doesn't matter if my feet get wet then.

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General Discussion / Re: Bike weight

« on: April 16, 2012, 04:20:34 pm »

My load out comes to about 65 Lbs before consumables, and I consider that kinda heavy. I'd encourage you to post your gear list, and I'm sure everyone will help dissect it. If you haven't made a list - make one. Record the weights for each item. When you look through it to try and save weight, start with the heaviest items first. Be realistic in what you're really going to need. A pillow would be nice, but a pile of clothes will serve just as well.

I'd also encourage you to read Ray Jardine's Guide to Lightweight Backpacking. It's not about cycling, but 90% of it still applies. To put this guy in perspective, he thru-hiked the PCT with a base weight of 15 Lbs.

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General Discussion / Re: Long distance trip alone?

« on: March 27, 2012, 04:38:42 pm »

It isn't really suffering suffering - not like how some people in the world suffer anyway. It's more of a constant, pervasive discomfort.

After going back alone, each day became more hills, more dogs, more miles in the saddle. I was also riding late in the season in the less popular direction, so I didn't see many other riders in the part I accomplished. Without someone there, it just become a mental challenge to keep going alone.

In any case I wouldn't hesitate to try going solo again.
My advice:
1)Safety somewhat less when riding alone
2)May be more challenging alone, especially if it's the first tour
3)Plan and prepare for what you can, and do it anyway

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General Discussion / Re: Long distance trip alone?

« on: March 26, 2012, 11:02:17 am »

From my own personal experience, it was harder to ride alone. I went on my first tour in 2009 on the TA (E to W), and a longtime friend of mine came with me. After the Knott County Historical Society (strange guy, he is), we both went back home to Chicago because of money. I was loaned some by my mom, so I went back to Hazard to start again - alone.

For me, it was much harder this way. There was nobody to push through the miles with you. Maybe it's because it was my first tour, but it seemed much less fun when there wasn't someone there suffering with you. It became more of a struggle everyday to get to the next campground. I stayed on for two more weeks then called it off. But that's just me, YMMV.

Also, early in the trip just outside Charlottesville, I ran my bike off the road going down a hill. Hit a rock at something like 20 miles an hour - trashed my shiny new Mavic and forks. While doing a backflip over my handlebars, I was very happy to see my buddy riding behind me. In fact, I distinctly remember thinking that. That being said, a passerby stopped within literally 60 seconds to see if everything was OK, and we were offered a ride within an hour.

7

Gear Talk / Re: white gas or cannister stove for month long trip in Wyoming/Montana

« on: September 23, 2010, 04:57:12 am »

I will put in a suggestion here for an alternative you may not know about.

The Sierra Zip Stove is a stove that burns solid fuel: twigs, leaves, sticks, dry manure, whatever. It uses a fan to preheat air and turn it into something of a blast furnace. A few handfuls of kindling will boil a liter of water in a few minutes. I've done everything from pasta to pancakes on this little guy.

PROS:
- Infinite fuel

CONS:
- Needs batteries
- Moving parts

If you plan on being around anywhere with electrical service of any kind (KOA's, state/most national parks, RV parks, etc) a charger and rechargeable batteries would be an easy way to keep batteries charged. As it is, the stove lasts about a week on a full battery (well, it did for us and we used it only for breakfast and dinner), and most people are more than willing to let you charge stuff overnight. I also used the battery charger to keep my GPS and maglight batteries fully charged.

To me, it seemed it would be easier to find an electrical socket I could use for a night then need to have to search for stove fuel and carry it.

This is the site for the stoves: http://www.zzstove.com

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General Discussion / Re: What are some of the steepest grades on the Trans Am?

« on: September 23, 2010, 03:49:38 am »

Hah, the driveway up to the Knott County historical society was pretty brutal.

...Then again, there was a glass of lemonade at the top.

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General Discussion / Re: April too early? (Westbound TA)

« on: January 31, 2009, 10:09:20 pm »

I see. Thank you, your posts are extremely useful.

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General Discussion / Re: April too early? (Westbound TA)

« on: January 31, 2009, 12:24:17 am »

Thanks for the answer TulsaJohn. I wish I could provide a more accurate schedule, but I really have no plan to adhere to one. As long as I leave around April, and get to Astoria before money or weather run out - I'll be happy. If things are going too slow, I'll do higher mileage days. If I've got time, I'll stop and smell the flowers.

