Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Warm tour ideas (US)

« on: January 22, 2021, 01:13:51 pm »

As a side note, the vast majority of people getting the 2nd dose say they feel sick for about 24-36 hours (beginning 12 hours after the shot).  Everyone has a very sore arm but it really helps if you keep the arm moving from the time of the shot.  Also, take tylenol every 6 hours religiously for 36 hours until the pain subsides.  After, that, everyone feel "back to normal".

I was in a cluster of "lab rats," and we had a range of experiences.  My arm was pretty stiff and aching from about 6-30 hours after my first shot, and mildly stiff from 6-18 hours after the second.  Didn't stop me from riding a metric the day after the second shot!  My wife, on the other hand, was popping Tylenol as you describe and stayed in bed most of the day.

FWIW, every one of this group who's been un-blinded guessed correctly as to whether they had the vaccine or the placebo.

2

General Discussion / Re: Warm tour ideas (US)

« on: January 22, 2021, 10:17:18 am »

I've enjoyed a few springtime rides in southern Arizona, but let me ask a couple questions (and give you a big caveat) before I get to my suggestions.  First, what's a "good" daily mileage for you?  If you start with the idea of 500 miles and plan to split it over three weeks, that's 25 miles a day.  It's going to be hard to get from point A to point B on that schedule.  Second, will you have the capability to carry water and food for a full day's ride?  Also, how much interstate riding can you tolerate?  (IME, 10 miles is novel and OK, and then it gets long and noisy.)

Caveat: most of my ideas that don't involve riding the cycle paths around Tucson involve 50-75 mile days.

OK, first idea.  Try a couple of loops around Tucson.  Tucson to Picacho to Chandler to Florence to Oracle Junction to the airport (5 days).  Tucson - Green Valley - Sonoita - Sierra Vista - Bisbee - Tombstone - Benson - Tucson (5-7 days).

Second, Tucson to El Paso, or the other way around.  I'd look at routing through Sonoita, Sierra Vista, Douglas, AZ, and then Lordsburg and Las Cruces, NM.  You'll be looking at a couple 70-80 mile days, and the rest would be around 50 miles a day.  Could be tight housing a couple nights (Sonoita and Rodeo, one place to stay in each town).

Either way, I'd expect morning lows around 40F (but be prepared for frost), and highs 60-80F.  Passes will be cooler, of course.  I wouldn't expect much rain, although thunderstorms can be spectacular.

3

Routes / Re: Staying or Camping in Yellewstone Park doing the TransAm

« on: January 04, 2021, 09:31:02 am »

Finally, if you want indoor lodging, just call once or twice a day but especially right after the "must cancel by" time and see if anything has opened up.  Two or three years ago, we did that and got a same day reservation in Colter Bay and also in West Yellowstone.  And this was over July 4th!  Granted, we only got to stay one night due to availability in Colter Bay but that is much better than we thought we would.

Once you get pretty close to Yellowstone (say, Dubois or Lander coming from the east), if you've got someone back home who can call for you, this approach often works well.  My wife got my daughter and me a room in West Thumb (she was sure we would be eaten by bears if we camped), after we stayed at the Colter Bay hiker/biker/group campsite.

Didn't see either bear or buffalo on that trip. 

As John Nelson said, camping won't be a problem.  There are four campgrounds along the TransAm route in Yellowstone, IIRC, although you'll want serious mosquito repellent and netting if you stay at Lewis Lake.  (We didn't even stay there to eat lunch!)  There was also a forest service campground before you got to the gate at Moran Junction back when I went through there, but it's hard to stay that close to the Tetons without getting 10 miles closer!

4

General Discussion / Re: Average Touring Weight observed at ACA HQ weigh-in?

« on: December 23, 2020, 03:10:33 pm »

What is a gym membership 

I think that's when you belong to a gym.

I belong to my bike.  And my dog.  And, oh yes, my wife.   

5

General Discussion / Re: Question about seat height

« on: December 22, 2020, 08:22:14 am »

Context-free (knowing nothing about the OP's size or his bikes):

Does the new bike have longer cranks than your older/lighter bikes?  If so, and if you measure from bottom bracket spindle to the top of the saddle, you may have inadvertently set your saddle 5 mm higher from the bottom of your pedal stroke.

6

Gear Talk / Re: Better components?

« on: December 21, 2020, 08:38:09 am »

How's that saying go?  Marry the frame, date the parts?

Ever tied explaining that approach to your wife?   

Yes, actually.  I saw that for the first time after I'd read her the part of Grant Peterson's book where he said, "Wear something out."  Her response was, "You've certainly done that!"  So when I quoted her the "Marry your frame" bit, she told me to go out and buy a new bike.

 

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Routes / Re: Oldest Self-Supported Cyclist on the Transam ?

« on: December 18, 2020, 09:16:42 am »

Even though you won't be the oldest next summer, go ahead and do the ride.  It'll be a great experience, and you want to do it while you can.  If you're still able in 13 years, you can do it again!

