Tag: Touring Bikes

What is a touring bike, how is it different from other bicycles.

Categories
Rivendell Bicycles

Chapter Two – Almost Finished

completed riv RenoVelo
Almost complete.

This is the third installment of posts about putting together a touring bike starting with a bare frame. The others can be found under “Rivendell Bicycles”

The new 127 mm spindle length bottom bracket from IRD works perfectly with the IRD crankset, and the rest of the build went smoothly.
Here’s a short rundown of the parts we used:
Wheelset; Shimano LX hubs laced with 32 spokes to Velocity Dyad 650b rims. (Velocity and Mavic are the only two brands to consider for rims when buying or building wheels)

Tires; Panaracer Nifty Swifty 650b

Shifters and Derailleurs; Shimano 8 speed bar end shifters operating Shimano Tiagra derailleurs. I really like the Tiagra level derailleurs. Even though they are not on the high end of the Shimano line, they work well and look good and they are made without a lot of plastic pieces.

Drivetrain; IRD Defiant triple crankset with 48, 36 and 24 tooth rings. Sram 8 speed cassette 11,12,14,16,18,21,24 and 28 tooth cogs. Sram 8 speed chain. Shimano PD-A530 dual sided pedals.

Cockpit; Nitto Grand Randonneur handlebars, Nitto Technomic Deluxe stem with shim, Tektro/Soma short reach brake levers, Shimano Ultegra seat post with the Gilles Berthoud Aspin/Marie Blanc saddle

Brakes; IRD Cafam cantilevers with Yokozuna Scott/Matthauser pads.

photo front brake calipers
The IRD Cafam brake calipers
photo of crankset and rear derailleur
Drivetrain

I used grey housing on all the cables to give a little bit of a custom look. I will wrap the handlebars after Karen has had a chance to ride the bike a few times and decides if the brake lever and handle bar positions are OK. Stainless steel water bottle cages by King Cage, fenders (probably SKS) will finish the bike, except for whatever racks and bags she uses for touring.

Categories
Advocacy/Awareness

Independence Day

Every bicycle related, or outside related magazine or advertisement assures me I can improve on my personal best performance by closely following the training advice offered therein. Alright, I think, I want to do my best. Even if doing better than myself feels like a lot of pressure I decide I will have a go.

I’ve decided to train for the Java Man Triple Brew Pub Extreme Moderation Tour. My success in defeating my self will be judged loosely by these criteria:
– Moderation and balance.
– Being non-judgmental and humble.
– Living in the moment.
– Wattage, heart rate, miles and time don’t matter.
– Speed doesn’t matter either.
– People in automobiles waving at me in a friendly manner matters.
– Other people on bicycles and pedestrians acknowledging me in a friendly manner matters too.

Athletes generally attribute a large percentage of a successful performance to mental attitude. Actually, this could be one of my biggest challenges in this event. Smiling while riding(in moderation of course) moves me toward my goal, and saying hello to the faster rider who is overtaking me, whether they say hello or not, moves me toward my goal. Refraining from the urge to take that rider’s wheel to show that I can go faster too takes constant practice. Or is this just the recovering racer rationalizing the fact that he is now old and weak?

I give myself permission to go slow sometimes, but it feels good once in a while to breathe hard and feel the lungs working to bring air to the blood, and to feel the blood pumping and carrying that oxygen and some fuel to be consumed by my muscles in the magical process of making the pedals go around . And it’s neat to see my body get more efficient at doing those things, so that every ride seems a little easier. So I give myself permission to go fast sometimes too.

A baggedy shirt or a plain wool jersey keeps me cool and allows air to flow through the interstices of the brain, not constricting my thoughts and actions with the pretense of needing to be something I’m not. By the way, that person driving the car? They seem to be a little more agreeable to sharing the road when they see me dressed that way on a bike with fenders and lights and racks.
As Leo Woodland says “People talk to you if you’re on a bike and you give them time. You’re not threatening. You arrived by humble means and you have humble needs, like food and drink and a moment’s rest”

I am training myself to stop and, really, to look for reasons to stop.
I am training myself to ride a bicycle in a way that makes it look easy. No hammering, thank you.

Actually, now that I’ve created this event I realize that every time I go out on the bike I am a participant in it.
The current ride is all there is.
There was no ride before this and there will be no ride after it.

