Messages

76

Gear Talk / Re: 2 wheeled trailer vs 1 wheel

« on: October 06, 2020, 12:19:29 am »

I use an (older model) ExtraWheel trailer. Available in different sizes it matches the wheel size of your bike (giving a spare front wheel or rim for the rear wheel in emergency). This also means spare tubes and or tyres are good for it too.
It uses panniers so is no wider than your bike with panniers. Tracks perfectly and is attached to a special QR (or through axle) on your rear wheel using spring tension. In this way it is designed to decouple in the event of a collision.
It's especially suitable for off road use. I've hit speeds in excess of 55 kph with no issue, but it does need to be evenly loaded.

77

General Discussion / Re: Virtual Tours?

« on: October 02, 2020, 10:23:37 am »

A lady in the UK had a similar idea a few months ago, riding a virtual end to end by cycling the daily distance, researching the route online and actually writing it up.
 
https://www.braintreeeasyriders.org/blog-1

I thought it was a fantastic idea;
Inspiration to get out on the bike
Real world research for an actual tour
A real world test of our capabilities (especially if you throw on some panniers  )
Easily customisable so we could complete a tour on weekends or take a long way home on the commute
It could be anywhere in the world....
The only limit is imagination!
I immediately thought of Spain and imagined returning home to a bottle of vino tinto, some chorizo and tapas! 

78

Gear Talk / Re: Drivetrain spare parts for a long tour

« on: September 27, 2020, 11:21:47 am »

Have you cycle toured before? What has been your experience on the consumption of consumables on tour?
Drivetrain is only one aspect of the consumables on tour.

One of the great things about travelling (on a bike or otherwise) is that it opens our mind to so many different things and people.

I'd read John's advice above again and again until I drew out every bit of wisdom it contains.

You may not believe in Covid but I can assure you that large sections of the world do not share that opinion!

That can show up in many different ways - closed borders and no visas are the big ones, but the smaller ones are mandatory quarantines ($$), no accommodation, no access to food, water or bathrooms. Curfews are another problem. Believe me, you don't want to get caught in a foreign city going to the bathroom in a park during a pandemic.
Travel insurance and health insurance may not be valid in certain countries.

Just taking one example - a lack of hotel accommodation:
No washing/laundry.
No opportunity to recharge electronics
No internet for staying in contact/research
No shelter in foul weather

Poorer countries have suffered greatly and crime, especially against perceived "wealthy westerners" is more likely than before. Desperation.

Where borders have been closed, criminality is rife in border areas - much more than before.

In fact, any information you may have from previous tourers in an area is at great risk of being out of date. That store that you're depending on for food or water may be closed.

On the road there will be a significant difficulty in getting up to date information. How are you with languages?
Have you contacted your country's Embassies and Consulates in these countries and asked advice?

Even getting home in a worst case scenario can be challenging. Do you have any idea what proportion of flights get cancelled at the moment?

Whether you believe in it or not, the changes brought about by Covid are frequent, sudden and often significant. It is not possible to predict what may happen.
People who have been on the road for years have stopped or returned home.

I'm sure there's a great tour ahead of you with the right attitude, planning and preparation.

By the way, are you American? I ask because if not, you may have difficulties entering the US after visiting some of the countries on your list.

79

Routes / Re: First time, but year long trip. Nervous.

« on: August 30, 2020, 12:02:58 am »

Is it possible? Yes! Other people are doing it. I'm on a phone and can't look properly, but there are blogs from people who have done the same. Have a look.

But......
I'd strongly suggest you get some practice under your belt. A sense of adventure is normally all I'd suggest you need (and a comfortable bike) but in your case, you need to keep a business going.

I think you may find conflicting demands - cheap/free accommodation is unlikely to be compatible with reliable internet access. Local libraries might be better or Starbucks etc. That of course, means leaving your bike unattended.

As for maps/planning etc. that is really where practice and experience comes into play. Everybody plans differently because everyone has different thresholds for uncertainty/spontaneity.
There's a map floating around on the internet showing a bike touring route around the US that maintains a 70F temperature every day.

There are practical considerations to living on the road, especially if you plan to not have a "home". I'm thinking taxes, insurance etc. 

