Thursday Thoughts: Going Bye Bye!

As you read this, I am preparing to leave.  Going  “on the road.” 

I’ve taken a lot of road trips.  A fair number of them have been involved with carrying a bike somewhere else to ride it.  While that is not the stated, or prime purpose of this particular trip, it is something I am doing.  I’m traveling, and I have a bike with me.  The bike will be ridden…  extensively.  But there will be other “fun and games” activities.

One of the more interesting aspects of traveling at this time of year is packing.  One never knows just what to pack for.  Mid-Fall on the Eastern Seaboard, the weather is being run by the Practical Joke Department.  In other words, “Go ahead and put your request in, but be prepared for what you get.”  It may be warm or cold, sunny or raining, or any combination of all of the above.  So prudence dictates packing for anything.  To make matters a bit worse, the traveling cyclist must pack for two!  Yup, I said two.  It’s as if we were two people.  One of us is the athlete, and needs the specific gear to deal with all conditions.  The other is the touring civilian, and needs “street clothing” appropriate to the full range of seasonal contortions.

Packing for the Bike:  Yes, it’s necessary to pack for your ride too.  Of course one prepares the bike for the trip.  Tune it up, dial it in, get everything lubricated.  But then we have to pause and think, am I carrying the necessary and appropriate tools and spares.  Sure, the traveling cyclist can rely on local bike shops to fill in the gaps.  They will have chain lube, and the most common spares, such as tubes, cables, chains, computers, bar-tape, etc. 

But I see this in the shop all the time.  Someone comes in.  They are on a vacation in our fair part of the world.  Something broke.  I want to get them fixed and happy.  If it’s possible, I will.  But…!  I am not going to have the special left-handed jim-jam that was only featured the seven bikes that Rufus Doofus hand built in March of 1992.  The lesson?  If it’s fairly unique, and it can stop you, you must stock it.  Go ahead and pack it.

It might just be a good idea to know how to replace/install it too.  Bike shop mechanics are an amazingly creative, inventive, and knowledgeable breed.  But there are limits.  Consider two cases  1)  NASA just invented it, and the documentation hasn’t even been written yet.  2)  It’s the proprietary push-rod shifter from your 1908 Dursley-Pedderson.  Either of those cases(or anything remotely resembling them) just might be outside the experience and range of a local shop in East-Nowhere-At-All.

Fly or Drive?

 Needless to say, packing for all of these eventualities requires space and lifting capacity.  Trying to do so when one plans to take airlines to the destination is close to the definition of insanity.  So the decision has to be made.  If one is flying, does one really want to attempt to pack the one-of-a-kind WonderBike?  Probably not.  If flying, I try to pack dual purpose clothing, and plan to rent, or borrow a suitable bike at the destination.

I long ago worked out an equation for determining whether to fly or drive.  Two factors are significant:  1)  Distance to destination.  2)  Duration of stay.  For my upcoming trip, the fly/drive equation yielded a definite drive as an answer.  So I’ve made my checklists.  I’ve selected the appropriate equipment.  I have my heavy lifter all loaded up.  I’m going out on the road!

See you soon.

65 Miles Audax Style

Let’s sum up the whole Audax concept in a few short phrases.

We will finish the ride.

We will stay together as a group in mutual support.

We will go in any weather.

This coming Sunday, we turn the wick up a bit.  This is the first of two 65 mile Audax Tune Up Rides.  We’ll be starting a bit earlier, and going a bit longer.

As of this writing, the forecast for Sunday looks favorable.  But remember that any weather phrase.  Do watch the forecasts, and be prepared to dress for the weather.

A note on dressing and other equipment:  It is, after all, still early Spring.  It could be kind of cool when we start, and become quite warm before we are finished.  For that matter, it’s not unusual for us to experience a high early in the day, and have temps drop sharply as the day goes on.  Either way, it’s likely that we could have to carry some extra clothing.  Give some thought to just how you will do this.

Before going any further, in the interest of disclosure, I tend to favor the concept of using the bike as the beast of burden.  I think the weight should be on the bike and not on the rider.  Mine isn’t the only opinion on this subject.

Back Packs:  Of course a back pack will work, but remember, you have to carry the weight of the pack, and the clothing.  With packs you use energy to support your load, as well as to move it down the road and over the hills.  This is likely to be a 5+ hour ride.  Do you really want to support that stuff on your back for that long?  If the answer is yes, then go for it.

Other Options: 

Luggage rack and some kind of bag or pannier is another method.  The “infrastructure cost” is possibly a bit higher than with a back pack.  (Infrastructure cost is the effort necessary to move the stuff that supports the stuff you are carrying.  In other words, it amounts to the weight of the carrying system.)  On the other hand, you don’t have to support it.)

PIX

Pannier mounted on rear rack.

