Month: October 2012

Categories
Touring Bike Tires

More About the Best Touring Tire

Schwalbe Marathon Dureme
The Schwalbe Marathon Dureme

I enjoy reading the posts and looking at the pictures on the Pondero blog. The latest post happens to be a review of the Schwalbe Marathon Dureme tire. Check it out and look at some of his other articles while you’re at it. Good stuff.

I copied the following from the Road Bike Rider website. While not normally a great source of information for the touring bicycler I think the question and the reply at least provide a starting point for a reasoned decision about tire selection.

Are 25mm Tires Better than 23mm Tires?
Question:

I found out yesterday from my LBS owner that I’m apparently late to the party moving up to 25mm tire width. I’m told all the pros have switched. Is this why I’ve been able to buy 700X23 tires on-line so reasonably? – Seth S.

Coach Fred Matheny Replies:

Yes, there has definitely been a move toward wider road tires, and I suspect that’s why shops and websites are putting 23s on sale.

A number of studies, most notably by Jan Heine in Bicycle Quarterly (www.bicyclequarterly.com), have shown that wider tires roll faster on all but the smoothest pavement if the tires have supple casings.

Wider tires also tend to be more comfortable because of the increased air volume and because they don’t have to be inflated as much to avoid pinch flats. They corner on bumpy pavement better because they don’t bounce around on the rough asphalt like narrow tires tend to do if they are inflated hard.

The weight difference between the same tire in a 23 and a 25 — or even 28 — is minimal. The extra few grams are more than compensated for by increased comfort and performance.

The only drawback is that many race-oriented frames won’t accept anything larger than a 25, or in some cases a 23. Manufacturers are remedying this, in large part because pro racers in events like Paris-Roubaix that features rough pavement and cobblestones are going to wider rubber. A good example of a carbon race-oriented bike that can handle a 28 is the Specialized Roubaix.

I’m a convert. I’m running Michelin Pro Race 25s (which are more like 28s) and Conti 4Season Grand Prix 28s on all my bikes except my old Litespeed Vortex, which will only handle 25s. I made the switch some years ago due to the extremely rough pavement here in western Colorado. We have a variety of chip seal, potholes, convex patches and grass-filled cracks, but while narrow tires beat me up, 28s smooth things out considerably.

I haven’t noticed any difference in speed — maybe a slight increase — but the added comfort is what sold me. I used the Conti 28s on the Pacific Crest Tour this summer and even on the relatively smooth pavement of Washington and Oregon, they made a significant difference in efficiency over the two-week event.

And while we’re at it the Schwalbe tire company has a page about tire size and rolling resistance. It’s interesting to note that, at a given pressure, a wider tire has less rolling resistance than a skinny tire. Obviously a skinny tire can be inflated to a higher pressure but the trade off is a less comfortable ride.
a rolling resistanc graph

So don’t just assume that replacing the tires on your mountain bike or touring bike with some skinny, punishing race tires will make your commute better. Might want to consider the construction and tread pattern too. Maybe a little wider tire will still allow you to punk the other commuters on your route and yet not beat you up before you even get to work!

Categories
Advocacy/Awareness Podcasts

Use Your Bicycle!

Paul and Jim on couch
This was the studio for the Bike Hermit’s interview of Paul L. Paul is the handsome one.

On a recent overnight bicycle trip to Burgdorf Hot Springs I sat down with Paul to ask him about bike commuting…when he began, what logistical challenges he faced and about what he perceives as the benefits of riding a bike to work. We were “sponsored” on this trip by McCall Brewing Company in that they provided a keg of their Wobbily Man Smoked Scotch ale and we needed to finish the interview before things became too, shall we say, wobbly.

I read this thread the other day on bikeforums.net and there are some good replies to the original post. The one I try to remember most of the time is “Always ride like you are invisible to drivers”. Ride defensively, be predictable and assume drivers don’t see you. One exception to my rule about being predictable is a trick I learned from reading Grant Petersen’s book Just Ride . Before a car approaching from behind reaches you, do something erratic such as wobbling a little or a quick zig-zag. It’s amazing how that gets their attention and how wide of a berth they give when passing you.

