Stormpriest's Blog: January 2014

I have noted that, one, there is a large resurgence in the popularity of cycle touring. And, two, as a result there is the ever so popular "I can do that on the cheap" clan and opposing side is what I refer to as the "Lycra lemmings".
These are 2 sides of the same, damn coin. And both seem to center on finance rather than what it was (and should still be) which is getting out there, riding, improving and/or maintaining your health and having a good time.
You can't however blame either party as the industry has as in many other cases made sure that the financial aspect is most prevalent. Forcing one group to buy the tricksiest gadgies and kits w the ever present "New and improved" marching orders attached.
The other extreme noting that they cant even come close to affording said gadgies, STILL TRY TO EMULATE them, but on the cheap. And this is where more often as not, it falls apart for the. This is when me and mine hear from them swearing at us that we steered em wrong (and us never having spoken to them, no one said humans are rational) But, the template they are trying to do "on the cheap" is still based on what the hawkers are saying you need to tour "correctly" and not one of these crusty blighters has spent more than a day in the saddle.
I did do it on the cheap, and I did get some milage out of it... for a while. The frame was a second hand REI Novara Corsa frame, that I later discovered was rated for a max payload (me) of 200 lbs. I weighed in at 215 when I left Portland on Feb 16, 2010. Then there was the 300+ lbs of kit on bike and trailer (Burley D'Lite rated for 100 lbs). I made it for 700 + miles round trip and limped very slowly back to Portland. Only to find terminal cracks in the bike's frame.
Now, just to play the devils' advocate, what I managed to do semi right was in the pannier; I found early on that triangle ruck sacks and school bags wld not work as make shift pannier, but the square or rectangle ones worked a treat. (the pic attached is the bike, bags and trailer in question right before I left Portland)
I took originally four German surplus ruck sacks and four plastic cutting boards, some "J" hooks and nuts n bolts. These can be seen on the back of the bike. They worked pretty good, even reliably, but the 2nd pair were too bulky and too easy to over load for the front. And to my next experiment born of desperation and a periodical psychotic twitch; the front bags in the frame were made by me from light canvas, and as you can tell, a little too light canvas as they wld warp to what ever stimulous they were exposed to, usually wind, rain and foul language.
Don't get me wrong, for inner city, they worked just fine, On the road how ever, I was lucky enough to find a used pair of Jandd small Mt Pannier for cheap.
The trail was and still is a necessity as I tour w my teacup bison, (black furball of a terrier) and it also allows me to carry heavier and/.or bulkier kit. The one main failing was not so much that it was on an amluminum frame, tho I do take issue with the popularity of it as a frame material, but the swing arm where it comes to the frame in concert w that. Shortly after having climbed Cape Fowl weather (aptly named I might add) because no one bothered to tell me about the 300 foot climb option right bloody next to it, resulting in a 1000 footer and my profanities bouncing off the forest. I finally got to Beverly Beach State park, paid for 2 nights because I was destroyed and coasted into the malfuntion juntion that is the camp sites' on intersection of note, reached down to turn on my head light on my rack as it was pitch black, lost my balance and pitched to the left. My Shimano SPD sandals were just a wee too loose and the Shimano DX SPD pedals were always too stiff in the release tension, I just fell like a drunken stone. My left rear pannier acted like a Fulcrom on the swing arm of the Burley and shattered the swing arm joint at the shoulder; the pivot bolt snapped, the inner hanger bracket was sheard right across the eye hole and the swing arm looked like something out of the book of Kells.
I still pushed on after re rigging this newest insult w bailing wire, and spare skewer from an old wheel and a pipe/hose clamp. I went as far as 7 Devils road and Sunset beach State park. I stayed there for 4 nights which is when I was informed that at least in Oregon, there is a 3 night cap thanks to others taking advantage and a good deal like HB camps for granted. Poor thing was terrified and brought the biggest bruiser she cld find to let me know this inadvertant infraction of mine, which told me a lot about the locals in the area simply by what she seemed to expect of me. Sad really. But, this is when after some querries of mine, she got and handed me an Oregon.gov sponsored rather cartoonish cycle tourists' map of the Oregon coast, including on the back all the bypasses and why one REALLY SHLD TAKE THEM! One of those that all but slapped me in me micky was the 300 foot climb option to Cape fowl weathers' 1000 foot bastard of a climb. And, this is also when I realised my rig, as is, wld not finish the ride to San Francisco as is.
Cheap can and will get you down the road, for a while. But if it is a serious goal of yours, make it serious enough to wait, save up and do it right rather than criticising every and anyone who has better kit. Not nearly all are the "lycra lemmings" out on their multi $1000 nikes and matching lycra outfits "touring" on their credit cards so they can stay light enough to do regular Centuries. The millage shldnt be the only goal either. If it is, stay in your car.

Stormpriest's Blog

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

notes on 2 camps in regards to "The cost of Touring"

attempting to "sync" my online presence...

Tuesday, January 7, 2014