A packed touring Pannier.  (Shown with water bottle for scale)

Touring Pannier (side view)

Large Saddle Bag:  Here the “infrastructure cost” is lower, often lower than for a back pack.  These are not necessarily as capacious as the rack & trunck or rack and pannier setups, but they are more efficient.  On the downside, these tend to cost a bit more.  On the positive side again, they can be more readily removed and installed than the rack and panniers.

A capacious English touring saddle bag, by Carradice.  This one is suiteable for a one or two day tour.

Another view of the large Carradice bag.

Medium Saddle Bag:

A somewhat smaller Carradice bag.  This one would be more than ample for a one day Audax.

A More Minimalist Saddle Bag:

Made by Topeak, this bag is quite roomy, not bulky, and very low "infrastructure cost."

And of course…

If you really and truly need to carry a lot of stuff, there’s this…

Trailer by B.O.B.  One could go for weeks with this rig, but it's definitely overkill for  a one day tour.

Hey!  That last one was for grins.  Honest.

What you should carry this trip:

Of course this is somewhat dependent on the weather.  But a likely list is

• Arm warmers
• Polypro or light wool base layer
• Windshell (a rain jacket can do double duty here)
• Rain jacket
• Wind vest
• Leg warmers
• A cap with a bill  (see tomorrow’s post for more on this)
• Sunscreen
• Some food (it’s going to be about a 2400 to 3000 calorie day.  We will stop several times, but carry what works for you.)
• At least two water bottles (or the equivalent)
• Two spare tubes in your size.
• Any spares that are unique to your bike.
• Any meds that you might need
• Phone (Optional.  Please do not get into conversations while out on the ride.)
• Camera (totally optional)
• Some money for water and snacks
• Sunglasses
• Riding gloves

Have fun working out your own list.  And try packing it and carrying it for this coming week's ride.  It's good practice.

Tour to Bike MS: Stuff to think about

I’m going to be scarce, and these posts are going to be short, for a while.  That’s because we’re in the final run up to the annual Tour of Faith charity ride.  There’s a vicious lot to do before the ride goes, and I have a lot of those tasks to perform.

If you are planning to do this, LET ME KNOW NOW!!!  Do this by email to The.Road.Dragon@gmail.com

Bike MS ~ Housekeeping:  Some of us are incorporating a touring concept around this year’s Bike MS Cox Atlanta Ride, in Pine Mountain.  The idea is that we ride down to the event, do the two day event, and ride back.  This has implications.

Consideration 1)  Getting your “stuff” there and back:  There are a lot of strategies for this one. 

Talk someone else into transporting it.

Load your bike and do it yourself.

Let’s talk about what you will want to transport.  You will need riding clothes for three days.  (You get the first day for free by wearing it.)  Casual, off bike clothing for three evenings.  Toiletries.  Food and beverage items for the cabin.  Your riding supplies for the four days of biking.

I want to have a fairly light bike to ride, so I’m planning to use my trailer to haul my stuff down there.

Consideration 2) Lodging:  We’ll tackle that one offline.  Either make your own arrangements, or contact me.  If you want to get into a group booking, you must contact me this week (27 July through 30 July).

Consideration 3) Local Transport:  This should be kind of obvious, but…  If you ride a bike to get to the event, you are going to be riding a bike to and from your lodgings, and to dinner, shopping, etc.  I’ll be booking a chalet that is about three miles from the Bike MS location in Callaway, and about 3.5 miles from “downtown” Pine Mountain.  Your bike will be your transport to and from these things.  You might want to think about that, and to consider bringing some lights along too.

One last possible stuff transporting strategy:  You could persuade someone else to carry your stuff down there.  That gets it there, but they will likely be leaving on Sunday, and you won’t be going out until Monday morning.  Consider mailing your luggage home.  There is a US Post Office in Pine Mountain.  You could plan to package your used luggage, and take it to the Post Office on Monday morning.

Utility Cycling ~~ Stuff You Can Do on a Bike

Take a bicycle.  Any working bicycle.  Just as it is.  It can take you places.  That’s its primary function.  And that is a valuable, good, and worthy thing.  But we humans also tend to want to carry stuff with us as we move about.  This means, to really use a bicycle, it needs to take us places, and to carry stuff.

Small stuff isn’t a problem.  It can go in pockets.  But larger, or heavier stuff starts to require more infrastructure than the basic, unadorned bicycle has.

Let me illustrate a problem.  A young lady I know was going of to college for the first time.  I’d trained her.  I taught her to ride in traffic, to get from place to place safely, and to use the bike as more than a pleasure and fitness tool.  She took a bike to campus with her.  Almost immediately she found a good sound use for it.  The bookstore was way the hell and gone away from where she was quartered.  She rode the bike there, and bought her first semester’s load of books.  The double armload went into two large plastic bags.

