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Messages - wanderingwheel

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31
Connecting ACA Routes / lewis and clark to transam timetable
« on: February 14, 2006, 02:07:59 pm »
Two and a half months sounds reasonable for this trip.  That will give you a daily average of 70-80 miles, with about one day off per week.  This is right about my touring pace and I never feel like I'm too rushed to pass up a place tht I'd like to stop and see.

Sean


32
Urban Cycling / Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
« on: October 09, 2008, 11:15:06 am »
That ride sounds good right up to the San Fernando Valley.  Unfortunately, I can't think of any good alternatives.  I assume you've seen the site http://www.bicyclela.org/, great resource for all of Southern California, not just LA.  

I've never been a big fan of bike paths, they rarely go where I want to, and there are often slow, crowded, and have dangerous street crossings.

Sean


33
Urban Cycling / Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
« on: October 08, 2008, 05:02:56 pm »
I don't know, I'm having a hard time coming up with smething nice to say about riding in LA.  Once you get to the fringes it's great, but downtown LA is just ugly city riding.  You're right, the bike paths can be useful if you're going slow, and the "scenery" is hard to beat, but it's also an awful lot of people crowded into the small area of the bike paths.

Sean


34
Gear Talk / STI vs. Bar ends
« on: November 18, 2008, 04:06:06 pm »
Instead of bar ends, what about down tube shifters?  Given the choice, I'll take down tube shifters everytime.  I feel more confedent reaching down to the down tube and shifting there, than pulling or pushing on the end of the handlebar.  Bar ends did give me the opportunity to shift with my knees, except sometimes I shifted inadvertantly.

My touring bike now has an old set of Suntour Command shifters, an early attempt at integrating shifters and brake levers.  It is somewhat like a thumb shifter and is mounted next to the brake lever.  It allows me to run V-brake levers and to switch to friction if ever needed, but something tells me that standard STI is still much more reliable.

Sean


35
Gear Talk / Touring Tires & Brakes
« on: October 02, 2008, 05:00:15 pm »
I took a quick look at the specs for your bike, and you do have linear pull (V-) brakes already.  The brakes themselves should be more than adequate for your trip, but I would consider putting different brake pads on.  The pads will be the biggest change you can make, and are probably the weakest link in your existing brake system.  My favorite aftermarket brake pads for touring bikes are from KoolStop, any of thier V-brake pads should work great.  I'd consider getting thier salmon or salmon/black compounds rather than the standard black.

Your tires should be good to start the tour, but I'd be surprised if they last more than 2000 miles once you put your load on.  Expect to replace your tires at least once during your tour, especially if you start the tour with a number of miles on them already.  For new tires, don't go any narrower than your current 35 tires, 40 may even be better.  I prefer inverted treads like your tires are: they usually have longer life and fewer flats than low profile tires and I can go offroad without worrying about them.

I would start the tour with at least 2 spare tubes and a patch kit.  One spare tire would be a nice insurance policy.  (I've had to glue and duct tape a blown tire to my rim before when I failed to carry a spare.)  You shouldn't go through your brake pads, but check them before you leave and replace if they are worn.

Sean


36
Gear Talk / Touring Stove
« on: October 06, 2008, 09:13:00 pm »
If I'm going to go to the trouble of cooking and cleaning, I want the meal to be worth it.  Sure I do soups and chilis and pastas, but that's usually just with the pot.  With the skillet, I'll throw together whatever I picked up that day together and cook it: fish, steak, chicken, vegetables, anything really.  Sometimes it leans towards a stir fry, sometimes it's closer to a mixed grill.  I'll also cook simple pies and cakes if I planned far enough in advance.

Sean


37
Gear Talk / Touring Stove
« on: October 02, 2008, 02:16:59 pm »
Many tourists do not carry stoves since it is often the same price and better quality to eat at cafes and restaurants as compared to cookng for yourself once you get away from the coasts.  Also, cooking and cleaning can be a hassle that many wish to avoid.  Most touring, especially on something like the Trans-Am, is not like backpacking where you have to bring everything with you and often need to cook, or at least heat up some water.  You will be passing many stores a day and can always pick up fresh food or something hot when needed.  Don't be surprised if your stove finds it's self languishing at the bottom of your pack after the first week or so.

That said, I do bring the cooking gear on occasion, my favorite stove for long trips is the Coleman Feather 442.  It will run on either white gas (aka Coleman Fuel, usually easy to find), or gasoline if needed.  I find the stove much easier to use than any other white gas stove, and it even can function at settings other than "off" and "afterburner" (not that I often need that, though).  A full tank will last me about a week of continuous use, but you will need to carry a fuel bottle to hold the gas you purchase on the road.