Categories
Rivendell Bicycles

Chapter One- A Rookie Mistake

Now that I have all the parts, it’s time to start bolting them onto the bike. And the first part out of the box is this piece of jewelry:

photo of IRD crankset
This is the IRD Defiant touring triple crankset

Interloc Racing Design is a small company that has been around since 1984 and the moniker seems a little dated since they now make a lot of parts for touring and utility bikes. I need to confess that I didn’t consider the crankset/bottom bracket interface when I ordered the crank, and the bottom bracket that came with this frame has a spindle that is too short to use with this particular crankset.

photo of Sugino on left and IRD on right
The Sugino XD-2 on the left- IRD Defiant on the right

Since the interface is recessed on the IRD crankset, compared to the Sugino XD-2 I need either a 127.5 or 122 mm bottom bracket spindle, rather than the 107…so I ordered both and I will use the one that gives the best chainline. This is what I’m talkin’ about:
photo of crankset on too-short bottom bracket
The chainrings hit the bike with the too-short bottom bracket spindle

Meanwhile, here’s a taste of what the bike’s going to look like!
Photo of Nitto handle bar and stem
The Nitto Grand Randonneur handlebar and Technomic Deluxe stem

photo of partially completed bike
Sweet studio shot!

Categories
Rivendell Bicycles Touring Bicycles

A Touring Bike – From The Bare Frame

Over the next week or so I will be putting together this:

photo of Riv renovelo frame
RenoVelo, a Rivendell Sam Hillborne

This bike will be used for touring and this is an ideal frame with which to start. The steel tubing is of a gauge or thickness to contribute to the rigidity of the bike when loaded, and the geometry of the bike will make it solid and stable on the road. The 650b wheels with some nice cushy tires will make the ride super plush. In it’s first life it was a demo bike at Rivendell World Headquarters in Walnut Creek, CA and now it is reincarnated as the RenoVelo.
Some other details that make it a good touring frame are:

renovelo rear spacing
135 mm between the dropouts accepts a "mountain" or touring hub. A wider bracing angle makes a stronger wheel than the 130 mm spacing on a standard "road" wheel, and it makes the frame rear triangle stiffer too.
rear braze ons for racks and fenders
Lots of places to bolt racks and fenders.
renovelo headtube
The head tube extends above the top of the top tube. Makes it easy to get the bike "riv'ed out"
renovelo kickstand plate
A place for a kickstand!
Simple, durable square taper cartridge bottom bracket

cantilever brake studs
Studs for cantilever brakes. Depending on the model, better stopping power and clearances than side pulls.

If you are interested in following the progress of this build, as you should be, check back here starting next week. More photos on our Flickr page too. (click the photo banner on the right)

Categories
Tours and Rides

Overnight To Montour Report

photo of camping bike and hammock
Montour Bureau of Reclamation campground

Well, the weather finally cooperated this weekend and we were able to complete our Boise-Montour-Boise overnight bike trip. We were attempting to find a passage over the foothills without traveling on the main highways. That didn’t exactly work out, but the adventure and the exploration were really the main point.

And the timing couldn’t have been better. It had been a difficult week and the combination of work-a-day events and everyday average life events were beginning to feel oppressive. Funny how halfway through the first day the thought patterns in the brain were beginning to be a little bit more objective and coherent. Such is the power of getting out on the bike!

Just after the road turns to dirt and just before it becomes Pearl Road
photo of camping bike along road
Where's Sky King?

Eagle Road becomes Willow Creek road as one travels north from Eagle and about 17 miles from our front door it turns into dirt. A fairly well maintained dirt road which goes basically straight up for the next 8 miles, and becomes Pearl Road along the way. We were watching for a road which, according to Google Maps, veered off to the left shortly after the abandoned mining town of Pearl and wound back down towards Montour. We never saw this alleged road and finally ended up on Highway 55 just outside of Horseshoe Bend. Dropping down into Horseshoe Bend on the old highway and then about 11 miles on scenic highway 52 along the Payette River brought us to Montour. About 10 miles more than we had planned on, and the 47 total miles for the day took us almost 5 hours to ride. Luckily, we were able to replenish our carbohydrates and spirits at the general store!

photo of front basket loaded for camping
Can you spot the bike touring dietary supplement?

