Familiarity…

I’ve been here before, well not exactly here, but here, you follow?

There’s a certain familiarity to the beginning of a bike tour that has become routine for me. It always takes a few days to convince myself it’s time to go ride. This ‘thing’ that has been in the planning and then manifesting stages over for the last number of days, weeks, months..more? (nah) is finally live and in my face, and, well, I kinda don’t feel like riding, not today anyway, not tomorrow either. I’ll ride in a few days, it goes like that for me. I rarely, never feel the need to unpack my bike and start riding out of Panama City or Santiago or Christchurch or where ever right away. It doesn’t do those places or my mind justice to just get up and roll out day one.

I like walking around cities, taking pictures of buildings and interesting intersections and benches and…etc. Some of them perhaps good enough to be called photos, most just pictures though, I’m fine with that. I have to force myself to take it easy, to be ok with just slowing things down, way down for a few days. To feel the vibe of the city, to sit around the hostel and listen to stories in languages I don’t understand, to make new friends from all over the world and share the customary, ‘if you ever come to _____ look me up, you’ve got a place to stay.’ To try to type emails on a keyboard that’s kind of like the one I’m used to but just enough different for things to take longer. I like trying to smile and laugh and gesture my way through more interactions in one day than I had all year combined. It’s a part of it, a fun and satisfyingly challenging part of it, it’s daily living, you’re not in Kansas any more son, pleasantly get used to it and embrace it.

I enjoy walking around a neighbourhood that quickly becomes ‘my’ neighbourhood and once that happens, once that level of familiarity is established, usually within the first couple of days or so, a certain internal pull seems to draw me to the road and then it’s over, it’s time to go, to pack up and roll out…..

That day is nearing, tomorrow I pack up, Domingo I roll out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dri Ducks Mod

The perfect bikepacking/touring rain jacket does not exist, by my standards anyways. There are a few intriguing materials out, many overly designed (ie heavy) options available but I have yet to find the holy grail for a waterproof breathable rain jacket.

I’ve been using Dri Ducks for many years. They are far from the holy grail but are great for certain applications. There are a few glaring short comings, namely; fabric durability, the fact that they wet out in heavy down pours after a few hours, the zipper never works and they fit super baggy…my experiences anyways. They do hold a few major positives though; Cheap, extremely breathable, better than anything out I would say and they’re light, like the right weight for a rain jacket light. This one comes in at 148g (5.2oz).

I’ve reserved mine for trips where rain is less than likely and if it does rain I’m not too concerned about getting cold because the sun will be out soon and I’ll be nice and dry again. I don’t mind a little wet but wet that eventually leads to cold is not cool.

Now to that zipper that never works, an easy fix….hook and loop or velcro for those myog challenged.

3 easy steps to improve the function and fit of your Dri Ducks jacket.

1) remove zipper. Stitch pick, 2 minutes.
2) fold over the panel to double up the material along where the zipper was and sew a line to hold it in place.
This serves two purposes. It thickens up the material to better handle the forces of the hook and loop once you sew that on. Secondly it slims up the baggy fit of the jacket. Make sure to try on your other layers underneath before you sew to not constrict or compress anything you don’t want by slimming up the jacket too much.
3) Hook and Loop: I added a single length of 1″ Loop along the right side of the jacket and 4″ sections of 3/4″ hook spread every 2″ along the left side.
The only shortcoming I can see is the hook snagging the inside of the Dri Ducks material. So you’ll just have to make sure you stick the hook and loop together before you stuff it into your bag. Hence the 1″ loop and 3/4″ hook, more overlap, less snag.

That’s it. Solved the pesky zipper problem, slimmed up the fit and dropped bonus, dropped 7g (ok actually, but not seriously on the 7g thing).

Now if only there was a commercially available jacket in the sub 6oz range with minimal features that actually breathes half descent we’d be onto something…is anyone listening?!

Stan’s Boogers

Last August we mounted a 2.4″ Maxxis Ardent to my front wheel, a Stan’s Arch EX. Without exaggeration, the tire did not burp, release air, fuss or nothing for 11 months. I didn’t have to pump it and it saw a tonne of action of all sorts.

