Stevebarlowbike's Blog

Trip equipment, plan,etc.

stevebarlowbike — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:04:39 +0000

Bike:
We were looking for s traditional touring frame design for predomantly paved road conditions, for riding predomantly in developed countries with good avaliabily of bike repairs and parts. For taravel in undeveloped counties or unpaved roads our bike selection would probably have been different. There is a limited seletion of off the shelf touring bikes, most seem to have moderate level components at best. A very high end classical touring bike requires going to a custom built bike. We felt the Canonadale Tour 1 offer the best off the shelf bike for the style of riding we planned. Major features:
Intergrated brake/shifting control as on modern road bikes.
three front sprockets.
Higher end components (Ultegra/105)
Strong but fairly light 32 spoke wheels
32 mm wide tour tires (being road riders we originally believed these too wide, but soon found they well handled the rougher road condition found in touring and with more safety)
Cantilever brakes which seemed adeaduate even on the steepest decents, disk brakes may have been an even better but are more complex and not availible on our model
Leather seat… We both found these more comfortable than padded seats
bike Included high quality rear rack
Lug connections very complete
Dropdown handle bars
The Al frame on this bike could be considered a disadvantage as steel frames are usualy believed to provide more comfort). However, we found the bikes very comfortable, maybe steel would have been even better, who knows? This bike is also lighter than other steel off the shelf models.
Gearing could have been lower; the lowest gear was commonly used, the highest almost never (this is a common issue with off the shelf touring bikes)
In general we loved the bikes and would buy the same again.
Moderate price tag ($1950).

Shoes and pedals: mountain bike clip-ons; stiff sole with shimano xt or xtr pedels. The mountain bike shoes are better for wslking in over road type shoes, yet provide a stiff platform for peddeling. We carried running shoes for off the bike activies.

Bike safety: bright cloths, lights, and mirrors. For head light we used lights that were easy to remove allowing use as camp lights. I wish I had one that was a head lamp type when off the bike. Mirrors; I now consider these essential; we tried the type mounted on the end of the handle bars, the panniers were in the way, we ended up using a type mounted on the top of the shifter that worked well, but was easy bumped out of adjustment. First aid kit, we tried to put stuff for a major bleding accident such as gaze and medical tape.

Luggage: Most books recommend rear and front paniers to distribute load, we wanted to travel light and simple so used rear panniers only, with a small handle bar bag for camera and vauables. Tent and sleeping mats were tied on top of rear rack in a plastic bag for water protection. This system worked well, our bikes seemed very stable even with the load only on the back. The front handle bar bag had a quick release and acted as a “purse” when we left the bikes at stores, etc. My panniers were top load only and waterproof. Helmut’s had comartments and were water resistant. They both seemed to work well. You would thik that the compartment model would make it easier to find things, but this did not seem to be the case. Eastablishing a consistant packing procedure seems more important. Although only water resistant Helmut had little trouble with items getting wet in his panniers. Having only rear panniers forced us to pack light, which made riding easier, and daily packing time less. You don’t need to take your house with you.

Bike computer; wireless with altitude and climbing function which we found nice. Make sure you pack an extra transmitter battery and use a high quality battery for initial instalation. Transmitters use a lot of batteries. Also make sure transmiiter is located as close as possible to computer.

Cloths: Two complete pairs of biking shorts, biking shirts, socks, sweater like top, bottom pull overs ( I used long johns) socks. For these items cotton should be avoided due to poor insolation properties when wet. Neoprene booties, bike gloves, cold weather wool gloves. For rain gear we both had waterproof breathable jacket and pants designed for cycling. Pants should have zippers to allow putting on quickly without removing shoes. Jacket should be bright color. I found my bike rain jacket very useful. The full front zipper, adjustible sleeve opening, and zipper underarm openings allowed me to control body temperture without stopping to add or takeoff clothing. For around camp, one long pants, one t-shirt, one underwear, one swim/short pants, hat.
In warm/dry weather you could back off on this clothing list.

