Surly Long Haul Trucker, the best touring bike for the money.
They are here and ready to ride! As of January 2, 2012 we have in stock six complete Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bikes. 50, 54 and 56 centimeter bikes with 26″ wheels. 56, 58 and 60 centimeter bikes with 700c wheels. We are providing these as bikes for prospective Long Haul Trucker owners to test ride. It’s sort of a leap of faith to plunk down almost $1300 sight unseen for a touring bike and there are very few places (are there any others?) that have such a large selection of sizes. Bike Touring News is listed on the Surly Bikes site as a dealer, a “shop filled with folks who know our products at an ‘above average’ level“. We have years of experience selling these bikes and suggesting the proper sizes for people, but this should eliminate any guesswork.
Surly Bikes does not allow new complete bikes to be shipped because: “We think a bicycle in its built form should come from a bike shop that knows how to assemble and adjust everything so that your ride is ready to go. It only takes a couple of frantic e-mails from customers wondering why their steer tube is so long or in which order the headset parts should go on to cause concern in our hearts. Buying a bike locally gives you a place to go for adjustments, for warranty concerns should they ever arise, and for sizing assistance. Buying locally also helps your neighborhood economy grow, it can help you find a network of riding friends, and sometimes even provide a clubhouse. From our perspective buying bikes through a shop keeps the liability concerns to a minimum and helps keep our products from being simple commodities. We like to think they have a little life in them.” We think that is a good policy and we abide by it.
So, here’s the deal. If you are in the area come in (you might want to call ahead) and we will determine the best size for you based on some observations and measurements we will make. Then you can ride a bike and see how it feels. If you are between sizes you can ride one size bigger or one size smaller. After we have determined your size and know the options you prefer, and after you slap leather for a 50% down payment, we will order your bike. If the supplier is out of stock, or if you need the bike right away we will sell you the demo.
We can still sell all Surly frame sets and components online, so if you know what you need in those departments, give us a shout. If you don’t know what you need, then definitely give us a shout and we will help you sort it out.
Ian Hibell was a British bicycle tourist who spent the better part of 40 years traveling by bike. At an average 6000 miles per year, that is ten time around the equator. He wrote a book called “Into The Remote Places” published in 1984. Hibell was killed by a hit and run driver in Greece in 2008.
One of my goals is to encourage people to Rediscover the Joy of being on a bike so wanted to share this short video from People for Bikes for those who haven’t already seen it.
How much does it cost to go bike touring? Well, I guess it depends on the person(s). Some people can travel for next to nothing by eating store bought food rather than at restaurants and by stealth or wild camping wherever they happen to end up at the end of the day. Websites like CouchSurfing and Warm Showers connect travelers with people who are willing to provide a couch or a yard or even a bed.
Russ over at the Path Less Pedaled recently did this interview with Heidi Beierle who rode her bike across the country and wrote her master’s thesis on looking at bicycle tourism as an economic development tool for rural communities. While not specifically about how much it costs to do a bike tour she does delve into that aspect.
httpv://youtu.be/X-XwCoOKHoQ
My recent 6 day and 5 night ride from Portland to Idaho broke down this way:
Food – $116.00
Mostly from grocery stores, with the occasional restaurant stop thrown in. Works out to about $19.30 per day.
Camping – $34.00
The most expensive night was $24.00 for a KOA. Two nights of wild camping for nothing and two nights in state parks at $5.00 per night. Average = $8.50 per night.
I also bought some fuel for the stove and some batteries and a memory card for the camera, but if I amortize those expenses over the life of those items it works out to pennies a day. For this trip I FedEx’d the bike to Portland and that cost $67.83. Shipping the empty box back home cost $30.35. The cheap airline ticket to Portland, bought far in advance, was about $60.00.
So the total cost for the six day vacation with all the expenses thrown in was about $300.00. If I just look at the time when I was on the bike, and don’t count the flight and shipping expenses, the six days cost me about $150.00 or $27.80 per day. Pretty cheap therapy methinks.
As the Bike Hermit makes his way back to the bike cave from Portland on Chief, Sky King thought it would be a good idea to provide a link to the updates on the Oregon Manifest Website. Some high quality photos and interviews with the builders and the judges.
The Bike Hermit joins the group today as the Oregon Manifest Field Trials get underway. The entrants are only allowed to take a tube and tire levers as the ride is the true test of the bikes integrity. We hear that surprises are in store along the way. Am counting on the Bike Hermit to give us a full report.
Last nights meet and greet was packed and the bikes were well received. Today’s ride wraps up with a big celebration at Chris
Chris King
King. We were able to score a great tour of Chris King on Friday, feeling pretty special to be considered part of the “Press”
Donakelope's entry, complete with Side Car for the Border Collie
Just what is the best saddle for touring??? Drum Roll, please. The best saddle for touring is the saddle that fits your behind and allows you to ride in comfort!!
Chief out touring
Okay maybe that wasn’t the answer you were looking for, but it is the best we have to offer. No two people are shaped the same therefore no one saddle is going to be the end all saddle for every person.