Being so replenished, and having set up the hammocks, we proceeded to cook our pasta primavera and to enjoy the sunny windless evening, with mosquitoes. Sitting in the sun and reading, we could have been anywhere….Texas, California or Croatia, and yet we were only a few hours from home.

image of Hennessy Hammocks
Dual Hennessy Hammocks

The next morning we decided to take the dirt road on the north side of the river into Emmett instead of taking the main highway. According to the campground host, the road was well maintained with little loose gravel and only one climb. Never listen to a cigarette smoking diesel pickup driving campground host. I’m sure the road is a piece of cake driving the pickup home from the bar in Emmett. It’s just that the climbs were numerous and sharp, and the washboard effect was in place on most of them….. heck of a way to start the day.

After a big breakfast in Emmett, the ride up Old Freezeout hill and then on highway 16 back into town was relatively uneventful. And so, with just a little bit of planning and just a little over 24 hours, we were able to get away for a little adventure, recharge and come back raring to go and ready for the next kick in the teeth.

Another successful adventure
Categories
Fenders

Fenders, a Comparison

(Update 10/2/2014: SKS have updated their fender line and the Chromoplastic fenders and Longboard fenders have been combined and are now called SKS Chromoplastic Longboards)

The SKS Longboard fenders are in at the Bike Touring News Store. I have been anxious to see how long these really are. So I did a side by side comparison with the Honjo alloy fenders and the Planet Bike Cascadia fenders.

3 fender sets to compare lengths
rear Fenders- the SKS Longboard on the bottom, then the Planet Bike Cascadia and the Honjo

The rear fenders are about equal in length, but with an aftermarket mudflap the Honjo fender would provide the most coverage, maybe not as important as front fender coverage- except maybe for whoever is behind you!

Arguably, the coverage provided by the front fenders is the most important because the farther the fender comes down on the trailing side the less spray onto the rider’s feet. And as we can see, there is quite a bit of difference in the coverage of these three front fenders.

Photo to compare lengths of 3 front fenders
front fenders- SKS Longboard on bottom, Honjo, then Planet Bike Cascadia

In the above photo of front fenders the fenders are positioned according to the point where they would attach to the bicycle fork, and you can see that the Longboard fenders are the longest providing more coverage in the front as well as in the rear than the other two. To be fair, with an aftermarket mud flap the Honjo fender would provide equal coverage.

Picture of mudflap on front Honjo fender
Aftermarket mudflap provides more coverage on the front fender.
Categories
Advocacy/Awareness Living Vicariously

Small Bike Tour

Chris Johnson already coined the word “micro-tour”.  “Small tour” might describe our Saturday ride. Eleven miles to a little restaurant in a neighboring town, a cup of coffee, some fish tacos and some time to sit in the sun and read. Doesn’t even really qualify as “cycling”. It’s just something we did and we happened to do it with bicycles.

Warm sun, no hurry!

Enjoying the good things about bike touring, like relaxing in a nice spot and not being in a big hurry. And not really having any other urgent commitments at the moment. We took our books and  we took jackets and long pants, because even though the sun felt great the wind had a bite to it. And the Zimbale canvas saddlebags came in handy!

The Not Even A Bike Ride
Categories
2011 Oregon Manifest

Oregon Manifest

From the site of the Oregon Manifest:

The two-wheeled revolution won’t come on the saddle of a race bike or a specialty bike. The utility bike is the transportation mode of the future for millions of Americans who want to live healthier, more sustainable lives, but don’t think of themselves as “cyclists.” The key to realizing this future is thoughtful, innovative bike design that fills multiple needs and fits into their lives.

Stronger, lighter, simpler designs for bicycles and bike parts are not always the progeny of racing. In the early part of the last century, trials were held in France which rewarded lightweight designs capable of completing really difficult courses in a self supported way without breaking. The Oregon Manifest is resurrecting that tradition, and that can only lead to good things! Of course, the cynic within the Bike Hermit’s soul expects representatives from companies which shall not be named but whose initials are Trek, Gary Fisher, Specialized and Giant to be there in force to steel and deploy ideas from the best minds in bicycle design. Oh well, it’s not as if it’s a zero sum game. The more utility and transportation bikes the better I say.

Vintage!