Practise. Practise some more. Then practise again.

Good luck!

80

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Re: GPS query

« on: July 08, 2020, 11:39:44 am »

There's a lot of good advice above, but I'll come at this from a different perspective and that is to have a good think about what you want from your gps device - then look at what is on offer.

For example, bike gps units are different to car devices because only some have the ability to plan a route on the fly. In fact, for bike navigation I prefer to think of planning and navigating as two separate tasks.

The kind of things to think about are ;
Where & when will you use the device? Is it only for cycling or for other outdoor pursuits too?
Where will you do your route planning? Only at home or on the road? If on the road online or offline?
Mapping: What detail do you need and will you require turn by turn directions? Also, are maps included on the device or are they extra?
Battery life & charging options.
Ease of use.

Personally, I don't need detailed maps on my gps device - my phone is far superior for that.
I don't need turn by turn directions - a breadcrumb trail is fine.
I do need to be able to plot a new route on the fly so online & offline options are a necessity (through my phone).
I don't trust maps stored on a memory card in the device - I've read of too many cases of corrupted cards.

One feature I do use (which I had never considered before) is Strava or RWGPS connectivity. Each day's ride is recorded, sent to my phone and photos are easily added - a simple, but wonderful, log of each day on tour.

I use a Wahoo Elemnt (now discontinued) and for three years it has been flawless.
The new Roam (with greater mapping & routing options) is probably overpriced but the Bolt does the same job as the Elemnt in a smaller package.

I should add that my battery has recently started to fail and Wahoo have offered a very attractive discount on a new unit.

I've never quite understood Garmin's points on their tracks or routes. I do know I can throw routes of several thousand kms onto my Elemnt and navigation is flawless.

While I'm not a fan of using my phone as a gps while on tour, depending on circumstances they can be a simple and user friendly option.

Good luck!

81

Gear Talk / Re: Solar Panels - mounting on touring / bike packing bicycle

« on: May 13, 2020, 11:06:46 pm »

Honestly,. a dynohub is the way to go. For a solar panel to be effective it has to be angled properly and constantly.

I have tried out a fold out panel across the rear rack bag in almost total sunshine (Spain) and it barely charged on the move. This panel is quite effective stationary.

While a dynohub is a lot more expensive it works as long as you maintain a reasonable speed.

One thing to bear in mind irrespective of your charging option is the sensitivity of charging sockets on devices, especially if doing a lot of off-road.

Good luck

82

General Discussion / Re: ACA Maps & 2-lane Highways - how often?

« on: April 17, 2020, 07:41:05 pm »

I'm going to strike a slightly different tone to most of the other posters....

First of all a lot of "danger" is subjective - what's comfortable for one is extremely uncomfortable for another.

On a recent trip through nine states I was horrified at some of the routes and situations that ACA maps put me in. On the Atlantic Coast route I had to go onto forest roads to get away from Highway 17 in the Carolinas. It was scary enough with a shoulder, but when the shoulder disappeared......!!

Many bridges were horrifying too - a high kerb, narrow shoulder filled with all kinds of debris and invariably a high wind.

In some of the bigger urban areas entry or exit often involved crossing several lanes of fast moving traffic.

Now, for some balance I did no research on my routes other than buying the maps. Mea culpa.
Also, my touring experience was only European - a very different environment.
When I finally reached Texas I was very pleasantly surprised at how safe I found it, despite some crazy speed limits.

The advise above to practise is very good. Increase your exposure at a pace you can deal with.
Be prepared to pull up/off if it looks like traffic will pass too close. On that, a mirror is a vital piece of equipment in my book.
Avoid cycling in the dark. Too many flaws in road surface can be hidden in the darkness.
Avoid rush hours. As a part of that allow yourself leisurely days so that waiting for traffic to die down doesn't put you under pressure.
Practise a method of destressing. I'll do it regularly after an unpleasant experience - pull off, do some breathing exercises and leave the experience behind.

I did have some unpleasant experiences with drivers but outside of the moment they did little harm. Dogs, on the other hand had a far more serious effect!

Good luck!

83

Routes / Re: Maps (other than ACA)

« on: April 06, 2020, 12:17:59 am »

On my recent trip through the States I learned that shoulders seem to be the preserve of counties rather than states - often on crossing a county line I'd either gain or lose a shoulder.