I figure the only things I must really schedule around are weather expectations.

Your post was exactly what I was looking for. I should avoid western Missouri until early June because severe weather is more likely at that time. And also the Rockies - generally when is the weather most severe? Since I'm moving west, I'll probably hit the Rockies in July or August.

I realize these are very broad generalizations. Severe weather can come at any time - observation and discretion are key to preventing accidents. But surely there are general guidelines?

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Gear Talk / Re: Drivetrain questions

« on: January 26, 2009, 12:50:30 pm »

Are you sure you don't already have a long cage rear derailleur?  Almost all bikes with triple cranks come with them and your current gearing would be very limited if your rear derailleur is now a short cage.

Not sure at all, but it sure makes sense now that you mention it. It appears to be a SRAM SX4. After some research, I've found it is a long cage.

I see your point, staehpj1. Even in relatively flat Illinois, I've still hardly used my highest gears, so I think on a fully loaded tour I'll be more likely to stay relatively low. My buddy I'm riding with is using a mountain bike, so he won't have very high gears either. Thanks for the advice everyone, I think I'll swap out to a 24T and see how it goes.

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Gear Talk / Drivetrain questions

« on: January 25, 2009, 07:27:35 pm »

I'm in the midst of upgrading my bike for a TA tour. I did consider buying a new one, but it was far too expensive. I've gotten to the point of looking at my gearing, and from the few thousand miles I've put on it on day trips I think I need some lower gearing. It's an 8 speed, and currently I'm running 28-38-48 up front and 11-12-14-16-18-21-26-32 on the rear. I was thinking of Sheldon Brown's custom cassette:13-15-17-19-21-23-26-34. Has anyone used these before? Does the combination work well for you? Should I also perhaps find a smaller front sprocket? Would it be worth it to upgrade my derailleur to a long cage version? I realize vastly different solutions work well for different people, but I was just wondering what everyone thinks about this topic.

Thanks for any help!

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General Discussion / Re: What gear?

« on: January 25, 2009, 05:36:21 pm »

Check out a book by a fellow named Ray Jardine, "Trail Life", or the older, "Beyond Backpacking". It is more geared towards hikers, but the sections on tents and sleeping bags and such does apply to any self-contained rider. I used this book as the basic guideline for all my gear selection. As an idea of what you can do with proper gear selection, he was able to hike the PCT with a base weight of 15 lbs. My base weight for the TA trail is about 20 lbs. I could shave off some extraneous gear and save another 5 lbs or so.

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Gear Talk / Re: Sore butts

« on: January 25, 2009, 04:48:34 pm »

I would second the Brooks saddle. I haven't used one, but it makes sense. If they have been making the same saddle for over 100 years, they must be doing something right. Sheldon Brown (I believe) also suggested Brooks. He said out of 42 distance riders he saw on one journey, 30 of them used Brooks.

Then again, I really don't get sore butt anymore on my cheapo Schwinn WTB saddle.

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General Discussion / Re: Touring Wired, Wireless, Etc.

« on: January 25, 2009, 04:15:33 pm »

I too have decided to include electronics on my TA trip. Instead of a laptop, I bought a PDA (HP iPaq 111). I like the PDA more because it is smaller, lighter, cheaper, and consumes less power. I don't how your bike computer interfaces, but the PDA includes an SD card slot. It supports WiFi and Bluetooth, but not USB. You can always just enter the numbers in a spreadsheet. The PDA includes eMail and an internet browser as well as an instant messenger.  Also, remember you must charge your device. A solar panel is a good solution to this problem (mine is by SunLinq). However, only the largest portable solar panels will be able to charge a full blown laptop. If all you need to record is numerical data, I'd suggest just bringing some paper and a pencil. It's lighter, cheaper and much less likely to break or get stolen. A bit less convenient but a million times easier (if that makes sense).

Personally, I wrote a program for the PDA that keeps track of my journals and pictures. When I find an internet connection, I push a button and it updates my website automagically. I don't ever have to take it out of my pocket. If I were you, I'd do a similar thing, but for the metrics you plan on tracking.

You can run programs off of a flash drive, but on public computers the security measures usually prevent that.