Camp equipment: one light higher quality backpack tent (5 lbs), insolite pad, sleeping bag (we used compressable warm down bags which we stuffed into compression sacks, then packed into our panniers), pillows were cloths stuffed into a sack. Stove: very light butane backpack style; however we had trouble finding fuel, a small propane stove may have been better, a bit heavier but fuel would have been very easybto find. We did all of our cooking with one stainless steel pan, and each, had a cup, large plastic bowl, spoon and fork. One Swiss army knife.

Entertainment: one book, camera, and MP3 player.

Maps: paper are still the best for overall daily planing, we got state maps from AAA club prior to trip. The map aplications on my iPhone were great when detailed road info was need especially in cities.

Tools and parts: spare spokes, spare chain link, one tube each, one patch kit each. Mountain bike pump with hose connection, pliers, multitool, tape, wire, wire ties, cresent wrench, knife. With our tire size a road pump would haveneen a oor choice.

Biking Methods; draft and develop a consistant drafting and communication system. Avoid burning yourself out, snack a lot to keep sugar level up.

Training: Simply ride long; try to do one or two rides a week longer than your expected daily average on the tour. Ride with bike geared up a few times before departing. Ride in rain and poor weather to test clothing.

Planning: we had a very general route planned, some major points but no lines between. We planned our more exact route on a daily basis. This worked well for us, and allowed for adjustment for weather, how we felt, and sights to see.

That’s all….

Touring Technical Stuff

stevebarlowbike — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:01:57 +0000

I’ll prepare a few notes on what Helmut and I learned as far as gear and touring methods. Check back in two days. The book I found most best on the subject is “Bike Touring” published by the Sierra Club,

Later…

stevebarlowbike — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:13:11 +0000

Thanks to all that followed our adventures and offered encouragement. From New Hampshire Helmut headed back towards home, Nadia will met him in a car somewhere along the way. I made it today to Boston, heavy traffic most of the way, but saw some interesting sights including gravestones back into the 1600′s. Tomorrow I’ll pack my bike and ship it home, then explore a bit of the Boston area for a few days, using a rental four wheel transport. Hope I remember how to drive. We traveled 4,000 miles (6,400 km) over a lot of beautiful country in the US and Canada, and met a lot of beautiful and interesting people too. We climbed Mt Everest from sealevel to top four to five times. All this for $1200 each (excluding gear) thanks to Bockism. Our bikes held up perfectly, eight flats were the extent of our required repairs. Gas milage was great, but we did convert a lot of food into manure. Cycling is a greatly different way from autos to see a country. Hills and winds become things to respect… and curse. Some have ask what I meant about resturants and calendars on the wall… It is the theory that the more calendars on the walls of a diner (cafe), the more down to earth and better the diner is… I read about this in a travel journal.
If there is some interest from cyclist on what we learned on gear and general aspects of bike touring, reply back and I can write a quick summary and post it in a day or two…. Otherwise wish all of you happiness …. and remember… TV sucks, ride a bike,,,, later. Steve & Helmut

Atlantic

stevebarlowbike — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:27:30 +0000

Left the New Hampshire Lake district and headed toward the Atlantic coastline. Slipped into Maine for awhile. Buildings snd history getting older as we near the shoteline. Reached the Alantic at Portsmouth, NH. This city is old. A settlement was established here in1623, right sfter the Pilgrams in Plymouth. We took our photo with the Atlantic background in Portsmouth, then traveled down the coast to a sandy beach area, Rye Beach. We got a hotel at Rye Beach NH. Then swam in the cold Atlantic.
We made it coast to coast …. Wow hard to believe. Heading for Boston in the morning.