The Bike Hermit used to tour on a Brooks B17, as to be expected, over time the saddle relaxed and had a bit of “splay” He punched holes in the sides (like the Brooks Imperial) and threaded the saddle with leather (from the Tandy leather store) and that solved the problem. About two years ago he switched to a Gilles Berthoud Aspin. This saddle was stiffer in the beginning and now has molded to his shape just perfectly. He easily has 3,000 miles on that saddle with no issues. Aha, you say, I will go research and purchase a Gilles Berthoud. Well, Sky King did her best to love the Gilles Berthoud Aspin spending hours adjusting height, position, angle etc but was never comfortable. Finally she measured her sit bones and realized between the shape and width of the Gilles Berthoud Aspin, it was never going to work for her. She went back to her older Fizik’s vitesse tri and problem solved. She is back to all day, day after day saddle comfort. She does plan to try the Brooks B17 Narrow as she misses not being able to carry her Zimbale 7 liter saddlebag but for now the Fizik’s Vitesse Tri is just fine.
Here are some very important things to consider when selecting a Saddle.
The Flyer does not narrow as quickly as the Zimbale
The width of the saddle across the widest area and how quickly it widens from the nose to the back will affect saddle comfort. Add to that the saddle position or the saddle tilt (nose down, nose up, nose level). Of course don’t forget to factor in the entire bike fit (see earlier posts)
Too Much Pear-Shape for your shape typically causes chafing in the inner neighborhood of the lower fold of the buttock, top-of-the-leg, panty line, hamstring attachment (however you want to describe it) because the saddle is too pear-shaped for the motion of your hip joints. If these are issues you have with your saddle, perhaps a T-Shaped style would work better. If you feel like you are sitting on a narrow, painful 2 X 4 a pear shaped saddle could be what you need.
Let’s get back to saddle width and length. The size of your hips or the size of your behind has very little to do with the size of your saddle, wide hips do not mean you need a wider saddle. The width between your “Ischial Tuberosities” ie) sit bones is what matters. Where those sit bones connect with your saddle makes the biggest impact in saddle comfort. Too wide or too narrow for your sit bones and the end result is pain and chafing. Sky King has a wider hip measurement than the Bike Hermit but he has a wider sit bone measurement.
Each saddle has “cheeks” on the wide back part. Sometimes the cheeks are even domed up a bit. Your sit bones are meant to land in the high part of that dome to take advantage of the padding and the overall architecture of the saddle. Saddle without domes still have a cheek area, the widest part of the saddle is where your sit bones should be resting. Measure the saddle from center of cheek to center of cheek. The saddle’s center-to-center should match the center to center measurement of your sit bones.
Next measure the saddle’s overall width. Generally the saddle’s overall width should be, at minimum, the same as the outside measurement of your sit bones OR slightly wider but NO more than 2 centimeters wider than the outside sit bone measurement. You want to be able to shift around to power up hills or use body-english around corners or just to give your butt a break, and STILL have the bones land on the saddle.
In the case of a many leather saddles your saddle must be about 2 cm wider than your outside sit bone measurement so you do not have bones contacting the metal cantle* plate.
(*rough description – the horseshoe shaped metal plate under the back of the saddle that holds the rails in place)
Measure your sit bones:
We could get all fancy and purchase memory foam or drop some dollars on a fancy gel seat specifically designed to measure sit bones and assist in determining the proper saddle width but we hate to spend money when things at hand will work just as well.
Three inexpensive options for measuring Sit Bones:
The Flour method
Take a gallon size zip lock bag, fill with enough flour for about a two inch flour cushion when the bag is lying on a flat surface. Place this bag on a hard flat surface – table or chair (we use a piano bench) Sit on the bag (preferably bare skin), mimic your bike position. Now stand up without disturbing the bag. Those two dimples/impressions in the flour are from your sit bones.
The Play Dough method
To make your dough:
One part salt, two parts flour, mix with water until it’s right for modeling.
Roll about an inch thick, cover with aluminum foil to keep it from being sticky, place dough w/ foil on a low bench, once again sit on dough (bare skin is best) and lean forward to approximate riding position since the sitbones become more narrow as you lean forward. Remove foil and allow to dry a little. The bones impression will become white first.
The Measurement
Take a millimeter tape measure and measure the impressions, recording your findings.
1. The inside edge to inside edge
2. Center of depression to center of depression, if easier, place a marble in each depression and measure the marbles.
3. Outside edge to outside edge
Center-to-center measurement correlates with the spot on a saddle that bears the weight of the sit bones. The saddle “cheeks”.
Outside to outside measurement is a consideration for some types of saddles, such as the Brooks that have metal rails, you do not want to have your sit bones resting on the metal rails. General rule of thumb – your saddle width should be about 2 centimeters wider than outside sit bone measurement. Again, you want your sit bones resting on the “checks” of the saddle and you want some wiggle room for movement as you are touring.
