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Bike Touring Tips Hermit's Workshop

Bike Hermit on YouTube

I watch YouTube videos sometimes. I admit it. Actually, I watch them more than sometimes…it’s sort of like crack cocaine to me. And I watch everything. From comedians whose entire body of work seems to exist only on YouTube, to old episodes of Iron Chef (the original, Japanese version of course) to videos about gangsters and prison, to entire Yes concerts. My current favorite however is Jeff Bradshaw’s “Redneck Restoration“. This guy can literally find an old motor that has been sitting in a field (without the vehicle) for the last 15 years and make it run. His videos are rough and primitive. He puts the camera on a tripod and films himself as he cracks the cover off the differential of a 1958 1 ton truck. Then he carries the camera into the auto parts store and records his banter with the employees. Looks simple.

I’m more interested in search engines than auto engines though and all the gurus say that YouTube videos (YouTube is owned by Google) can help a website rank highly in searches. No problem thinks I; “If Jeff Bradshaw can do it, then I can too” So I figure I would record myself putting together the Surly Ogre/Rohloff build then under way. After an hour or so of setting up the camera and lights I’m ready to boggle the minds of the brethren with my mad video skills. I would time lapse the repetitive, dull operations and then slow the video back down to normal speed to highlight some particularly difficult step and to impart my sardonic and incredibly useful revelations.

Guess what? It’s way more difficult than it looks. My video was pretty much unusable. The lighting was bad and the bike blocked the view of whatever I happened to be working on. I even attempted to use two cameras, but that didn’t simply double the exposure of my ineptitude …it became more of an exponential display of incompetence. In fact, after “recording” for some time, I discovered the battery in one of the cameras was dead. And I didn’t even get far enough along to worry about the editing.

Since then we have been lucky to find a young fellow (the Bike Hermit has several pairs of shoes older than he is) to film, edit and post videos for us. Our YouTube channel is called “Bike Touring with Bike Hermit” and we have instructional videos along with product overviews and product un-boxing videos. So please check it out. Leave comments and let us know what sort of things you would like to see covered. Here’s a sample:

Categories
Idaho

Boise to Willow Creek Campground A24O (about 24 hours over-nighter)

Sky King riding
Sky King at the upper end of Lucky Peak Reservoir

Yes, I coined a new term; “A24O”- for “about 24 hours over-nighter”. The “S24O” or “sub 24 hour over-nighter” seems too extreme. Too much pressure to return home in less than 24 hours, especially from Boise where the distances to decent camping spots are greater than in some other shires.

We rolled out the front door at about 10 AM Saturday morning and by shear luck, even though it would be almost 100 degrees by the afternoon, there was a nice cloud cover most of the morning which even sprinkled a little rain. We followed the Boise Greenbelt out past Harris Ranch to Lucky Peak Dam. There is a four mile climb to the Hilltop store, which is open again (hope they can keep it going) and actually has a nice selection of beer, so there was no need to have lugged our adult beverages up that hill! A fast descent and a sharp right past the high bridge brings us to Spring Shores Marina. It’s another 5 1/2 miles of pavement before the road turns to dirt/gravel/sand which is severely washboarded in places by the almost steady (on the weekend anyway) traffic of recreationalites with their recreational vehicles.

Arrowrock Reservoir is bigger than I realized. We followed the road along the upper shoreline for about 14 miles to the upper end of the reservoir where the Middle Fork of the Boise River flows freely again. This is where the climate becomes more alpine too. Pine trees begin to replace the clumps of Black Locust growing at the lower, dryer elevations. Indeed, it seems a bona fide forest at Willow Creek Campground.

Riding ’round the rim of Arrowrock Reservoir. Big Country.

 

At Willow Creek Campground. Boise National Forest

 

MSR 4 Liter Dromedary Bag lashed on top of the Frost River Gunflint Trail saddlebag. First use of both!

I’m still undecided about the best bike for this kind of trip. Most of the miles are on pavement but the unpaved sections can be sort of jarring and tiring. I rode my touring bike with 700x35c tires while Sky King rode her Bleriot with 650bx42mm Grand Bois Hetre tires, and neither one of us had any significant problems. The smooth tread tires were nice on the paved sections. Bikes with even more voluminous tires would flatten out the bumps a little on the unpaved sections and provide better traction I think. So there are compromises on a trip like this. We will be covering the same ground on the last day of the upcoming Ketchum to Boise ride and we both want fatter tires. Sky King will be buoyed by 26″x2.4″ Schwalbe tires on the Disc Trucker. The Surly Big Dummy has unexpectedly risen to the top of my own short list of off road touring bikes. The frame is designed to fit tires up to 2.5″ wide, even if tire selection in that size is a little bit limited. And the long wheel base distributes the weight of the rider and the load more evenly between the two wheels resulting in better traction and more stable handling….theoretically. The longer wheelbase undoubtedly would smooth out the chatter bumps on these gravel roads too. In more remote areas drinking water can be the major challenge to doing off road back-country rides fully self-supported. With its 200 pound load capacity, not including the rider, and its capacious bags the Big Dummy unlocks that conundrum. The only downside I can see is if the need arose for some bushwhacking or log hopping to get to that perfect campsite, but that is not a deal breaker.