I found cycle.travel to be very useful as a planning tool because you can click on any point on your route for a street view.

I found many times that the shoulder disappeared or was reduced to the point of uselessness on many bridges too.

I'd strongly suggest a mirror to help with dealing with traffic.

Be prepared to encounter dogs!

Good luck!

84

Routes / Re: Natchez Trace Parkway

« on: April 05, 2020, 11:51:22 pm »

A few thoughts....

The bridge over the Mississippi at Natchez did not have a shoulder when I crossed in December. Traffic was light but very fast and the wind made the crossing tricky. There were roadworks for the second half giving me the option to avoid the traffic.

I cycled on to Austin using the Southern Tier as a base for navigation. I also used https://cycle.travel/ which I find to be a very handy route planner.

I have a tcx file for my day from Nashville ( Madison) to the NTP if anyone wants it.

Good luck!

85

General Discussion / Re: It Ain't The Prettiest, But . . .

« on: January 06, 2020, 04:59:06 pm »

 Not an ACA route but I'd suggest the Natchez Trace Parkway.
No shoulder, but very light traffic with notable exceptions at Tupelo and especially Jackson.

As a European I came over here & was horrified by parts of the Atlantic coast route. I could not believe I was being advised to ride on major highways without a shoulder. Terrifying! Also, don't get me started on the bridges!!

On the Atlantic coast route and again on parts of the Southern Tier I regularly went "off course" to avail of better, safer options. (Yes, I know that's entirely subjective!)

A great tool is https://cycle.travel/
As well as plotting routes you can see most of the main ones. You can click on any point of your route and get the Google Street view. Very handy for figuring out whether to take road A or road B.

Good luck!

86

Routes / Re: Southern Tier, Heading West, Novemberish...

« on: October 09, 2019, 04:37:46 pm »

Thanks Fahrrad, that's useful info and descriptive as well :-). I have no hard and fast plans so am open to any and all suggestions.

Staehpj1 I'm not specifically avoiding the weather and will be avoiding the higher elevations in Northern Mexico anyway.

This is my first time touring in this part of the world and I need to be careful of my body (2018 was not the greatest year) so plans are flexible and adaptable on the fly.

If you want to follow my attempts I've started a blog here https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/the-big-big-trip-journal-if-you-want-to-make-the-man-or-woman-upstairs-laugh-just-tell-him-your-plans.254046/

Thanks for all the input

87

Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / Re: Atl. Coast #4 - Outer Banks Alternate closure after hurricane Dorian Oct. 20

« on: October 08, 2019, 08:39:36 pm »

Thanks, Dan.
I arrived in Kitty Hawk today, or to be more accurate I was blown in! 

I've checked on and off for the past couple of weeks, do it's disappointing that I can't do the Outer Banks - but that's bike touring!

I'll be heading for an alligator park tomorrow 

88

Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / Re: Atl. Coast #4 - Outer Banks Alternate closure after hurricane Dorian Oct. 20

« on: October 08, 2019, 06:32:44 pm »

I'll reply for the benefit of others; Cedar Island - Ocaroke ferry is limited to locals only. No cyclists.

89

Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / Atl. Coast #4 - Outer Banks Alternate closure after hurricane Dorian Oct. 2019

« on: October 07, 2019, 02:12:33 pm »

Does anyone have anymore updates on the Outer Banks route?
Currently heading towards Kitty Hawk but have heard one of the ferries is "locals only"?

Any input gratefully appreciated.

90

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Re: ACA gpx on Wahoo?

« on: August 23, 2019, 11:09:45 am »

Srauschenberg, That's correct. Once you've uploaded our track lines to RWGPS, you need to 'edit' the route, make sure that the generated route matches our gpx line that is visible on the map, save the route and then that exported/synced route will have the cues. This is something that we're hoping to provide out-of-the-box in the future, but we're not quite there yet. Good luck!

That's quite important and something that should be highlighted on the GPS Devices page, no?
There is information there for various models of Garmin, but nothing for Wahoo.

As the OP has discovered, he needs to manually edit the supplied file to get it to work. That's only discovered at the start! Hardly ideal.