When it came time to change out the tire this is what was found growing inside; a soft, latex, coral like formation. I’ve heard of the infamous Stan’s boogers but being new to tubeless had never seen one. I wouldn’t say beautiful but interesting none the less.

I am a strong advocate for tubeless and if you haven’t already made the switch, do it. And if I get to pull out these gems every few months, bonus.

For reference that is a Canadian quarter adjacent, roughly the same size as it’s American counterpart except displaying a moose’s head on it. Our currency loves to show off our animals…and hockey.

In Case You Were Wondering….

The White Brothers Rock Solid 490mm uncut comes in at 867g. I looked far and wide for legit info on this and what I could find was inconsistent at best. So there you go.

Rohloffski two.

The expectations were very realistic. Within a grams of our predicted build weight. It’s not until you get a near 5 1/2 lbs wheel on a scale that you get a little nervous and a little curious. How will this wheel/drivetrain perform in the various applications I have intended for it?? We’re getting closer, things are coming together…in more ways than one.

Memory Lane

When I was young a local business, I think it was a realtor actually, in my community had a colouring contest. I don’t remember all the exact details but I do remember first prize being a trip to Disneyland and second prize was, at the time the awesomest thing I had ever seen in my life; a perfectly sick chrome BMX with anodized parts. I can’t remember what brand or anything because that stuff didn’t matter back then but it looked exactly like something Cru rode in RAD!.  I stared at it every time we went by. It was the only time in my life I ever wanted to come in second place at anything. I grabbed an entry and coloured my ass off. ‘Stay in the lines dog, stay in the lines’ I told myself. Meticulously picking my colour scheme for whatever the picture was along the way.

I didn’t win the contest, what bummed me out more was I didn’t come second either. I think that was one of my earliest memories of bike lust. I can still see it in my head when I close my eyes. If you ride, you know and you’ll remember the first super sick bike you saw hanging or leaning or being ridden somewhere and it was on, you were hooked and you wanted it and that was that.

Tools of the Trade Hobby

Tools of the Trade Hobby.

Training Wheels, Europro. The Costco hand me down stolen borrowed from my mother. This thing was able to do way more than it should have. Most of my gear was made on this machine.

The Upgrade, Sailrite LSZ-1: The workhorse. Some (nit picky) limitations, but the best compromise of walking foot and zig zag stitch I could find in a ‘portable’ machine. Many years of myog’n to come.

The Other Guys: The little things that get the job done.

Gimme Shelter or (S)helter Skelter…?

My Two Solo Shelter Options

Some prefer The Beatles while others prefer the Stones. Some prefer salad while others prefer fries. Some prefer Lebron, this guy prefers Kobe. Some prefer tents while others prefer tarps and bivys. Like any preference, one can not tell you which is better or which one is for you, you must come to your own conclusions. People can only continue to argue and tell you why you should like their preference better. I’m not here to argue, just to fill you in on the two shelter options that I’ve settled on for my trips and the reasoning behind those choices.

When it comes to bicycle travel there are a number of shelter types to choose from. We’re not going to get into every type here, it’s just too much, like way too much. For some in depth gear nerdery go here. Read and read some more, and one day when you catch yourself ‘studying’ the hydrostatic misting properties of cuben fiber vs. silnylon at 3:26 am on a Wednesday, it’s time to stop reading. Don’t go down this road, it never ends, trust me.

There are a number of variables to consider when choosing an appropriate shelter system for bike travel. Trip type/locale, trip duration, climate/conditions, remoteness vs. non remoteness (is that a word?) and bulk/weight, are just a few examples. Personally, when I’m out on a backcountry bikepacking trip I am always, well 99% of the time taking my home made bivy and tarp. And depending on the weather I am mostly just sleeping in just the bivy, not even bothering to set up the tarp. Conversely when I’m traveling somewhere ‘foreign’ with the potential of sharing space or being in proximity of people or I just want a little more privacy my tarptent moment is my shelter of choice. Why the difference?

