Re: bicycle touring

2010-02-03 Thread Charlie Bell 

On 03/02/2010, at 9:46 AM, Jon Louis Mann wrote:
 
 This time I don't want to deal with a derailleur and all those gears so I 
 will go with an internal hub system with only enough gears so the lowest 
 ratio will get me up those mountains.

Cool - Rohloff Speedhub 14 is the daddy. Got one on the trike, it's done 
25,000km now and hasn't missed a beat. If you want extra range, get a mountain 
drive (internal bottom bracket hub which changes with a tap of a button with 
your heel - awesome bit of kit). If that's above budget, SRAM 8-speed hub and a 
dual chainring.

  I will probably order a bike from bikesdirect.com and have it shipped ahead.

Hmm. I'd be wanting to get it at home, and play with the set up on a couple of 
mini-tours (couple of hundred km to run the bike in and see how it all goes 
together) before you go for real.

 I want to be REALLY light with two panniers, Goretex sleeping bag, Bivysac 
 with Thermorest, a really good helmet torch and of course iPod and iPad. Last 
 time I was weighed down with books, tape player and cassettes and a one man 
 tent that was a pain to erect. I like your suggestion for either a dynamo or 
 little solar charger.

Swag-style 1 man cycling tents are cool - roll them out, shove a hoop in the 
head end, sling your sleeping mat in, and get in. Panniers - the Arkels I had 
for my tour (Canadian-built) are the absolute bomb. Other than some sun fading, 
they're as good as new after a lot of kms. 

You *must* have front and rear lights, so either a battery set for bad 
weather/occasional after dark rides, or a dynamo so they're always available - 
I have a Busch  Muller 12V set which is car-dipped-beam bright, but that's 5 
years old now and LEDs are brighter and way more efficent than halogens these 
days. Riding with a helmet light is at best frowned upon, and may be illegal 
(it's certainly illegal to dazzle other road users...). So a head-torch is 
vital for camping but I'd never ride with one.

Books - loads of second hand bookstores, and all campers swap books about. 
Carry one or two and trade them! :D Carry the essential library as ebooks on 
your netbook/ipad. 

I don't ride with music most of the time - need my ears too much to listen out 
for cars and trucks. iPod was only used 3 days on the road out of 181 days, but 
used in the tent a lot of an evening!

Now you've got me thinking about touring again - I should get the trike 
roadworthy again (one of the brakes no work) and get outback for a few days.

Charlie.
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bicycle touring

2010-02-02 Thread Jon Louis Mann 
   Thanks, Charlie and Andrew.  I understand the
 iPad is a tablet and not a net book, although it is a lot
 lighter than my iBook, and it will allow me to go on the
 Internet a lot longer, as well as read books. I can't do
 that with a Kindle or the new Barnes and Noble nook.
  I don't think I will be able to leave on my bike tour
 of the South Island in time for this summer, so something
 better will come along..I still haven't decided what kind of
 road bike to get.  
 
 If you're going on an upright (rather than braving the
 recumbent world) then as you're in North America: no
 question, get a Surly frame, probably the Long Haul Trucker
 frame. Beautiful traditional steel frame, and they're really
 popular Down Under so if something does go awry with it
 you'll be able to get it sorted. What you do from there is
 up to you - flat bar or drops, what sort of wheels, pannier
 rack or Xtracycle, battery lights or a dynamo hub (and
 dynamo can charge phone etc in the day, or you can get a
 little solar charger).
 But Surly are the way to go for touring if you're not in
 the UK (and if you are, Roberts Cycles in south London - I
 wish I'd been able to get one while I was there...).
 Feel free to gab about bike touring with me... :-D
 Charlie.

I thought about a recumbent, but my back is much better since my surgery.  When 
I did the North Island 20 years ago I decided at the last minute to bring a 
bike, so I went to REI and bought a 21 speed Novara; one of the first hybrids. 
I had it assembled at the Penny Farthing bike shop in Auckland and was on my 
way.
This time I don't want to deal with a derailleur and all those gears so I will 
go with an internal hub system with only enough gears so the lowest ratio will 
get me up those mountains.  I will probably order a bike from bikesdirect.com 
and have it shipped ahead. Right now I have a Motobecane fixed wheel with 
bullhorn bars and one rear brake.
I want to be REALLY light with two panniers, Goretex sleeping bag, Bivysac with 
Thermorest, a really good helmet torch and of course iPod and iPad. Last time I 
was weighed down with books, tape player and cassettes and a one man tent that 
was a pain to erect. I like your suggestion for either a dynamo or little solar 
charger.



  

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