Messages

1

Urban Cycling / commuting by bike

« on: March 30, 2007, 05:18:47 am »

I commute to school, about 25 miles round trip.  My schedule varies with the term but it will be 5 days a week this coming term.  If it's icy I take the bus.

I have the heaviest gloves REI sells and I still get frozen fingers when it's below freezing.  I tried mittens and still the same.  How do those of you where it gets really cold keep your hands warm?  I've wondered if some heavy wool gloves with a water proof mitten shell would do the trick.  I've never seen the mitten shell though.

2

Urban Cycling / top bicycle-friendly cities and towns

« on: February 19, 2007, 03:16:43 pm »

I have to agree with Corvallis.  I've lived here for about 6 months now and I think it's a great place to cycle.  I wish there was a good bike friendly way to ride from here to Linn-Benton Community College in Albany though.  Hwy 34 is not enjoyable riding.

Corvallis has five bike shops that I know of, and there's only about 50,000 people here.  

3

Urban Cycling / top bicycle-friendly cities and towns

« on: December 22, 2006, 01:05:33 am »

I lived in Eugene for a while and it is a good cycling city.

I lived in Tucson a long time.  It claims to be bike friendly but it is not.  There are a lot of hostile motorists there.  It's dangerous to be a pedestrian there too.  

4

Gear Talk / LWB or SWB for touring

« on: August 13, 2007, 02:13:28 am »

I found SWB to be a bumpier ride than LWB.  I also like that the steering is not so quickly responsive on a LWB so they're a little easier to keep in a straight line.  I use a trailer so I can't say much about the effect of panniers.

5

Gear Talk / Should I buy a bent?

« on: July 20, 2007, 12:03:20 am »

OK, so they're work on hills.  That's the only downside I can think of.  I know my butt is so much happier.  My neck is so much happier.  My hands are so much happier.  I don't have to wear special shorts.  I can enjoy the scenery all the time while I ride.

I just thought of another downside.  My LWB will not fit in my car.  Shipping is costly due to the size.  Both can be overcome with a SWB.  I used to have a Rans Rocket that fit in the car.

One other caveat is that you can't see behind you so a mirror is not optional.  It is necessary.

I like my recumbent.  I still ride a wedgie for around town sometimes, but if I expect to be on the road more than an hour I want my 'bent.  Even the psychology of it is fun.  I'm just breezin' down the road.  I did the Trans Am on a Burley Canto pulling a Nomad.

If you get one you need to give it some time to get the feel of it.  The steering seems overly responsive until you get used to it.  They're hard to keep straight until you have some time in the saddle.  SWBs are worse than LWBs.  A test ride or two is really not adequate to let you know how it will feel.  In the beginning you're paying full attention to how weird it is.  It's too bad you can't rent one for about a week.

6

Gear Talk / Underwear

« on: June 14, 2007, 12:20:44 pm »

If you're using street clothes then I suggest Under Armor underwear.  I used to use cotton compression shorts made by Bike athletic company.  They are very comfortable but they wear out quickly.  Under Armor lasts longer, is lightweight, and has 3 different lengths for the inseam.  They're a little pricey but I like them very much.  They are mostly polyester.  

7

Gear Talk / Underwear

« on: June 14, 2007, 02:00:41 am »

I ride a 'bent so the underwear situation is different, but one note about butt butter.  When I was in Yellowstone there was a wedgie rider a few campsites over.  He used butt butter and had a pair of his shorts hung up to dry.  A bear was wandering around and became interested in his shorts.  It tore into them a little.  Lucky for him he was not in them at the time.  We figured it must have been the scent in the shorts from the butter.

8

Gear Talk / schwalbe marathon supreme tires

« on: June 02, 2007, 07:36:28 pm »

Last year I used Schwalbe Marathons on my Trans Am.  People think I'm nuts but I also had heavy duty inner tubes and tube liners.  I didn't have a single flat in over 4,000 miles.  I still have the same front tire and tube on the bike and it has over 6,000 miles with no flats.  It's about time for me to change the tire now.  I don't care what people say about the overkill.  I don't want to change flats.

I have used heavy duty tubes with liners for more than 20 years.  It's not unusual for me to go a few years without a flat.  When I first started doing this I learned from experience that the tubes will dry rot eventually if you don't change them every two years or so.

Schwalbe makes good tires.  

9

Gear Talk / Panniers or Trail Bob for USA crossing?

« on: September 28, 2007, 01:18:19 am »

I know this topic has been done to death, but I use a two wheel trailer and one reason for my decision was to decrease the amount of weight on the rear wheel in order to reduce the probability of broken spokes.  I didn't have a single one on the Trans Am.  The other main reason for a two wheel trailer is that I ride a 'bent and I thought a Bob would make me more unstable on hills.  It's hard enough to keep a 'bent going straight on a steep hill as it is.

