Recent Posts

51

General Discussion / Re: Must have spare parts/tools

« Last post by BikeFreak on March 21, 2023, 02:31:19 am »

Murphys law: Once I got a flat in rural Sweden. As I was inflating the tube, the pump head simply cracked and became useless. That pump had been in service maybe 10 times after purchase. All this happened at 7 am on a Sunday morning. I had to wait until 8 am before I started to walk and start ringing door bells on the farms close by asking for a pump. After a while I got lucky because I found a family who had a handicapped family member in a wheel chair where they used the pump for inflating the wheel chair tires. After 100km I arrived in Linköping where I could buy a new pump.

52

General Discussion / Re: Must have spare parts/tools

« Last post by ray b on March 20, 2023, 10:24:56 am »

Lighter? I’ve never had to use heat to loosen a fastener installed with blue loctite.  They’re kinda hard to turn, but doable.  Just don’t use red loctite on any fastener you want to be able to remove.

(Your comment is spot on. Not generally recommended for bicycles, but the hard red Loc-Tite is specifically formulated to soften up with heat. The blue lock will also soften if needed. I've used the red to salvage a couple bottom brackets over the last 50 y and I've rarely resorted to it on the road for some worn out rack bolts on other folks bikes, when replacements weren't available.)
Although you can't take them on airplanes, I usually carry a modern lighter as a handy source of directed heat.

53

General Discussion / Re: Must have spare parts/tools

« Last post by canalligators on March 20, 2023, 01:00:48 am »

Lighter? I’ve never had to use heat to loosen a fastener installed with blue loctite.  They’re kinda hard to turn, but doable.  Just don’t use red loctite on any fastener you want to be able to remove.

54

Routes / Re: Atlanta GA to Wilmington NC or Myrtle Beach

« Last post by John Nettles on March 19, 2023, 10:26:21 pm »

First, welcome to the ACA Forums! 

Last year, a buddy of mine and I rode from Atlanta to Charleston.  It took about 10?? days.  Gotta say, parts of eastern GA and a major amount of SC (Aiken to Charleston) were pretty boring. We did a mix of camping and hotels and ate out or uncooked food (cheese, PB, etc.). 

If you need it, I do have routes, cue sheets, etc. going from Atlanta to Charleston and/or Columbus.  From Charleston, you could connect with ACA's Atlantic Coast Route.

Tailwinds, John

55

Routes / Atlanta GA to Wilmington NC or Myrtle Beach

« Last post by CurtAlt on March 19, 2023, 08:56:21 pm »

Hi All, I've got a some days off and an opportunity to ride from Atlanta, GA to Wilmington, NC. The thing is the ride would be in a about 2 weeks. I can't find any info on any routes or any info on routes. I'm starting to think it's a terrible ride because no one does it?

Do you have any info on riding from Atlanta to Wilmington? Even Atlanta to Columbia or. Columbia to Wilmington. Columbia to Myrtle Beach would be OK to. Any ideas?

56

Routes / Re: Feedback on planned route (Oregon to Virginia) appreciated! WA/MT/ID especially

« Last post by cosjp on March 19, 2023, 11:01:52 am »

Because your route file on RWGPS is so huge, it takes a long time to load.
Especially on weekends when RWGPS has heavy usage.
It would make it easier for folks to help if you chopped it into sections.

Hi - here's the Oregon through Montana segment since that is mostly what I'm concerned about: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42277186. I haven't actually noticed any issues opening the larger route but that's good to know. I'm working on starting to break up the route for the segment by segment blow.

57

Routes / Re: Feedback on planned route (Oregon to Virginia) appreciated! WA/MT/ID especially

« Last post by jamawani on March 19, 2023, 10:31:10 am »

Because your route file on RWGPS is so huge, it takes a long time to load.
Especially on weekends when RWGPS has heavy usage.
It would make it easier for folks to help if you chopped it into sections.

58

General Discussion / Re: Must have spare parts/tools

« Last post by ray b on March 18, 2023, 11:30:13 pm »

Use lock nuts for everything that attaches by putting a screw through one side and out the other. The nuts will jiggle loose with the constant vibrations. You must use lock nuts,

Or Loc-Tite.  Or both.

(Which gets back to bringing unworn, good fitting wrenches for all those nuts, and maybe a lighter to heat them up, if you're going to use loc-tite with your lock nuts.... Don't forget the tool between your ears.)

59

General Discussion / Re: USA: Getting 9 speed parts in bike shops

« Last post by canalligators on March 18, 2023, 08:03:09 pm »

If you start the trip with new chain, cassette and chainrings, they'll last 4,000 miles, though they'll be toast when you're done.  Carry a spare link and a couple of quick links.  Otherwise, the mentioned towns and shipping are your friends - most any merchant, including Amazon, will ship to USPS/General Delivery. 

I started a westbound Trans Am with a lightly used granny ring.  By the time I hit the Mississippi, its teeth were seriously cupping.  You'll be using that puppy a lot.

60

General Discussion / Re: Must have spare parts/tools

« Last post by canalligators on March 18, 2023, 07:48:43 pm »

Use lock nuts for everything that attaches by putting a screw through one side and out the other. The nuts will jiggle loose with the constant vibrations. You must use lock nuts,

Or Loc-Tite.  Or both.