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Messages - BrianCM

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16
Gear Talk / pedals?
« on: October 28, 2006, 01:49:12 am »
I've been using rat-trap style pedals for years and Power Grips pedal straps.  I adjusted the strap for my shoe, and its been reliable ever since.  My feet are held in by strap tension.  When there's no tension, my feet come right out.  Slip in, slip out.  When I did a three-flip dismount, my feet came right out.  I talked to one fellow who was injured because his clips didn't let go from the bike when he crashed.


17
Very good article.  I learned to use my GPS by playing geocaching games.  I also have a bicycle mount, but mine isn't as sophisticated as yours.  I use the Garmin Geko 201 model, which is plain as can be and still have a computer interface.  I leaned to carry maps which are detailed enough to have longitude/lattitude markings, and use a map grid overlay to figure out what to program into the GPS.


18
Routes / Need Washington state route help
« on: October 28, 2006, 02:13:57 am »
The Seattle-to-Portland map may be of use once you get towards Tacoma.  Looks like you have no choice but to take 706, then 7 up to Ft. Lewis.  Then you can take the STP route into Seattle.  From Seattle you can take the Burke-Gilman trail north to the Interurban trail.  Then north to Mukilteo.

You can also ride along HWY 99 on up from Seattle to Mukilteo.  Its busy, but there's enough room for bikes.  David Smith, who has a bike safety website, used 99 for a 2-hour ride to give a talk to an Everett bike club up here.  After the talk, he decided to bike back to Seattle on 99 rather than take the bus.

Delorme Topo is actually quite detailed for urban streets.  I use the version with the DVD disk.


19
Routes / Need Washington state route help
« on: October 26, 2006, 03:14:34 am »
You do know about the bike trails, don't you?  I have mapped out the Interurban trail (Everett to below Lynnwood) on my trusty GPS, and I can send you the information.  I also use Delorme Topo USA to help with planning routes.


20
General Discussion / Upgrading the old bike!
« on: November 28, 2006, 12:05:51 am »
Could you tell us a little more about it?  Like what brakes this bike has? (V-brakes, cantilever, disc, whatever)


21
General Discussion / Overnight Bike Theft
« on: December 04, 2006, 01:50:53 am »
Many years ago, when I biked from St. Paul to Denver, we didn't lock up our bikes.  We simply camped away from people.  Now this is known as "stealth camping."  If nobody is around, they aren't going to bother you.  If you are at a campground, the most likely time that someone will swipe your stuff is when you have your shower.  You are away for a certain amount of time, and the thief knows you won't be running back out.

I read an article about a couple who has stuff swiped while they were sleeping.  They had hung their stuff up in the trees away from animals, but their stuff was still in reach of humans.

One time I had a motion detector alarm for my motorcycle.  It went off all the time, and the sensitivity could not be adjusted.  Therefore, the alarm was completely useless because I had to leave it off.

As for the scenario of the thief in the night, at lease carry pepper spray!  I have never read about someone who was accosted.  But if you are accosted, be ready to defend yourself.  Seriously.


22
General Discussion / Overnight Bike Theft
« on: November 27, 2006, 03:28:35 am »
When I rode the Seattle-to-Portland ride, we were advised to lock our bikes up, even if it was only with the flimsiest lock on the market.  The only bikes that were stolen were the ones which were not locked up at all.


23
General Discussion / Lower back pain survivors???
« on: November 27, 2006, 03:26:34 am »
Lower back pain? Sure!  Last year I was on the floor for two months, and spent another month recovering.  Believe me, not fun!  My doctor was contemplating surgery, but was hoping to not have to do it.

Anyways, I have found that riding a recumbent does not hurt my back.  My regular bike, a Giant Sedona which has been tweaked to be perfect for me, can mess me up if my back is hurting even a little.  But on the recumbent, I always feel fine.

My recumbent is a Burley Nasoke.  Burley is only making trailers now, but there are lots of other manufacturers.  On bentrideronline.com, there have been numerous testimonials about recumbents helping back pain sufferers.  Find a dealer, and give a recumbent a spin!


24
General Discussion / Lazy North Americans?
« on: November 19, 2006, 04:19:16 am »
Ever hear of "America's love affair with the automobile"?

The phrase has been in vogue since Henry Ford.  The car is a really great thing, but most planners seem to have forgotten that any other mode of transportation can possibly exist.  As the price of gas stays high and goes up, people will have to start looking at other transportation.