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General Discussion / Re: Pedals and Shoes for the TransAmerica

« on: December 18, 2020, 09:13:14 am »

I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time defending Frogs, so this is likely my last post on the subject in this thread, but there are a few points that I'll make.

First, a shoe that's sold as good for biking and hiking will probably be good for neither.  It's going to be stiff to walk in, and flexible to ride in.  35 miles to hotfoot is not much more than my 30 miles when I decided to go find other shoes (Sidis, in my case).  If you're planning to do more walking than into a store, restaurant, or visitor center, perhaps it's worth carrying other footwear.  My Teva sandals are great as shower shoes, and also work well for walking up to at least a few miles.  Be dorky and wear wool socks if there's brush or rocks!

Second, as a tourist, it's not too much trouble to get off and walk around every 30 miles.  That's every 2-3 hours at my touring speed, and by then I'm ready for more water, or a second breakfast, etc.  That usually resets my "hotfoot clock," although I need to take breaks more frequently as a long day drags on.

Finally, I suspect the effective size isn't that much different between Frogs and the ubiquitous SPD pedals.  The Frog cleat fills the lateral width between MTB cleats, and isn't much smaller than the fore and aft distance of an SPD pedal.  If you want a larger foot platform, you should probably be looking at platforms (with or without straps).

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Gear Talk / Re: Better components?

« on: December 16, 2020, 02:37:02 pm »

How's that saying go?  Marry the frame, date the parts?

10

Gear Talk / Re: Bottle Cage Allen screw Size

« on: December 16, 2020, 02:35:16 pm »

I started re-packing bike wheel bearings with a can of automotive grease that was probably 20-25 years old at the time.  It worked fine. 

I bought a tub of Pedro's and then a tube of Phil Wood after some years looking for a neater way to repack bike wheels, since I usually do that in the house on a cold winter afternoon.  They all work about the same.  The tub is easiest to use for bolts, just clean the bolt off and stick it down in the grease.

11

General Discussion / Re: Route map with elevation profile

« on: December 15, 2020, 10:39:34 am »

I haven't looked at a raw .gpx or .fit file lately, but I think the elevation is in a field for one of those.  Look at them with a text editor, then try to import one into Excel.

Your challenge will be to spread the points out more or less evenly by road distance.

(Also, you'll want to reverse the direction -- the biggest passes are in the west, on the left side of the map.)

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General Discussion / Re: Pedals and Shoes for the TransAmerica

« on: December 15, 2020, 10:35:20 am »

I had problems with foot support when I first went to Frogs.  After 30 miles or so, my foot would bend around the small pedal and painful hotfoot was the result.

That was about 19 years ago.  My solution was better shoes with more rigid soles.  I've completed rides up to 400 km (in 25 hours) in Sidi shoes with no problems.

I just checked, and the Speedplay site shows Frogs again!  I don't know when they'll be available, as they were out of the Speedplay lineup for the last year.

13

General Discussion / Re: Kickstands - Love them or leave them?

« on: December 15, 2020, 10:27:30 am »

Let me toss in another vote FOR a kickstand, with a couple caveats.

Why?  As John mentioned, it's easier to load/unload/find stuff in your pannier with a free-standing bike.  IME, it's also more stable than leaning the bike up against a wall, post, fence, etc.  My main bike no longer has a kickstand (replacement frame doesn't have room for both a kickstand and rear fender).  It's an art to lean the bike against something, let the front wheel flop, adjust the angle of the bike, step back with fingers crossed, and then jump back to catch the bike as it finds a way to roll 6" and fall down, scratching the paint all the way.  I've also seen too many nice bikes on larger rides fall on the derailer, bending the hanger and making shifting difficult for the remainder of the ride.

John's golf ball recommendation is spot on.  No worries about impaling someone or punching a hole in soft turf, leading to the bike falling.  FWIW, I like the kickstand that mounts on the rear triangle.

Caveats?  With the rear kickstand (somewhat less on the center mount), a loaded bike will find downhill, if there is one, and swing around until the front is pointed that way.  It may then start to roll off the kickstand, depending on the front wheel's angle, and down goes the bike.  I've seen the same thing happen in gusty winds.  Sometimes it's best just to lay the bike down on its panniers.

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Gear Talk / Re: Bottle Cage Allen screw Size

« on: December 10, 2020, 08:50:29 am »

OK, you got my curiosity up.  You got a new 520, a production bike, and the bottle cage screws matched the paint job?  What color is the bike?

15

Routes / Re: West from Minneapolis - Northern Tier or Parks, Peaks and Prairie?

« on: December 07, 2020, 09:30:40 am »

I'd consider adding two days in Yellowstone, from what I think the PPP route takes.  First, take a side trip up to Canyon through the Hayden Valley; you'll get a chance to see some wildlife (buffalo!), and the falls should not be missed.  Backtrack to Fishing Bridge, up the mountain to Norris Geyser on the route, and when you get to Madison do a side trip to Old Faithful.  Take some time en route to see some of the thermal sites and back roads you can do on a bike.  Slowly eat an ice cream cone after Old Faithful erupts to let the cars leave.