Sean


38
Gear Talk / Racks & Panniers
« on: October 02, 2008, 01:45:49 pm »
They do have a DWR (durable water resistant lining) like all fabric panniers and backpacks do, but they are not waterproof like Ortliebs.  In practice it has not been an issue for me.  I pack everything I want to keep dry in garbage bags, zip-lock bags, or dry bags, but have rarely seen water actually work it's way all the way through the top lid and skirt into the bag, or through the side or bottom fabric.  I have not had any issues with the mounting system or the pack structure due to rain.

Sean


39
Gear Talk / Racks & Panniers
« on: October 01, 2008, 02:15:16 pm »

Quote

I was looking at the following cause I'm trying to save some money on panniers. Can anyone tell me if they think these would be good for TransAm (May 09 start date)? I have a Trek 7.2 FX bike. I dont know if these are good enough. I'm afraid cheaper ones might tear.


Those are the panniers that I use, my set has well over 10,000 miles on them and are still going strong.  They are very high quality, like everything I've seen from Jandd.  I prefer top-loading panniers, so these work very well for me.  I also like the ability to strap things to the top, to easily overpack them because of the floating lid, and to cinch them down with smaller loads.  

The Jandd mounting system is more cumbersome than most, but I also think it holds the paniers more securely to the rack.  One other small complaint is that these, if anything, are too large for most of my uses.  It's all to easy to fill them with stuff that I don't need, or to upset my bike's weight balance by putting too much weight on the rear wheel.  The corresponding Mountain Panniers are similar, just a little smaller, if you too are concerned about these being too large.

Sean


40
Gear Talk / touring seat
« on: October 08, 2008, 04:39:47 pm »
The nose-less saddles do work, but you may lose some control over the bike.  You may not realize it, but the primary use of the saddle nose to help push the bike over or keep it upright while turning.  Since most loaded touring bikes aren't attempting the type of maneuvers that require large amounts of "saddle steering", it probably won't make much of a difference.  You can also accomplish the same thing by pushing against the top tube with your knee.

If you plan on spending many miles on one of those saddles, be wary of ones that are very soft.  Yo will sink right through them and that soft padding will migrate to other areas were you don't want it.  Some triathelets are now using a similar saddle calle dthe Adamo.  I don't know what saddles you've tried, but maybe a firmer, wider saddle would also work.

Sean


41
Gear Talk / touring seat
« on: September 12, 2008, 10:44:20 am »
I forgot one, very basic step.  First, make sure that you current saddle is positioned properly.  Do you need to raise or lower the saddle?  Does the saddle need to be moved forward or back?  You should feel good support under your sit bones, so move the saddle until you find that.  A good rule of thumb is that you should be about even with the back of the saddle in you most common position.  Now, measure from the center of the bottom bracket, along the seat tube, to the top of your saddle.  Also, measure from the back of the saddle to the handlebars.  If and when you decide to change saddles, try to set up the new saddle in the same position.  You may need to raise or lower your seatpost depending on the difference in the saddle heights.  These numbers aren't set in stone, but they should be the starting point.

In addition to saddle height and reach, consider adjusting the saddle tilt.  The traditional method is to start by putting a large level on the saddle and getting it as close to level as possible.  For me, this works okay on flatter saddles, maybe just a touch extra down by the nose.  On hammock-shaped saddles, I prefer to level the nose of the saddle and let the rear sweep up.  Some people like their saddles pointed very high or low, find what you like.

It is almost certain that you are not perfectly symmetric, so your saddle doesn't need to be either.  Does it feel like your positioned well on one side but not the other?  Consider twisting the seatpost a little until you are well balanced on your saddle.  If you're lucky, you have one of the few seatposts that allow you to move the saddle side-to-side.  Don't be afraid to put the saddle where you need it, wherever that is.  I set up my saddles with just a touch of twist to the right.

Sean

This message was edited by wanderingwheel on 9-12-08 @ 7:46 AM

42
Gear Talk / touring seat
« on: September 11, 2008, 02:50:46 pm »
Saddles are a very personal choice, so what works for you may not work for me.  First, do you need a different saddle?  Spend some time on your bike, especially if you're new to cycling, and find out what you like and don't like about your current saddle.  Once you have some miles in your legs, go out for long rides (4+ hours) on consecutive days.  How does it feel at the end of Day 1?  The start of Day 2?  The end of Day 2?

Now you have some idea what you like and don't about your saddle, and can look for a new saddle if needed.  Saddles vary in different ways: stiffness, width, and shape (top, side, and front).  A softer saddle will feel nice and comfortable for short rides, but you may find yourself sinking through it and sitting on a poorly shaped frame after a while.  I strongly suggest looking for firmer saddles for touring, they will not change after a long day or three.  