I just wish that the bus service was better.  For some reason they have reduced it, and made some of the route schedules a bit wierd.


25
General Discussion / Do I really need to carry a spare tire?
« on: November 10, 2006, 02:57:03 am »
I had one inner tube that was so cheap that the stem popped off of it.  I recently had to change tires because the front got sliced by glass.  The glass didn't cause a flat, but it did slice down to the carcass fiber.

I would recommend carrying the lightest folding tire that fits your wheel and tubes.  While it may not be the ideal tire, you won't be stranded.  Another thing you could do is carry a piece of Mr. Tuffy or other tire liner, and then when the tire gets sliced you can put the liner under the slice and continue to ride.

If you have a quality tire which is appropriate for the load, I suspect that tire failures are really quite rare.


26
General Discussion / i would love some advice
« on: November 11, 2006, 05:30:47 pm »
One of the things you might investigate are the people who hike the Pacific Crest Trail.  Look for their eating habits.  A friend of mine hiked it back-to-back, and he said that he cooked and ate in the morning, instead of in the evening.  He said he slept better and had more energy.  Also, he used foods that didn't require much cooking.  He pre-planned his meals with drops to post offices, noted for "Name, general delivery."  Then he had someone send out the parcels at intervals, timed to get there a day or two before he arrived.  He planned out his meals according to that "eat right for your boodtype" diet, and he investigated using high-energy natural foods like dates and royal honey.

If you go the low-cooking route, you may want to take a look at candle stoves using beeswax from Pheylonian.  These seem to be pretty good, and I'm going to investigate using them for cooking.  If you like Candle Lanterns, they sell them along with beeswax candles for those lanterns.

Added: Hiking journal for Glen Hubble

This message was edited by BrianCM on 11-11-06 @ 1:36 PM

27
General Discussion / i would love some advice
« on: November 11, 2006, 04:43:20 pm »
The military MRE (Meal, Rejected by Ethiopians) is not something that I can recommend from personal experience.  (I can recommend C rations, but not MREs.)  Since you want to ride across the country, you can't pack enough MREs with you.  Keep the stove.

I used an MSR Dragonfly stove for about a year as my primary stove.  Its a good stove, and allows for simmering foods.  The XGK stove is fine for when you don't need much range in heat output.  Both are very, very tough and take a wide range of fuels.  Other stoves, such as Coleman, may break and leak fuel in the worst places, like the pre-heat tube.

There are good books on one-pot cooking.  Do an Amazon search on "one pan gourmet" and you will come up with an assortment of books by Don Jacobson.  These have a number of excellent recommendations and recipes in them for simple cooking.  When I went on my trek many years ago, I ate a lot of day-old bread.  IIRC, there wasn't any cooking and I was eating out of cans and fresh food for other sustenance.


28
General Discussion / i would love some advice
« on: October 26, 2006, 02:55:33 am »
The most important thing is that you need a bike that won't break.  After that, its just a matter of will power.

I have ridden from St. Paul, MN, to Denver, CO, on a single-speed coaster brake bike, cobbled together from junkyard parts.  That was not fun, but it was done due to lack of money and car.  At the end of the trip I was doing 100 miles a day, simply by getting up early and riding until late.  I had wire pannier racks on the back, and that was it for carrying stuff.  The trip lasted 13 days.

Once you have a good bike, adjust it as you need to for your fit and comfort.  My Giant Sedona has been tweaked over 10 years of use into something that is very nearly perfect for me.  I do my shopping with it, and I use Ortlieb panniers.

For your trip, I would recommend that you do some weekend camping first.  Then you will know what you should take and what you can leave behind.


29
General Discussion / Trailer vs Panniers
« on: October 26, 2006, 03:08:39 pm »
kkoerth, I honestly don't remember.  I may have bought it directly from Schwalbe, but a Google search on "Schwalbe 40-305" returns thorusa.com and easystreetrecumbents.com.


30
General Discussion / Trailer vs Panniers
« on: October 26, 2006, 03:09:13 am »
I have both racks and BOB.  I can't make a generalization one way or the other as to which is better on a trip.  I actually don't put much in the BOB, as I use it for hauling water when I'm camping in the desert.  The BOB is also great for trips to the store, when I buy stuff that won't fit in my Ortlieb panniers.  I plan on using my BOB more with my new recumbent, because I don't have racks for the front forks (20" front wheel).

The one thing that was important on my BOB was using a Schwalbe Marathon for its tire.  The tire that was used by manufacturer was pure garbage - it actually crumbled!


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