With a little bit of planning and care, using a bike to get to work and to run daily errands can be enjoyable and rewarding. It can be a little nerve wracking in traffic, but statistically is still relatively safe as long as a person pays attention and follows some basic principals and local ordinances. Boise Street Smart Cycling is a great resource. I’m always interested in other tips and experiences…so please use the comments.

Categories
Bike Touring Equipment Bike Touring Tips

Bike Touring Merit Badges?

Well, I definitely don’t want a Rube Goldberg approach to bike touring. I prefer the K.I.S.S approach. Small, light, simple and multi purpose are useful metrics for equipment choices. Like the survivalists say: the more you know the less you need.
Of course for the items which need to be readily accessible when on the bike I also like many external pockets on my bike luggage. But that is a subject for a different post. Some things, such as a tire pump and a spare tube, are obvious for taking on a bike tour, but I want to take a moment to discuss a couple things that might not seem quite so obvious.

Zip Ties
Zip ties are rivaled only by duct tape and baling wire for versatility but they are much easier to carry than either of those. Throw a handful of assorted sizes into the bottom of a bag and forget about them until you need them. Use them to replace a broken pannier clip, hold an errant brake cable in place against the frame, replace the zipper pull on your sleeping bag, keep a fender in place, strap extra spokes to the chain stay, and in countless other situations.

Folding Knives
Say you forgot the tent stakes, or lost them. With a good, sharp knife and a small branch the day (or night) is saved.
Then you can use it to cut up the veggies for pasta primavera. And, even though I have never needed a knife for self defense, there is a certain sense of security in thinking that I could. I can even whittle a willow whistle. I’m continually surprised by how much I use this tool and I’d feel a little helpless without it. There are some features which I appreciate in a folding knife but I don’t really know that much about various steel alloys used for knife blades. Most makers will use different alloys for knives with different intended uses. For bike touring I think a trade off of durability with ease of field sharpening makes sense.

folding knife
The Edgie folding knife by Columbia River Knife and Tool

For the last few years I have been using the “EDGIE” a folding knife from Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT). According to their website this model has been discontinued. With diamond coated spring sharpeners built into the folder frame the blade edge is honed each time it is closed. At just over 4 inches in length when closed and with a blade of almost 3 inches I have found this to be an ideal size. This knife has a straight blade edge which has been fine for my use.
If I were buying a new knife today I would probably look for some other features, such as, a blade which locks open, a blade with a different point shape, and a knife that is made in the USA. Buck Knives is located in Post Falls, Idaho USA and most of their knives are made there.

buck pocket knife
The Buck Ranger

I love the old school look of the Ranger knife I can almost smell the old canvas of our Boy Scout tents. It looks to be a perfect size and it comes with a leather sheath, which is pretty sexy. A small stone for sharpening the blade intermittently doesn’t take up much room and one can relax in camp at day’s end reflecting on the just completed ride and reviewing the upcoming route while sharpening one’s blade. Way better than Boy Scouts because you don’t have to work on stupid merit badges.

Categories
Living Vicariously Podcasts

Bike Touring to South America and Across Siberia

Canada to Argentina on Surly Long Haul Truckers
Randy and Cheryl had been living their dream for two weeks when they arrived in Boise to stay with us for the night. Starting at the Canadian border they pointed the handlebars south and started riding, with the aim of eventually making it to Argentina. When I mentioned that I would have difficulty wrapping my head around a trip of that length and duration their response was reassuring. Before taking on the breathtakingly empty, desolate and beautiful Nevada desert they took time to let me record this rambling, background noise filled, (put the mic on a tripod, Mr. Hermit) interview.

Randy and Cheryl stopped at Bike Touring News on their way to Argentina.

Cycling Home From Siberia
A reader sent a link to a video of this talk by Rob Lilwall recounting his three year trip by bicycle across Siberia and Eastern and Central Asia. Rob’s an entertaining speaker and his tale is inspiring. Thanks for the link Yanyan!