Cottages, June 21

stevebarlowbike — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:16:20 +0000

More hills today, in the last two days we have climbed over 8,000 ft. Vermont and New Hampshire are not flat. We spent a fair amount of the day riding along New Hampshire’s largest lake. Very beautiful with heavy forest to the water, but most of the shoreline is private. We stopped at a state campground, but tents were not allowed, and for RV’s they wanted a recorded &47/night; antibockism. That reminds me… Helmut left $5 for a tip at lunch… The waitress did look pretty, not sure if that influence Helmut, but I’ll have to recommend to Nadia that she takes Helmut in for a checkup after the trip is over, something is wrong. Actually we had lunch on Golden Pond, it is not actually called Golden Pond, but it is where they filmed the movie. It was nice, all the countryside around here is nice. After the state park would not accept us, we rode on in search of a campground that would. There were none and day light started to fade. Finially in the little town of Aston we stopped at what looked to be a set of cottages and asked if we could stay or camp. The lady looked at us then to see if there was badness in our eyes, then said these cottages belong to people; not for rent. We offer $20 to just be allowed to set up our tent, offer was accepted. Valerie turn out to be a sweetheart, she set up a gas BBQ for us, and there was a covered area with table for our use. We set our tent up behind a garage, it wad heaven. Helmut was excited when he saw Valerie start the lawnmower and finish off half an acre of grass in mo time. He took picture to take back to Nadia as proof that a hired gardener was not needed at their house. Later Valerie set down with us and discussed life with her Mom in a wheelchair by her side. She is taking care of her Mom that had a bad stroke instead of putting her into s nursing home, cool. For dinner: we cooked $2.50 “magager special” steaks that came in at about 20 oz. each, French bread, a pound of four bean salad, and a 1.5 liter bottle of burgandy table wine….. Life dosen’t get any better… For real. Later.

Orford to Alton, New Hampshire. 71 miles. Climb:3900′. 5:30 in saddle. Winds: mostly tailwinds. Temp: 70 to 88F.

Granite State

stevebarlowbike — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:48:02 +0000

Left Burlington in rain which soon stopped and the day turned hot and muggy. We took Hwy 2, Hwy 302, then Hwy 25. The countryside was beautiful green forest with crystal clear streams. A nice tailwind pushed us along in the flats, but was little help when climbing hills, and there were a lot of hills. Vermont is not flat. We passed throught the small state capital town of Montpelier with it’s gold dome capital building. In Barre we stopped at an all you can eat Chinese lunch. After the town of Barre we climbed a big hill to the area of the famous Vermont Granite Quarries. We kind of snuck into some quarry areas, it was worth it. These quarries are huge and the older ones are filled with nice clear ponds. Some areas are still being actively mined. Little quarry towns surround the area. We rode almost till dark making it just into New Hamshire where we found a nice campground, “Pastures Campground” in the town of Orford. The camp owner warned us that bears come into the camp at night. She only charged us half price because bikes are “low impact” …. Yes. Ramien for dinner. There are a lot of fireflys here… Neat.

Burlington VT to Orford, New Hamshire. 91 miles. 4200′ climb. 6:30 saddle time. Winds mostly tail. Temp: 68 to 85F

Vermont

stevebarlowbike — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:05:53 +0000

Left the Adirondacks and headed for the shores of Lake Champlain. We biked along the Ausable river which is famous for brown trout fishing, also kayaking. From a bridge we watch kayakers eat it in some rough rapids. We crossed Lake Champlain on a ferry, this lake is the sixth largest in the USA. Our landing point was Burlington, Vermont. On the ferry we found a brochure for the Magic Hat Brewery. We made this our next destination. Wow it was fun, we sampled nine beers, took the tour, sampled the beers again, and bought a variety 12 pack. We strapped the 12 pack to the back of my bike and traveled for two miles to old Saudi Aramco friends, Louis and Marni, and their daughter Claire. The two miles were no problem. Louis and Marni have a beautiful house above the city of Burlington, with views of the lake and mountains. A wonderful BBQ was prepared by Louis and Marni, and included home-grown vegetables. They were great hosts. Later

Lake Placid

stevebarlowbike — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 01:58:44 +0000

