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General Discussion / Re: Advice on likely my last bike
« Last post by DJ#503 on November 28, 2023, 09:34:02 pm »
You could consider the Kona Sutra LTD, Surly Ogre, Surly Bridge Club, or even checking out Rivendell. These bikes are durable and versatile.  Fat tires versus thinner tires doesn't seem to make a big difference for you, so focus on other features that matter to you. Good luck finding the right bike! 🚲
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Gear Talk / Re: roll up solar panel
« Last post by froze on November 28, 2023, 07:59:11 pm »
I have never seen a roll-up solar panel, but I have a folding one.

You have to weigh out how many panels you want, the more panels the faster it can charge, but the more panels the heavier and bulker it is.  Those real small single panels devices are worthless, it could take several days of full sun to charge up a cell phone with one of those.

I settled on a 3-panel unit, the one that I have is no longer being made, which seems to be typical of these things, but the best one for the money, and looks exactly like mine, is the Anker 21W Solar Charger, these 3-panel jobs will charge a small iPhone X in about 3 hours in full sunlight while charging a rear tail light at the same time, but I don't think this one is made anymore either. 

So, you need to find a 3-panel solar charger panel that has between 20 to 24 watts of power; that has 2 USB ports, so you have the option of charging 2 things at the same time; and it needs to be compatible with charging iPhones, even if you don't have one, because someday you might have one.

The 20 to 24-watt panels will give you roughly 3 hours to charge a phone, 2 panels could take 6 hours, a single panel could take all day, and those small ones attached to power banks could take several days, 4 panels will be fast but as I said, the weight and bulkiness become an issue with backpacking or bike camping.

You cannot rely on the panel by itself, you need a backup power bank in case it's cloudy and you can't use the solar panel.  Again, weight and size determine how large of a power bank to get, I got the Anker Slim, and while it only puts out 10,000 mAh so far between it and the solar panel I've had no problems with getting power.

My panels have grommets so I charge something while riding, it simply sets on top of my back rack, held down by bungee cords in the open position.

One last thing, you can buy inflatable tent lanterns from Luci, these have a small solar panel so you recharge the light, but don't get the more expensive one that says you can charge up a phone, sure you can, if you don't mine using your phone for 7 days in a row!!
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Gear Talk / Re: Rear derailleur dilemma
« Last post by froze on November 28, 2023, 06:47:57 pm »
Warranty update:
Haro was very slow at responding about the money for the labor, but I found out that most of their staff got Covid so no one was around for 2 weeks, the 2 weeks I was calling them!  LOL!! Because I didn't hear from them I took the bike to a bike shop in town where I know the people that run the store, so I paid them for the work.  About 2 weeks ago I got a call from Haro, the rep there told me what had happened to the office, I believe their story because they were extremely fast at getting the new frame and fork sent to me, and now they're sending me a check for the amount I paid for labor.  They don't normally send money to a customer because a bike shop that is authorized to sell Haro bikes gets the money in the form of Haro credit, but in this case, they made an exception due to the circumstances and trouble with the Haro dealer in town.

So this whole thing turned out pretty darn good overall.  Haro has an amazing warranty service department, I am very happy with the outcome.  I had a problem with a Ridley bike that the frame cracked about 8 months and 8,000 miles into owning it, they refused to honor the warranty and used the excuse that fatigue caused the problem and their warranty didn't cover fatigue.  Haro didn't even question my load placement, I had to volunteer that information, so they might have known there was a problem and they were going to replace the frames as the complaints came in.
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General Discussion / Re: Advice on likely my last bike
« Last post by froze on November 28, 2023, 06:34:22 pm »
I think the bike choices you are looking at are very good choices, the Rivendell is a bit on the pricey side for what you get, yes it has beautiful lugs, but they're not made for loaded touring, light touring yes, heavy-loaded no.

So that leaves the Kona, and in fact, when I bought my touring bike I had it whittled down to the Kona Sutra and the Masi Giramondo 700c Speciale.  I had eliminated the Surly because the components you get on it are a level down from the Kona and the Masi, but you pay a bit more for the Surly, so that one didn't make sense, also I found out later Surly has a horrible warranty department should that ever be needed, so I'm glad I didn't select that bike.  The Masi ticked all my wants boxes, the others ticked most of them, but not all of them.

What I finally decided on was the 2019 Masi, it would have been a good bike but something happened.  When loaded with 60 pounds of camping gear the frame was shimming, or flexing, at first it flexed just a little, but as time went on it started to flex really bad, where it was swaying about 2 inches on both sides.  I contacted Haro about the problem they told me to take the bike to their dealer near me, which I did, he test rode it and said it was dangerous, he weighs about 50 pounds more than me and with the bike loaded he claimed, though I doubt it, that rear stays were swinging a full foot in each direction, whatever.  But even with just an inch or two that would over time weaken a weld someplace and the frame would break.

Haro was extremely fast at getting me a replacement frame and fork, man was I stoked, I had a problem with Ridley bike that cracked after 8 months and 8,000 miles they said it due to fatigue and not covered?!  I got screwed on that one.  But Haro sent me a new bike within a week after the bike shop guy told them what it was doing. 

I did run into another problem, they were supposed to cover the cost of the labor to swap the parts, but the guy at the bike shop when he called them he was told they would give him store credit, which I guess is standard in the industry, but the bike shop guy told them that he wanted a check because his landlord won't take store credit, Haro said no, so the bike shop called me and told me to come get my bikes he wasn't going to do the swap.  I offered to pay him myself but he refused, so I took it to another bike shop in town that is not a dealer.  I told Haro what I did and they decided to send me a check for the labor which is something they never do but due to the dealer going ape nuts and there was no one else in town that handled Haro, and I had already paid the bike shop, they sent me the check.  There was a bit of delay because no one was returning my calls at Haro, turned out that Haro office all came down with Covid, so they weren't up to full staff.