Saddle manufacturers are only recently beginning to recognize the effect of different widths again.  On your current saddle, do you feel like you're falling off both sides?  Or is it so wide that it's interfering with you pedaling?  Measure your saddle and look for ones that are similar, wider, or narrower as needed.

Now that you've got a saddle firmness and width that you like, choose the saddle shape that works for you.  From the side, saddles can be flat or hammock-shaped.  From the front they can be flat or sloping downwards.  From above they can be T-shaped or triangular.  Pick what works for you.

Everything else is little more than window dressing.  With the proper shape, a cutout should not be necessary, but they don't hurt either.  Some riders like rough coverings that they don't slip around on, other riders like smooth coverings so they don't get sore spots.  For a touring bike, the rail material is unimportant as long as you avoid super-light racing rails.

Personally I like very firm saddles with a moderate width, and that are flat and have a T-shape.  For plastic saddles, I find Specialized's line to work very well.  Others I like are Selle Italia Flight and Avocet saddles.  For expensive leather saddles, both the Brooks Pro and Swift have treated me well.

Sean

Edited for all those typos

This message was edited by wanderingwheel on 9-12-08 @ 7:27 AM

43
Gear Talk / Head & Seat Tube Angle affect on Frame Behavior
« on: August 28, 2008, 01:42:01 pm »
Seat tube angle has already been well adressed, so here's my take on head tube angles.

Head tube angle does two things, together with rake it changes the amount of steering trail, and it affects the weight displacement between the front and rear wheels.  

Trail is fairly well understood, in brief less trail will require less force to change directions, and more trail will require more force.  High trail and low trail is not better or worse, it's just a personal preference, and can change based on speed, terrain, and load.  All else being equal, and as long as the head tube angles are close (as they are here) bikes with the same trail will will handle the same.

Weight distribution I think is as important to handling as trail and is almost unrecognized.  This is especially important to those of us carrying heavy loads on racks and in panniers.  Assuming the rear wheel remains in the same place relative to the bottom bracket, moving the front wheel further out will reduce the amount of weight on it.  This will make the steering feel light and vague regardless of the trail.  Moving the wheel back in will make it feel very responsive, but also may require a significant amount of effort to turn.  We have an advantge over other riders that we can change our weight distribution by moving our gear around.  For me, I like to put as much weight in the front panniers as possible on most touring bikes in order to get the handling that I like.  Others happily throw everything on the rear rack.  Just like trail, it's not a better or worse thing, just a personal preference.

Sean


44
Gear Talk / Anyone build a bike with two rear wheels?
« on: July 26, 2008, 01:20:40 am »
I hate trying to shoot down innovative thinking like this, but this looks like a solution in search of a problem to me.  This has been done before, take a look at the Surly Pugsley for an example.  They use 135mm spacing, 26" wheels, and disk brakes.  For the interchangeable wheels, they only mention singlespeeds, not cassettes.

Your proposed wheels, even built with zero dish, sound ill-advised to me.  American Classic hubs are certainly not known for their durability.  Maybe their recent designs are better, but my experience and all other American Classic users I know is that they are lightweight racing hubs.  Small bearings, weak axles, and poor freewheels are common problems.  I'd strongly consider something wider than 130mm dropout spacing.  It just makes sense all around, and allows you to use a beefier hub.  For easy to service hubs, the gold standard is Phil wood, but they are more than little pricey.

Open Pros are great for standard road duty, but I'd consider going with a beefier rim.  For a true adventure bike, I'd only consider 26" wheels.  Tubes and tires are easier to come by than high-zoot 700C, especially if you are looking for wider 700C.  There's no great reason to cut down on the number of spokes.  Use at least 36, it's really not any heavier and much stronger.  As you've already heard, the builder is more important than the parts, so find a good wheelman, and let him suggest the pieces.

I like the idea of making the trailer wheel and you bike wheels compatible, more so that you don't have an extra tire size than anything else.  However, larger wheels are inherently weaker than smaller wheels, and trailers can punish wheels.  The weight on the trailer is not suspended (as your weight is, by your arms and legs) so any bounces will hit the trailer harder, even if it has only a fraction of your weight.  Also, you can't precisely guide the trailer, so it usually seeks out the biggest bumps and worst places to get stuck.  For this reason, I'd go with smaller wheels on the trailer.

Sean


45
Gear Talk / tour tool(s) for spoke change
« on: June 30, 2008, 02:37:24 pm »
The FiberFix spoke is probably your best option.  For a cassette, I have an old Hypercracker which is little more than a stamped piece of sheet metal and uses the frame and drivetrain to unscrew the lockring.  Nifty little gizmo.  I seem to recall a similar tool for a freewheel, but it's probably long out of production if it ever existed in the first place.

Sean


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