On the road again, these mountains we are passing through are old rounded mountains, but they make you work like they were younger, up and down over and over. Actually I would have to say that the Adirondacks are magical; green mixed hardwood/conifer forests, quiet meandering creeks to roaring rivers, beautiful natural lakes, quant towns and even wilderness, a lot of it. I like this place. New York State is more than New York City. The major fish in the streams and lakes are brook trout, brown trout, yellow perch, pike, and catfish.
We made it to Lake Placid early in the afternoon and toured the 1980 Olympic arena for hockey and figure skating. Then had our dinner at a bar and grill before riding to a state campground in nearby Wilmington, NY. In the campground there is a notice about the Emeral Ash Beatle in the and insect traps. The department of agriculture is monitoring the spread of this imported beatle. It is a possibility that all native ash trees in North America will be killed. A sad day for woodworkers, baseball bat manufactues and naturalist.
Cranberry Lake to Wilmington, NY Miles: 70 Climbing:3400′ Time in saddle:6:00. Wind variable Temp.: 65 to 90 F

Adirondacks

stevebarlowbike — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:52:51 +0000

Rained last night. Roads were wet when we started out. For breakfast we stopped in a a one calendar cafe in the village of Three Mile, but they deserved to be at least a two calendars. In the cafe we met snowbirds Jim and Kim, who live in Florida in the winter and here in the summer in a small cottage. They were real interested in our trip, the waitress was too. Jim says the fishing in the lake is good. We travel through Watertown were we practiced Bockism and buy some books for $0.69 each at a second hand store. Then we started climbing into the Adirondacks. The Adirondacks are very beautiful, forested with numerous rivers amd lakes. It is also low in population, strange when you think of New York State having so many people. After a long day we finally reached Cranberry Lake which has a few campgrounds. We check with a private campground, they tell us they don’t deal with tents. This attitude is starting to bug us. Here where the USA is ready to stop offshore drilling, campgrounds cater to the big monster motorhomes, they get the best level spots. Tent campers get the shaft, hillsides, off in the boonies, often same rates as power hog home on wheels. Sometime tents are not even allowed at all.
The lakes here are gems, not reservoirs but true lakes without bathtub rings. We end up at a state park campground. There are a lot of notices that bears are a problem so we tied our food in a tree. It is also strange, in this huge state park campground there is only one other campsite being used, and it is mid-June… weird.
Enjoy..,

Upstate New York

stevebarlowbike — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 02:38:31 +0000

Had an easy day. Nadia cheerfully drove us to where we left off yesterday, Glinora ferry crossing. We then started our ride along the northeast coast of Lake Ontario. This is the land of the Loyalist( Americans loyal to the King that got out of dodge at the end of the Revolution war. They crossed Lake Ontario and settled in the English controlled northshore. The area is real nice with islands, inlets, and small old towns. The weather was nasty however, rain sn a strong crosswind. In the town of Kingston, as we waited for a ferry to Wolf Island, we met a fellow biker, Sandra. She was going to Wolf Island for a club ride. Wolf Island is located at the far eastern end of Lake Ontario where the St. Lawrence River starts. To get to the USA we took a ferry from Kingston, cycled across Wolf Island, then took a second ferry from the island to New York State. We did not see any wolves on Wolf Island, but we sure saw a lot of wind turbines; just like Iowa. Helmut says he does a lot of wreck diving in this area. We crossed into New York at a town named Cape Vincent, the total haul on the ferry was three bikes. Immigration took 60 seconds and was all smiles. Cape Vincent is a beautifully liitle historic town. We stopped in for a Guiness at the town Inn and asked about camping. The inn owner directed us to a little park with showers… He thought it was ok to camp. We went for it, right on the lake shore. About 10 minutes after the tent was set up, you guess it, the cops show up. To our surprise they were human, “tent camping is not allowed, but we understand that bike riders often run out of daylight and find it hard to find a campground.” Just clear out first thing in the morning. Yess… a perfect little town. Later.
Glinora to Cape Vicent. 48 Miles. 600′ Climbing Cross and headwinds. Rain. 65 to 75 F