Oops….. this post has encountered a bit of metaphorical sand and could easily slide over the bank into the weeds of B.R.O.C.D. (bike related obsessive compulsive disorder). Careful, just a little body english, don’t over correct…..right, back on form. So figure on a solid 5 hours to do this 40+ mile ride one way on a loaded bike. There is drinking water at Hilltop, at Spring Shores Marina and at the Willow Creek Campground. The campground is a no fee forest service facility with picnic tables and plenty of trees and good access to the river. The area is very popular on summer weekends and the auto traffic is heavy, especially on Sunday afternoon.

Categories
Bike Touring Equipment Water Bottle Cages

The ever necessary Water Bottle

Chief with bottle cages
The Bike Hermit & Don Jewell heading out for 5 day trip from Boise to Enterprise, Or.

Living in the High Desert we have come to appreciate the ability to carry enough water when touring.  Look closely at the Bike Hermit’s feet and you can see his white water bottle attached underneath his down tube. (click on the photo to see it better)  The challenge is “Chief”,  his A Homer Hilsen, only comes with the “normal” two cage bosses.  Don’s Surly Ogre (on the left) has 3 cage bosses, as does the Surly LHT and the Surly Disc Trucker.  Thankfully we’ve found a sweet solution to add more bottles – Elite VIP bottle clips.  Made in Italy these clips resemble a zip tie, the heavy duty type but with cage bosses attached.  Designed to fit any tube between 22mm and 50mm diameter. These are slick.  We have also mounted them on Surly Pugsley Forks (see below).  A light weight inexpensive addition, well worth it for anyone planning rides/tours where water is not readily available.  As you can see from the 1st photo, The Bike Hermit also chose to carry a camelback and tucked into his gear is a folding hydration bottle and the water filtering system in case they have to resort to cattle troughs and trickling streams.

Surly PUgsley
Wendell’s Pugsley with cage bosses for more water capacity
Elite VIP bottle boss
Elite VIP Bottle Boss
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
Idaho

A Group Bike Tour Around Lake Cascade, Idaho


Asa thinks I’m an (expletive deleted) because I mock him for naming his bike Rocinante. But it’s just because the Bike Hermit is a rough, illiterate man. And because I’m jealous of him. He is leaving next month for a year long bike touring trip in Europe. He is twenty something. Actually I am not jealous, I simply hate him…..just kidding Asa.


There were three other bike touring novices on our trip around Lake Cascade this weekend. But every one of them represented!
A bout of dehydration resulting in nausea, headaches and chills for Paul prompted Scott to retrace the previous thirty miles in order to fetch a car for the rescue. Meanwhile we fed Paul ibuprofin and an electrolyte replacement drink…he actually recovered enough to put me in a spot of bother on the last day while trying to stay on his wheel. Scott met us at the second night’s camp and drove into town to buy beer and steaks! That’s what I call bike touring!

Paul was on put on a strict regimen to replace fluids and to balance electrolytes.

Exercise induced dehydration can actually be real problem when touring. According to Wikipedia- “Physiologically, dehydration, despite the name, does not simply mean loss of water, as water and solutes (mainly sodium) are usually lost in roughly equal quantities to how they exist in blood plasma” which means that simply drinking water can still result in dehydration if electrolytes are not also replaced. In fact, drinking too much water without replacing other nutrients can lead to hyponatremic dehydration, basically a low level of electrolytes, sodium in particular. Fruit juices, coconut water, sports drinks, milk, fruits and vegetables contain electrolytes. Fruit juices can contain a good deal of sugar which makes them more difficult for the body to digest and use. I prefer an electrolyte tablet that can be dropped into a water bottle because the tablets are small and easy to carry. Nuun brand tablets have no sugar and a little bit of effervescence, and they taste pretty good. Checking urine color can be an indicator of hydrated-ness, should be light, like lemonade, not dark, like apple juice.


The second night, we shared the full to overflowing campground with some very impressive RVs, pickup trucks and bass boats. At O Dark:30 in the morning a dozen diesel motors clattered to life and I extruded myself from my hammock to watch the start of the day’s bass tournament. After heating some water for coffee I wandered down to the boat ramp to watch the launch…all the boats were already in the water!…these guys have it down. The official’s boat was being circled by the school of bass boats as the lights on its mast changed from red to yellow to green. Then, in a display that would make any American (or OPEC member) proud, one by one the boats took off at 80 m.p.h. to their preferred fishin’ hole. They would fish and drive their boats really fast until 3 PM when the official weigh in took place. Almost wished I could’ve stayed.

