Messages

31

General Discussion / Eating and spending on a two month biking spree

« on: April 15, 2007, 04:39:37 pm »

Enough with the sensitivity nazi crap already.  If someone says they're planning to ride across the country and live on garbage you have to expect people are going to think it's a bad idea.  

This message was edited by Dan_E_Boye on 4-15-07 @ 1:02 PM

32

General Discussion / Eating and spending on a two month biking spree

« on: March 30, 2007, 05:03:57 am »

I'm a vegetarian and I did the Trans Am last summer.  It wasn't easy in most of the country.  I had to resort to a lot of granola bars and power bars and such.  I also had my wife send me care packages with TVP to help make sure I got my protien.  I would think that if you're going to dumpster dive you will have to give up on being picky.  I met a few vegans on the Trans Am and they said they had to slack up a little and do some dairy.

I respect your spirit in not waiting.  I agree with that philosophy.  Don't count on tomorrow.  I wish I had begun touring when I was in my late teens or early twenties.  I let more than two decades of my adult life pass me by before I started touring.

I think you might find people will be willing to look out for you more than they would for a male.  I met women on the road that told me about people handing them money.  That never happened to me despite having been told I have nice legs.

33

General Discussion / Your Local Bike Shop

« on: March 19, 2007, 06:11:37 pm »

One thing about many local bike shops I notice now that I'm a bit older is that they are usually staffed by kids and they have that snotty kid attitude.  I don't like kids telling me what I want when I specifically tell them I want something different.  

When I lived in Eugene I only found one bike shop I liked and it was a small shop right off campus.  You would think Eugene would have a lot of good shops but I didn't think so.

I like to see something in person before I buy so if I can see it and test ride it I would rather buy in person.  The problem is if I want something unusual I'm not likely to find it in a local shop.  I'm interested in trying one of the new Rans mountain bikes but our local Rans dealer does not have any in stock.  I'm also interested in a Cat Trike but again, none to try out in person.

I guess the bottom line is I buy from where I can find it.  

34

General Discussion / Merry Christmas

« on: December 22, 2006, 01:07:26 am »

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

35

General Discussion / Watering holes on TransAm

« on: September 07, 2006, 03:04:32 pm »

I just did the Trans Am and I found that the AC maps are pretty outdated as far as services go.  In eastern Colorado and most of Kansas in particular there were long stretches without services.  Sometimes more than 50 miles.  You can find water but you might have to ask at people's houses.  I understand about the weight concern but I think it's better not to gamble on water availability.  Lots of stores and restaurants indicated on the maps on the plains are closed down.  

I got to the midwest during the bad heat wave of this past summer.  I ended up drinking about 2 gallons of fluid a day.  I was drinking  about a gallon a day and ended up laid out with dehydration.  I spent the next day recuperating.  The bottom line is you need a lot of water.  You should never count on finding any services in small (less than 2000 population) towns.  I'm not saying you need to carry 2 gallons with you but you should at least have four or five good size water bottles on long stretches.  

As for snacks, I like to have a full day's supply because you might end up stuck somewhere and you might have to go longer than you think without food.  I like to have four or five snack bars, some peanut butter and crackers, and some fruit.

36

General Discussion / Where are you touring to 2006

« on: December 31, 2005, 10:15:17 pm »

Trans Am for me.  I'm still debating which way to go.

37

General Discussion / where to ship?

« on: December 29, 2005, 02:06:49 am »

Where can I find info on where to ship my rig in Yorktown for the Trans Am in summer?  Is there a particular shop that welcomes, or at least tolerates such business?

38

General Discussion / Merry Christmas

« on: December 20, 2005, 05:08:36 pm »

Hey Santa, can I trade the cyclocomputer for an ipod nano?  

 ;p

39

General Discussion / Eating

« on: November 29, 2005, 11:44:04 pm »

I don't use recipes either.  I mostly make some kind of goo with whatever I have with me.  I like everything in one pot.  I like to cook in the morning because I like to fuel up early.  I kind of reverse the normal meal pattern of Americans.  I like my big meal in the morning and my cereal along the way for snacking.  I mix the fruit in throughout the day.  I like a lite dinner because I don't like to eat a lot before sleeping.  I'm not usually in a big hurry to start in the morning.  I like to stay in bed until I'm ready to get up.  I'm usually quicker to get in bed than get out of bed so cooking in the morning fits my style.

I eat a lot of pasta, veggies, grains, and fruit.  I'm a vegetarian so I use TVP to help with protien.  My spice is usually tobasco or red peppers, salt, and I found some fried garlic at the Asian food store that I really like.  It's very light and it does not need to be kept cold.    

40

General Discussion / getting there

« on: November 28, 2005, 08:00:42 pm »

Yes I am using a Nomad.  I've only done one week long tour with the bike so far, until summer 2006!  I did a loop from Eugene to Crater Lake and back via Sisters.  The bike did fine on that one.  Since then I changed the chain rings so I have a 24 tooth granny gear up front.  Now I can get up hills I couldn't get up before.  I like it a lot.  I have Burley rain gear too.  

41

General Discussion / getting there

« on: November 27, 2005, 07:25:22 pm »

My bike is a Burley Canto recumbent and it's too long to fit in the trunk of a car.  I also have a trailer and gear to contend with.  I might just decide to go west to east since I live in Eugene, OR and figure out the shipping on the return phase.  

42

General Discussion / getting there

« on: November 26, 2005, 12:32:23 pm »

I'm looking into options for getting me and my bike to Yorktown next year.  I thought it might not be a bad idea to rent a small van and just drive myself and my bike there, but I find that most companies will not do one way rentals on small vans.  Has anyone else done it this way?  Is it just cheaper to ship the bike and fly?  Any other creative ideas for transporting bikes and riders to the start destination?

43

General Discussion / energy gels

« on: September 28, 2005, 09:28:09 pm »

I have been curious about energy gels and whether or not they are helpful.  I notice the directions say to have one about every 35-45 minutes of exercise.  That means carrying a lot of them on a tour.  It seems to me eating sensible food along the way and drinking Gatorade is probably the better idea.  What say you?    

44

General Discussion / securing a trailer

« on: September 08, 2005, 12:22:39 am »

I just bought a Burley Nomad today and I'm wondering if anyone has found a way to secure it.  I figure I could take the wheels off and run my cable through them when I lock the bike up.  I suppose the trailer without the wheels might be hard enough to take off with and drag around that they might not bother, not to mention it would not be much use to them without the wheels.  The guy at the shop said they're a high theft item these days because people are using them to live out of.  I know nothing is 100% but has anyone figured out any other tricks?

This message was edited by Dan_E_Boye on 9-7-05 @ 8:23 PM

45

General Discussion / favorite off the bike aspect

« on: August 10, 2005, 02:45:55 am »

OK, so we all enjoy the riding.  What's your favorite part other than the ride.  For me it's finding some really good pizza, or a good plate full of pad Thai noodles.