I think overall Haro did a fantastic job of taking care of a customer, I doubt any bike company could have done the same.  Even Rivendell they don't even offer a warranty whatsoever, they only say that if something goes bad send it back in and they will determine if an adjustment will be made at Rivendell cost...not a very comforting warranty.

I'm not sure how good the Kona warranty is.

I have not ridden the new bike at all, it's still in the shop, so can't comment on if they got the frame flex taken care of.  I do know that the frame has the exact same measurements as the old one, but the fork is completely different, it looks beefier.  The old bike the brass-colored paint on the top tube was a tad of a shade lighter than the rest of the tubes which sort of bugged me but it wasn't something worth crying about.  The new bike paint, a medium metal flake blue, is much better quality than the old one.  My only question is, will it still flex, I hope not. 

I think Haro might have known they had a problem because they never even questioned my load placement or anything, which I tried all sorts of combinations of load placement and nothing worked, so I think they were just going to take it as someone who calls noting an issue, they'll replace it no questions asked, but most bought those bikes and will never load the bike up, those will never know there was a flex problem.

Would I buy that bike again knowing what I went through?  That's a tough question, if I had bought the Kona and had the same problem what sort of warranty trouble would I be experiencing with them?  That's a huge unknown answer. 

So if what I said about the Haro scares you, then get the Kona, that bike is the best of the ones you mentioned.

Another bike you didn't mention is the Salsa Marrakesh, or some such name, that was my number 3 pick.

I would also call or e-mail each company, tell them how much you weigh and how much gear weight you will be carrying, so they can tell you if the bike is up to the task, and write the person's name down whom you talked to, or save the e-mail response.  I did that with Haro, and they assured me it was up to the task.
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General Discussion / Re: Touring with an E-bike or G-bike?
« Last post by froze on November 28, 2023, 05:53:12 pm »
I can think of several issues with using an E-bike for touring.

One is they're only good for about 20 miles, but loaded with another 60 pounds of gear and it may only go around 15 miles if you're lucky

If you save the battery for climbing, then you're pedaling with another 50 to 60 pounds in bike weight and battery, plus your gear weight.

When you camp for the night, you have to make sure there's power so you can charge the battery backup.  I think trying to find a campsite every 15 miles by itself will be tough to do, not alone one with a power site.

So now you think you'll just carry a second battery, but those weigh a lot and are bulky.

I just don't think it's very feasible.

Having said that, there is a guy I know who has a touring E bike, he has 2 large batteries attached to the frame, and he can go about 60 miles on a charge, but I questioned the logic of doing such a thing, his bike weighs 75 pounds, plus he carries 60 pounds of gear.  If you're going to travel like that you might as well say forget it and buy a motorcycle!
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Gear Talk / Re: BOB cargo trailers discontinued
« Last post by thommo56 on November 28, 2023, 01:45:49 pm »
It seems like BOB has indeed stopped producing the Yak and Ibex cargo trailers. I couldn't find them listed anywhere anymore. If you're still interested in cargo trailers, check out some alternatives.
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There has been an update to this closure. Please see the message below from the Camp Pendleton staff.

 

“Planned closures published for Nov 30 - Dec 2 and Dec 4-6 have changed.  Due to military operations, the bike path from the Las Pulgas Gate to the southern edge of the San O Beach State Park will be closed to the public from Nov 27 to Dec 3; the closure will be daily from 6 AM to 6 PM.   Public should monitor Camp Pendleton social media for updates to closures.”
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South Atlantic / Violations of Title 23 section 109m United states code.
« Last post by zerodish on November 28, 2023, 08:38:32 am »
I'm in the everglades. I considered following interstate 75 highway 84 to Miami. This does not seem to be possible. This is a clear violation of the law in the title. I have a bit of a problem in that I have lost 3 of my email providers. I will not be filing a complaint until I can get a more stable email. I want to repeate here some one I think may be the Amish have sued some government I think may be Ohio and a federal judge ruled preventing horses and wagons from using public roads is a violation of the religious freedom on the United States constitution. Highway department officials are terrified of this ruling and they are under a gag order not to discuss it. Once again the constitution says the Postmaster General and only the Postmaster General has the authority to regulate traffic on postal roads. Highway 84 is certainly a postal road but I will need to be able to prove this. I have more laws very old laws that I will leave as a surprise to the courts. If any one in the highway department is your friend you may want to pass on this information so they can decide to ignore the unconstitutional state law as is being done in other states. Again I have already won this battle in other states. If I do get pulled over it will be under controlled conditions. The state police officer and highway department officials will be facing the death penalty. I also have a law that will let me disbar a judge.
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General Discussion / Re: Touring with an E-bike or G-bike?
« Last post by DJ#503 on November 27, 2023, 09:52:26 pm »
 I've actually had the chance to tour using an E-bike, and it was quite an experience! The electric assistance really made a difference, especially when I encountered challenging hills or wanted to cover longer distances without getting too tired. It made the whole journey more enjoyable and allowed me to explore more freely. As for G-bikes, I haven't had the opportunity to try them yet, but I've heard they offer a comfortable and relaxed ride. It's always exciting to discover new ways to enhance the touring experience! 🌟🚲
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General Discussion / Re: Cycling Ukraine September 10, 1994.
« Last post by Westinghouse on November 27, 2023, 03:22:29 pm »
This place, Ukraine, was either bad, worse or worst. Somebody once told me such countries often regress rather than progress.
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