Inside to inside may be necessary if you plan to use a saddle with a cut out, to ensure the sit bones clear any large center cutout in the saddle. The inside bones falling into the ‘moat’ so to speak, causes a lot of pain in the bones surrounding the “soft tissue” area. To clear the cutout, you need about 20 mm extra space in between the inside distance of the sit bones. So, if the cutout is 60 mm, your inside distance is 80, then you have just enough clearance.
The Hand Method(s) of measuring
Sit on your hands, and feel for the two bones of your butt. They feel like elbows poking down into your hands.
Put the tip of your index fingers right under the part of the bones that is pushing hardest into the chair. (squish the very tip of your fingers between the chair and your sit bones)
Lift your butt from the chair leaving your hands on the chair, and have your assistant measure the distance between your fingertips. This is pretty much your center-to-center.
Then put your fingertips against the outsides of the bones. Push them right into the bones so they are on the outside of the bones. Lift your butt from the chair and have an assistant measure the distance between your fingertips. This is pretty much your outside.
Some people have sit bones that angle a lot from front to back. The “sits” are heavy thickened portions of the rami area of the pelvis and can have unique personalities of their own. You can measure again on the forward part of the heavy “elbow” bit if you can feel that yours have a definite angle. The forward portion of the heavy thick part of the bone is what your weight rests on more when you are in a more aero position. DON’T measure the thin blade like portion that is in your crotch, that is the rami and you do not want a saddle there. Measure from your backside.
Repeat your measurements a few times, average them out if you want.
You can also get these measurements by lying on your back with your knees to your chest holding a measuring tape and poking around for landmarks.
The Cutout
Cut Out on a Brooks B17 Imperial
Purchasing a saddle with a cut out can be beneficial if you have soft tissue pressure. An easy way to help determine if you might be a good candidate is to sit (commando or in thin underwear)on a very hard surface, feet flat on the floor, pedaling distance apart. Lean forward from the hips, keeping your back straight and place your elbows on your knees. If you soft tissue is feeling overly squished you may want to try a saddle with a cut out. Do some forum research, some people love them, other’s find the edges of the cut out equally irritating. Assuming you have a good bike fit and proper saddle height, consider adjusting the angle of your current saddle as well to see if that relieves soft tissue pressure.
Length
Years ago some saddle manufacturers started adding a short version to their line. Historically the short version came about for women riding in skirts and dresses, the longer nose would catch on the dress, making mounting and dismounting more challenging. Now a short version is more about personal comfort. Reading Forums and blog post about saddle fit there are numerous opinions about both. Sky King’s Fizik Vitesse Tri is a “woman’s” saddle but it isn’t any shorter in the nose than a Brooks Swallow.
Conclusion
We agree that finding the right saddle can be tough. Sometimes despite the best research, trial and error ends up being the answer. Taking your measurements and understanding your riding style are the beginning of your quest.
For more great info on choosing a Saddle read other blogs and forums. Sky King took the measuring suggestions from posts on the Team Estrogen Forum. Great resources can be found on sheldonbrown.com, team estrogen forums, bike forums (touring). Most of all don’t be afraid to ask questions. We both ride day in day out without saddle pain on two entirely different saddles.
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.
Sky King snapped this after crossing the Agate Pass Bridge. The bifurcated "shoulder" doesn't leave room for a cyclist. One option would be to walk across on the elevated portion, but there is not much room even for that. The other option is to "take the lane" as though you have the right...which you do.
Riding across the Agate Pass Bridge between Bainbridge Island and the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State on a fully loaded touring bike is one of the most frightening experiences I have had on a bike. The “shoulder” of the road way is divided by elevation, half is at road level and half is raised about 8 inches. So what is left is two unusable strips about 18 inches wide.
As I watch my wife ride over I choke down my fear of the unimaginable. She actually timed it perfectly by starting off just in front of a big box van which would have difficulty passing her with the heavy traffic in the opposite direction and “took the lane”, in other words, she rode in the depression the right tires of innumerable cars have left in the pavement. So every vehicle behind the box van just had to take a deep breath and use the big pedal beside the gas pedal.
Expert that the bike hermit is, he decided he could ride on the elevated part. Which was no problem until a gust of wind almost blew him off the curb and into oncoming traffic. When his heart rate slowed sufficiently and there was a break in traffic he continued across….. taking the traffic lane.
Sometimes you have to hold up traffic to avoid dying. Just remember, you have as much right to use that section of the road as an automobile does. And remember that most people are not psychopaths and they will not run over you. If you act predictably and make sure that motorists see you, without being obnoxious, then you can co-exist. Just assume that the motorist doesn’t see you and ride very defensively. Every state has different laws governing bicyclists and a tourist can’t be expected to know all of them, but I think common sense and riding with confidence, as if you belong, can go a long way.
Of course, this was a relatively short bridge and I don’t recommend this for every situation. You should check local conditions and if a road or bridge appears to be too dangerous then find another route or another way across.
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.
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.
Finally, we are on the Burke-Gilman Trailmaking up some time......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.