10

Gear Talk / Lighter weight touring options

« on: January 05, 2007, 02:50:01 pm »

Not to be rude but one thing to consider when reducing touring weight is body fat.  I know a lot of cyclist don't have much to spare, but I also know that some of us do.  For those who do it is something to consider.  I lost about 40 lbs before I did the Trans Am.  It sure made a difference.  

11

Gear Talk / Journal entry device

« on: January 05, 2007, 02:45:31 pm »

Just for the sake of general information, I found that in some libraries if you tell the librarian you are doing a travel journal they will let you use a computer in the back somewhere.  They don't worry about time limits and they don't look over your shoulder.  I was able to upload a lot of photos from a CD that way.

I kept a written notebook and when it was time to do the journal entries I found that the written notes served as a refresher rather than a verbatim journal entry.

One good thing about the library method is that libraries are nice and cool, and the librarians know the local town so they are a good source of info.

12

Gear Talk / Recumbent Riders Only

« on: November 01, 2006, 10:57:07 pm »

I have a Burley.  They quit making bikes recently so I don't suppose there's much point in going on about that particular bike.  I was on the Rans site yesterday and they have some pretty cool stuff out now.  It looks like they have even come out with upright bikes with sensible seats on them.

I used to own a Rans Rocket SWB.  It was a good bike but I wanted a LWB in order to smooth out the ride.  SWBs are really responsive in the steering department.  A little movement translates to a lot of wobble.  Recumbents take a little practice.  Many people rave about the Rans seat.  It is pretty comfortable but one drawback to a cloth covered seat is that it is basically a sponge.  If it rains you will have a wet butt for about the next two days after it stops.  

Personally I like OSS because I just like to have a place to mount things I might want to mount.  

If you have patience the best advice is to test ride a few different bikes and see what you like.  It may change over time.  I really liked the feel of the Rans Rocket when I first rode it but over time I decided a LWB suited me more for touring.

The main drawback in my opinion with a LWB is that it will not fit in many vehicles if you need to transport it, and they're more expensive to ship.

In general I very much like recumbents mostly for the comfort.  The riding position is much more natural than being hunched over.  'Bent butt and foot pain after about 80 miles are the only pains I have experienced.  I found an inflatable cusion takes care of the 'bent butt.  

13

Gear Talk / Importance of Disk Brakes?

« on: February 08, 2006, 01:07:25 am »

I like disc brakes.  I have a Burley Canto recumbent and one reason I chose it was the disc brakes.  Last spring I rode from Sisters, OR to Eugene, OR over Makinzie pass and I spent a lot of time on my brakes.  I weighed about 215 at the time and I was pulling a nomad trailer.  The brakes were screeching something awful but I never felt like I was unable to stop.  The stopping power between disc brakes and ordinary brakes is amazing in my experience.

This message was edited by Dan_E_Boye on 2-7-06 @ 9:08 PM

14

Gear Talk / Recumbent advice?

« on: October 04, 2005, 12:07:23 am »

I ride a Burley Canto in the long wheel base configuration for touring and a Rans Rocket in town.  The Rans was my first recumbent.  I like it for riding around town but it's a bumpy ride and the short wheel base makes for very quick steering response.  I like the Burley for touring.  It smooths out the bumps.  I also like the disc brakes and that's one reason I chose the Canto.  I pull a Nomad trailer and it works for me.  If I'm doing an overnighter I just use panniers with a luggage rack.  I think the long wheel base is the best option for touring.

I would like to have tried out more recumbents myself but there were not a lot to try in my area either.  If I had more patience I would like to have tried out the EZ racer.  I sat on one in the shop in Portland but didn't get to ride.  The price was also a limiting factor for me.  If money were no object for me I would like a Greenspeed trike for stability.  One thing I have noticed on recumbents is that when you really get going down a hill they feel unstable.  They respond to every little motion of your body.  As a result I take downhills slower than I do on a regular bike.  I have wiped out on both of my recumbents.  Once it was night and I thought I saw pavement but it was mud and the bike slid out from under me.  It was kind of funny and I didn't get hurt.  The other time I was going pretty slow, or so I thought, and it was on a wet concrete surface with leaves and other such material on the surface.  I was going around a loop to go over the bike bridge when suddenly I was on the ground.  The wheels slid out from under me again.  This time I got some road rash and a minor shoulder injury.  As a result I'm much more aware of traction and stability on my recumbents.  Overall though, I like recumbents a lot and they are comfortable.  Your butt will rejoice.    

15

Gear Talk / shelter

« on: October 26, 2005, 10:08:18 pm »

Has anyone had any experience with Big Agnes tents?  I see that they make some solo tents that are roomy and still light.  I saw them at the campmore site that is linked in a previous post.