It is well known that the Bike Hermit can be socially challenged. I enjoy being on my own and unknown in new to me places. But I’m finding that touring with other people can be rewarding. Something about it seems to bring out the best in a grumpy old man. I bear the discomfort and I realize that most of the others are committed to the well being of this little temporary micro-society we have formed. Feelings of sovereignty are put aside and group mindedness prevails…nobody wants to be the one who ruins the trip for the others. There is a tacit understanding that this is no place for competitive instincts.

Seeing how people solve the problem of carrying gear on the bike is instructive and entertaining too. From trailers to panniers to frame bags to wire baskets, there is no right or wrong way. This old hermit is looking forward to the next group tour!

Categories
Oregon Our Trips

Owyhee Uplands Backcountry Byway

A picture says 1000 words. Here’s a bunch of words. It would be impossible to describe this trip otherwise. Thanks to all the participants and to the photographers and videographers.

Owyhee Bylands
No Phone, No Pool, No Pets…



The Great Owyhee Uplands Bicycle Tour from Tad Jones on Vimeo.

1st Annual Owyhee Uplands Back Country Byway

More information on the BLM site.

Categories
Idaho

Taking it slow in the Hagerman Valley

As the Bike Hermit is deep into his remodeling project, Sky King jumped at the chance to do some great slow pedaling with the ladies.  This turned out to be a perfect way to enjoy spring weather, work in bird watching and be reminded that life is about the journey, not the destination.

Pelicans In Flight

Lisa, Julie and I spent hours exploring the Snake river along State Highway 30 just south of Hagerman, Idaho and then more hours at Bruneau Sand Dunes. Our only goals were to have fun and enjoy the abundance of waterfowl. Spinning along we never passed up the opportunity to stop, grab the binoculars and take in the views. We took advantage of soaking in the pool at Miracle Hot Springs – even admired the alligator.

Waking up to the sound of Thousand Spring’s waterfalls made for a delightful start to our ride.

Thousand Springs
Fashionably dressed bird watchers

Being open to meandering lead to sweet surprises. One of my favorites was observing the Heron’s working on the nests in the rookery. There were at least two dozen birds nesting in a compact group of trees. Would be fun to come back and watch “hatchling” flying lessons.

Heron Rookery

Riding anywhere in Southern Idaho in early spring, means laughing at the yellow bellied marmots and their insatiable curiosity.

soaking up some sun
checking us out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally no birdwatching trip would be complete without the harrier hawk in the sky, a few ducks in the pond and the beautiful wax wings.

Marsh Hawk at Bruneau Sand Dunes
Hold still so we can take a picture

Categories
Bike Touring Tips

No Sweat, have water bottle will shower

A bit of sweat after a great bike ride

Guaranteed on any bike tour, you are going to sweat.  Ending the day with a shower is one of the ultimate rewards on a bike trip (ranks right up there with a cold beer).  On our recent tour on the Olympic Peninsula we spent each night at a campground but still ran into unexpected issues with using the showers.  Many campgrounds have “pay as you play” showers so be sure to tuck quarters into your pannier.  We arrived at one site “afterhours” and discovered they didn’t take quarters but used tokens that needed to be purchased from the camp host…  Well hell, what to do.  From previous trips we have devised a great technique for impromptu showers, we call it the two water bottles and a camp towel trick.  Simply heat water, pour into two water bottles.  At the campsite that had the shower but needed tokens, I took my water bottles, Dr Bonner’s liquid soap, my camp towel and my bike shorts into the shower stall.  I wet my hands, applied a small amount of soap and lathered all the priority body parts that need attention.  Then I used my two water bottles of warm water for rinsing.  While not as deluxe as a 3 minute shower, it takes the sweat layer off and I can sleep comfortably.

Why the bike shorts in the shower?  We travel with two pairs of shorts and every night  apply a small amount of diluted Dr Bonners to the chamois of the shorts worn that day and rinse well.  The shorts hang off the hammock for the night and if still damp in the am are securely draped over my sleeping bag for the days ride.

As noted we travel with hennesey hammocks so no tent for a private spit bath,  No worries, the rain fly makes a nice shower curtain for the two bottle shower.

A rainfly can double as a shower curtain

In addition to the camp towel and Dr Bonner’s, two other must have items I tuck into my pannier – Nutrogena Face Towelettes and baby wipes.  Both have travel packs.  It is nice to grab a face towelette and get the grime off and baby wipes … well let’s just say what did we do without them.

