Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Bear safe food storage

« on: May 10, 2022, 10:37:07 pm »

Like a few others on this site, I've transitioned to cycling from hiking/backpacking. I remember being told that bears have the best sense of smell of any animal. For comparison, the average dog’s sense of smell is 100 times better than ours. A blood hound’s is 300 times better. A bear’s sense of smell is 7 times better than a blood hound’s or 2,100 times better than a human’s. Which may mean the bear can smell that still unopened package of beef jerky in your pocket from several miles away.  Great tips and links provided by HikeBikeCook. Be aware and careful in bear country, keep a clean site, and protect your food.  And properly doing these things also protects the bears.
On the hiking trail, I've used various bear hang methods to keep my food (and other smellys) out of reach.  But there have also been times (like above treeline) where there was no where to hang the food bag in the camp area.  Hauling the bear canister was the best option in this scenario. I know the canister is pricey, bulky and heavy, but as HBC says, "what is your life worth?"

2

Gear Talk / Re: Handlebar Light and Ortlieb Handlebar Bag

« on: May 06, 2022, 04:47:03 am »

Any chance you can post a pic? I would love to see your wrap around solution.

3

Gear Talk / Re: Quad Loc Phone Holder?

« on: April 07, 2022, 12:21:18 am »

I took the plunge and also got the Rokform, and am a very satisfied with it.  It locks in, and doesn't budge.  It doesn't take up real estate on my handlebar. And you can adjust the viewing angle.  Great product.

4

ACA Mobile Route Apps / Feedback feature on App

« on: March 30, 2022, 04:16:27 am »

Is there a way to see prior user feedback/comments on the various cycling services listed on the app?  The button seems to only allow a user to provide feedback on services, but not read through previous comments.  Perhaps this feature is only to allow the ACA to update its listings, and not to assist other cyclists in making decisions to stop or not?

5

General Discussion / Re: The famous bicycle

« on: March 21, 2022, 06:15:21 am »

Thanks for the post.  Made my day reading through these delightful thoughts.

6

General Discussion / Bike Shop in/near Yorktown, VA

« on: March 21, 2022, 06:11:33 am »

Anyone have a recommendation for a bike shop in Yorktown?  I need to box up my bike and ship to a shop for assembly/tune up to start my big ride.  I don't necessarily want to drag the bike box (and tools) around 2 airports and would rather ship it and have it ready to go when I get to the start line.  Thoughts?

7

Gear Talk / Re: Handlebar Light and Ortlieb Handlebar Bag

« on: March 13, 2022, 11:12:54 pm »

The bar extender seems like a simple and elegant solution. Plus the extra real estate on the bar for other toys make it look like a winner. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.  HBC and RayB, it sounds like you both moved on to other solutions after trying it. If I may ask, were there specific issues you found with the bar extender after installing and using it, or did you just find other options better for your needs?

8

Gear Talk / Handlebar Light and Ortlieb Handlebar Bag

« on: March 12, 2022, 03:56:55 am »

I'm probably not jiggering the light mount and/or the handlebar bag mount the right way, but I've played with it for the last few days, and can't get the light from aiming directly at the top of the mounted bag.  What am I doing wrong, or what am I not seeing in my effort.  Light mount compatibility with mounted handlebar bags is, I'm sure, a very common hurdle, so how have you worked this out on your rigs?  Is it possible to effectively mount the light somewhere else?  My NiteRider Lumina mount bracket seems to only fit on the tubular figured handlebar.

9

Gear Talk / Re: Shorts, Liners, Tights

« on: March 11, 2022, 09:46:56 pm »

Thanks all, for the comments and advice.  Like all the other first timers, I am excitedly soaking it all up.  This site has been great for finding good info, proffered by actual bike riders and those who tour.  Hope to meet up with you old pros one day on the road.

10

Gear Talk / Re: Shorts, Liners, Tights

« on: March 07, 2022, 01:54:33 pm »

Thanks, this clears up a lot in my mind.

11

Gear Talk / Re: Shorts, Liners, Tights

« on: March 07, 2022, 01:35:44 pm »

Thanks for the explanation.  So if I got this correct, the liners, for all intents and purposes, function as "underwear", sometimes meant to be worn under shorts, and depending on model, sometimes built or integrated into the shorts?

12

Gear Talk / Re: Quad Loc Phone Holder?

« on: March 06, 2022, 06:31:37 am »

Different product, but has anyone tried the Rokform V4 Pro Series Bike Mount? Any thoughts on this or the Quad Loc vs. the rokform would be appreciated.
https://www.rokform.com/products/v4-pro-series-iphone-bike-mount

13

Gear Talk / Shorts, Liners, Tights

« on: March 06, 2022, 06:26:04 am »

I'm not the brightest bulb, so maybe someone can shed some light for this noob.  What's the difference between bike shorts, liners and tights?  The pics on the catalog sites all look kinda the same.  Asking for suggestions would be opening up a can of worms since fit is personal, so instead, let me ask: What are you wearing? What features do you like? Advice on buying welcome.  Thanks.

14

General Discussion / Re: TransAm Stats?

« on: March 02, 2022, 11:53:23 pm »

Thanks Jamawani and John for your replies.  I looked everywhere for these stats and thought my search skills were lacking.  The ballpark departure windows info is especially helpful in planning my own launch.  Hope to see some of you on the road.

15

General Discussion / TransAm Stats?

« on: March 02, 2022, 04:42:31 pm »

Anyone have recent stats on how many cyclist going West to East vs. East to West, or what the percentage breakdown is for direction of travel?  Second, is there a "touring season" for the TransAm, and if so, when does it start?  I know many factors play into this including snow pack and when passes open, but generally when do cyclist launch?  Is there such a thing as a "bubble" moving from town to town, and if so, when best to avoid it?  First query, so be kind.  Thanks.