The Oregon Manifest Field Test

The moment of truth in the 2011 Challenge will be the mandatory Oregon Manifest Field Test. This rigorous road trial will assess the real function of every bike in the challenge, in real world environments including hills, byways and off-road sections. It will include several on-road check points where mandatory features of each bike will be evaluated. The Field Test requires riders to keep a brisk pace that will stress their bikes to the limit, and demands a well-crafted, expertly assembled entry in order to complete the route in good time. Final evaluation and point tabulation will occur after all bikes have completed the Field Test.

Categories
Nutrition for the Bike Tourist

Paleo Diet, Gary Taubes and Cavepersons

The so-called paleo diet or caveman diet is a low carb high protein diet claimed by some to be a good way to lose weight. It has some proponents in the bicycling world too. One needs to be careful when considering extreme changes in their diet or just extremes in general. Bike touring is very demanding and your body is another piece of equipment you need to depend on. I was reading this thread on Bike Forums this morning. Try to ignore the name calling from the original poster and read the rest of the posts. Interesting stuff.

Gary Taubes is the latest proponent of a high protein low carb diet. From his blog: “My message and the message of Why We Get Fat was not that we should all be eating nothing but animal products–…… but that carbohydrate-rich foods are inherently fattening, some more so than others, and that those of us predisposed to put on fat do so because of the carbs in the diet“. (emphasis added). Mostly he is talking to obese or overweight people or people with that metabolic tendency  and it might be easy to see him as a person feeding on people’s desire for a quick and easy way to lose weight.

I wonder if anyone has personal experience with a high protein low carb diet and bike touring? We’d love to hear about it!

Wilma!!!!
Categories
Nutrition for the Bike Tourist

How Much Food Do You Take On A Tour?

Every person has different specific nutritional needs. Some basic ideas about fuel for muscles during and after exercise cannot be easily disregarded. There is some noise being made in the cycling world about the so called paleo diet which poo poos the need for carbohydrates in the form of grains and potatoes. This may be OK for the relatively sedentary person whose physiology makes it easy for them to put on pounds. But for the person pedaling a loaded touring bike for several hours each day complex and simple carbohydrates are essential. Carbohydrates provide the fuel your muscles will need in order to fire hour after hour. No carbohydrates, no fuel and no pedals going round. The purpose of protein is to rebuild the muscle tissue being torn down by the exercise. This happens after you stop exercising. The body human is amazingly adaptive to training, and the muscles will be rebuilt stronger than before and with a greater ability to use oxygen and thus greater endurance. I’m no expert or professional in medicine or nutrition but I suggest being careful with fads. Watch this series of videos if you are interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdBDQdOKbJQ

When I’m touring I like to carry enough food to last for about 36 hours. Because you never know when you might be able to buy groceries again. And I have a fear of getting stranded in the middle of nowhere without enough fuel to get to the next store or restaurant. Even in what one might think are relatively populated areas there might not be anyplace to get decent food. If you are lucky, maybe you can survive and thrive on hot dogs and chocolate milk and cupcakes from convenience stores, and there never seems to be a shortage of those.

Cheese, dense bread, and peanut butter (without hydrogenated oil) = Fat, protein and complex carbohydrates. Your body needs all of those.
This doesn't look too good in the photo, but at 3 PM with 30 miles to go on the day, cheese and tomato on a piece of bread is heaven.
A nut, dried fruit and seed mix with dark chocolate. This will make a new person out of you at the end of a long day!

I will also take pasta in the form of quick cooking thin spaghetti. Throw in a few veggies when it is almost cooked and voila, pasta primavera. That works out most of the time, unless there happen to be some ghosts who don’t appreciate your presence as happened to me recently in Merryville, LA. With this result:

This had nothing to do with my own clumsiness. It was ghosts.

I also take powdered milk and muesli. Great for breakfast or emergency meals. Dried soup (I like the Nile Spice brand) can be taken out of the container and carried in zip lock bags. Light, easy to pack, carry and to cook. Lastly, at least one emergency ration of a freeze dried meal or a meal in a boil and eat package.

Basically, I try to bring food that packs the most punch for the pound and that is easy to prepare. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a bonus but they’re hard to carry, so when I find them I buy what I can eat on the spot, or if I am at the day’s stop, what I need for dinner.

At the Winn-Dixie in New Orleans. It was a long ride through Louisiana without fruits and vegetables. I got a little carried away.