Categories
Triple Brew Pub Tour

Java Man Triple Brew Pub Bike Tour- Day Four

August 3, 2011

Crack….Thump….Whoomp
I’m flat on my back on the ground.
“Are you OK?”
“Yeah, I’m OK…….are you OK?”
“Yeah”
For all of the trees around here, most of them are massive cedars and they are too big to tie the hammock straps. Earlier, I had tied one end of each hammock to what turned out to be a rotten stump of a tree, with the other ends going to separate trees. The weight of both of us in our hammocks was too much for the remaining roots and the whole thing pulled out at ground level and fell neatly in between us. Sky King had retired before I did and I tried not to think about what might have happened if her weight alone had been enough to pull the tree over, because I imagine it would have fallen on top of her. A rude awakening to say the least.

We scuttled around with the headlamps on to retrieve our sleeping bags from the wreckage and we spent the rest of the night under the stars. I felt dumb, but I don’t think that will happen again!

It’s less than 20 miles to the Clinton ferry from South Whidbey Island state Park, and US 525 has a nice shoulder. A short diversion on Newman Road from Freeland provided a quite ride until the junction with 525.
A few miles outside of Clinton a parking lane appears which is meant for vehicles waiting for the ferry and we coast past a long line of cars which, according to the signs, will still not be on the ferry for another hour. And when we get in line to buy our passes the woman in the car behind us tells us it is free for bicycles going back to the mainland. So we roll right to the front, rejoicing in one of the very few moments when a bicycle has more rights than a car.

texas size shoulder
In Texas they call them courtesy lanes. I don't think they had cyclists in mind but they are nice riding.

I would give directions to the multi use path, or MUP, system from Mukilteo, but I’m still not sure how we found it. I had directions printed off of Google Maps but after talking to a driver at the fruit stand where we stopped who said, “I’ve been delivering here for 15 years and I’ve never heard of Natures Path Road” we abandoned those and used the Droid to find another route. But after getting well and truly lost again we stopped at a fishing tackle store where we were told how to get to the Burke-Gilman trail. We got a few miles closer using his directions but still had to rely on the Droid for the last few miles.
We finally crossed Bothell Drive and were on the trail. A chatty Seattle cyclist lady gave us directions to the Sammamish Trail, but by thus time I was having none of it and decided to trust the Droid from here to Bellevue.

Seattle's Burke-Gilman
Finally, we are on the Burke-Gilman Trail
handlebar shot while riding
making up some time......
walking up a dirt trail pushing the bike
Please, Seattle, if it's not asking too much, more signs!
The shiny, happy town of Bellevue

I have to give kudos to Seattle for their MUP system but I wonder if they could scrounge a few dollars more for some signage. Once we got on the Burke-Gilman we still were confused and took a number of wrong turns before we got to the Sammamish Trail and ultimately to the 520 Trail. But not before a detour over the Bridal Crest Trail, which is dirt and very steep. And then we literally were ejected onto a suburban neighborhood street with no idea where the trail went until we saw a bike rider appear from a barricaded abandoned road which was the access to the 520 Trail continuing toward Bellevue.
Once back to our starting point in Bellevue we both had to agree that this tour was a success. No mechanical failures and no major physical problems presented themselves. This is a spectacular part of the country. I really didn’t realize the extent of the rugged mountains and wilderness which exist so close to Seattle and which we could see in the distance every day of our ride. We plan to do some more bike touring here in the near future.

Categories
Triple Brew Pub Tour

Java Man Triple Brew Pub Bike Tour- Day Three

Sky King and loaded bikes
Sky King, Sky and Chief

August 2, 2011
Each decision we make when bike touring is meaningful and can have an impact that is more significant than it might be if we were traveling by automobile. I have developed a habit of stopping at produce stands, grocery stores and restaurants if they look decent whether or not I need to right at that moment. I don’t know when the next opportunity will come and backtracking on the bike is often not an option.

That habit pays off this morning when we stop at the Boatyard Coffee Shop in, you guessed it, the boatyard in Port Townsend. A small loaf of made in house raisin and nut bread, sliced in half and served with cream cheese and jelly would supply the glucose drip I needed for the next few hours.

I did not follow my own rule when on Whidbey Island we passed by the Red Apple Market. We did not see another store the rest of the day. Not a major problem because we had planned on eating our emergency ration of food tonight anyway since it was to be our last night, but it was an inconvenience because we had no beer. As we were explaining our predicament to the campground host in South Whidbey State Park a fellow camper (who had a car) overheard us and offered to buy us beer in the town 6 miles down the road when they went later this evening. I made the exchange with the beer fairy later in the parking lot and we both felt as though we were doing something illegal. Pretty funny. Thanks, beer fairy!

Another ride on a big boat over to Whidbey Island. The landscape is a little different over here and the traffic seems a little lighter. Really nice riding on Whidbey Island, probably my favorite so far. Apparently this is a popular place for Seattleites to come ride. There is a nice 80 mile or so loop around the island from the Clinton ferry terminal. For us this was about a 28 mile day on the bikes.