There was no place on the bike for these bags, and the lady in question did not have a back pack.  She draped the bags over her wrists, one on each side to balance the load, and mounted the bike.  She managed to get going, but the first turn brought her down.  The bags swung independently of the bike, and one of them went into the spokes of the front wheel.  Result?  Some road rash, and two nicely sprained wrists.

This particular lady solved that problem by using a backpack.  There are other solutions.

Three strategies for Carrying “Stuff”

Racks: With a rear rack on your bike, and panniers on the rack,  it’s possible to carry an amazing amount of varied stuff.

Utility Trailer:  There are a variety of these things on the market.  They can be uncoupled from the bike when faster and lighter riding is desired.  They allow for more bulky loads.  They can usually carry more weight than the rack and panniers approach.

Back Packs and Messenger Bags:  Like the trailer, you don’t have to carry these all the time.  The drawback is that you have to support the weight as well as supply the power to move it.

And one more idea:  If you are really getting into hauling stuff, you might just want to investigate portuer bikes or “heavy haulers.”  (I’ll write more in this in the near futre, along with examples.

Things I’ve managed to transport with a bike:

Two 50 pound bags of lawn fertilizer

20 paver flags and 20 each eight foot 4X4s (multiple trips with a trailer)

One large window air conditioner

SAG support load:  One cooler, tool kit, multiple spare tires, first aid kit, and radio

A large dog

A squirming cat

Enough clothing to allow commuting for a week

Three large bags of laundry to and from a Laundromat

One automotive automatic transmission

A carburator, intake manifold, jack stands, hydraulic jack, and tool box

A medium child

Multiple adults (one at a time on a tandem)

Tent, sleeping bag, ground pad, bike tools, clothing, food, and cooking equipment

Enough stuff to self support a one week tour

Two large automotive tires, mounted on their wheels

Improbable things I’ve seen transported by bike:

A half dozen chicken coops with live chickens

A live Poland-china sow

A spinet piano

Two adults, two children, and a dog (on one bike; not a tendem!)

Three complete bicycles

One small motorcycle

A miniature “pop-up” camper suitable for sleeping two adults

A 20 foot extension ladder

A “long board” surf board

A sea kayak

An injury victim in a stretcher (trailered)

The rider’s prosthetic leg (while he was riding one-legged)

Packing for the Tour

My apologies for not getting this out yesterday.  I had a classic.  One of my cats decided that the DSL data line would be better if it weren’t connected.  The fact that this occurred coincidentally with my making some modem and router connection changes led to a long and erroneous troubleshooting.  Oops!

 Here are the basic principles to remember as you begin your packing for the Waynesville, N.C. Four Day Tour.

·      It will be early Autumn.

·      We will be riding at elevation ~ sometimes in the 4,000 to 6,000 foot above sea level range.

·      We will be riding in the southern Great Smoky Mountains.

·      Expect at least one rainy day.

·      We are being supported by drivers carrying the luggage.

If you combine those first three points, you can roughly translate them to this,  “Prepare for anything.”

It could be warm and sunny, it could be cool, it could be cloudy, it might rain.  We could see all of this on the same day.  I don’t think snow is very likely.

Generally, in that region, at that time of year, it’s fairly dry and sunny.  The norm is overnight lows in the upper 50s to low 60s, with day time highs in the mid 70s.

Our plan has us riding during daylight hours, but I would recommend a good strong tail light on general principles.

Think Layers:

When planning for any given day, a combination of arm warmers, a wind vest, a rain shell, and possibly leg or knee warmers makes a lot of sense.

A Few things you might bring:

• Light tights
  
• One long sleeved jersey
  
• Wind jacket
  
• Rain jacket
  
• Hat with a bill (can be worn under helmet in rain
  
• Helmet cover
  
• Wool socks
  
• A hat that can be worn under your helmet
  
• A pair of light full fingered gloves
  
• At least one more pair of shorts than you think you will need
  
• Spare pair of cycling shoes
  
• A cue sheet holder
  
• Zip lock baggies
  
• Shorts lube
  
• Sucreen
  
• Camera

To dry wet cycling clothing quickly,  first fold the item as small as possible and and squeeze out most of the water.  Then open I tup and lay it our flat on a towel.  Roll it tightly inside the towel, and wring the towel.  Finally hang the damp item overnight.

To pack cycling clothing very compactly, first roll it up tightly.  Then place in an appropriate sized zip lock baggie.  Insert the crevice tool of a vacuum cleaner in the baggie and zip it mostly closed.  Use the vacuum cleaner to pull the air out of the clothing and the baggie, and then pull the tool out, while the vacuum is still running. Finish closing the baggie.

Give some thought to the idea of carrying extra clothing on the bike.  We are planning to do this on lighter bikes, but you will need to have some way to carry rain shells, arm warmers, etc while riding.  Likely, you won’t want to be wearing everything you carry at any one time.  A very light, small back pack could be the answer.  Possibly you have a very capacious seat pack.  Do consider it.

On Monday:  A Ride Report and an Update