Different trips call for different shelters. I prefer to sleep outside when I am camping, bivy only is my favourite option when possible. When precipitation is a risk a small solo sized tarp gets pitched over top. My tarp is 8’4″ x 4’3″ and weighs 92g with the guy lines attached, too small for many, good enough for me. It’s made from 0.51 oz cuben fiber that you can get here. It takes some space in my seatbag when not in use, but not too much. I would like to make a smaller/lighter one, one day maybe I will. I made my tarp with the following in mind; that I only set it up when precipitation is going to be a concern and when I sleep outside I like to feel like I’m actually sleeping outside, so I don’t want a roof over head, so I wanted something minimal as most of the time it would be dead weight. I do want some bug/critter protection and some wind protection is nice as I use a quilt instead of a mummy bag so a bivy is a good option that still gives me that out in the open feeling I desire. I like to see the stars before I close my eyes, feel the cool breeze in the middle of the night, see the shadows that are playing tricks on my mind when I hear twigs snap in the distance.  Set up time is minimal for the bivy and I can be ready to sleep, from bike to bed rather quickly. Another important aspect was the weight and bulk. In total the system (bivy, tarp, guys, stakes) weighs 270g and more importantly takes up very little space compared to other shelter options that I have tried. Volume, or lack there of is king to an efficient bikepacking setup and this does the trick. True the bivy is not a place to hang out and chill at the end of the day, but that’s something I’m not really looking for on bikepacking trips. I like to ride until I don’t want to ride any more, eat something and go to bed. Don’t really need the hang out inside space.

Camp before Los Pinos pass on the La Garita Wilderness Detour. Colorado Trail, August 2012.

Bivy only camp out on the Ashlu River the night before the Nimby 50.
Squamish, 2012

On bike touring trips I find that I want a ‘home’ to retire to at the end of the day. As mentioned in the past I am a routines person and setting up my house; my bed, eating at the end of the day, going over maps for tomorrow, watching an episode of The Wire on my ipod, journaling, escaping the elements, whatever it is, is important to me and I want a comfortable space to do this in. I like the consistency of the space I have control over in places that can be as random night to night as a public pay campsite, a patch of grass behind a gas station, a lake side beach, someone’s yard, just off the side of the road, etc.. I also like the added privacy of a tent over a bivy/tarp in places where the likelihood of sharing space with people is greater. I don’t mind the additional weight and bulk so much bike touring, bikepacking conversely I very much mind the additional bulk and weight. When it came time to seek out an adequate touring shelter my intended use didn’t require a 4 season super tent that can withstand Alaskan winters, just something simple to keep me happy and dry and somewhat private at a low (for a tent) weight/bulk. I ended up with a Tarptent. Much lower weight and bulk than many traditional double wall tents, good price, made in the USA, almost as cool as made in Canada ;P It fit the bill for my bike touring needs and it performs admirably. There are a few options in single wall tarptent design, some are more tarpy than tenty which you lose privacy in, some of them get a little pricier as well. To me saving  7 or 8 ounces on a shelter doesn’t make sense on a 45+ lbs bike (weight weenie blasphemy!) especially when you load the bike up with a bag of fresh empanadas or 3L of gatorade. On a bikepacking kit closer to 30 lbs gear and bike together, 8 ounces may as well be 8 lbs, well not really, ok yes really, like I said don’t go down this road!

Camp out at Lago Puyehue. Chile, 2011.
(enhanced colours to better show shelter)

Those are the two shelter options I currently alternate between. Mostly opting for the tarp/bivy combo for shorter trips and bikepacking adventures. When it comes time to tour the Tarptent comes along as my home for the month. Different shelters for different trips. Try a bunch of options and see what works for you. I’m more of a Stones person myself, but I’m not here to tell you what’s better, just what works for me.

Have fun!

You would rather…

“I would rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle.”
Ma Nuo from the game show ‘If you are the one’.

I would rather…

“I would rather laugh on a bicycle than get hit by some sad bitch in a BMW……again.”
Me, months into recovery after getting hit by a BMW.