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Post by Nixie on Mar 10, 2009 1:41:38 GMT -5
When I bought my bike I was told to bring it in after a certain period of time for a free tune-up and inspection. I know I'll need to learn to do that stuff myself, but it'd be a good idea to have a pro do it for once. Also, I wanted to show Mark that bike shop because he's looking at his options for buying a new bike.
I'm waiting for spring for a reason, but I can still handle cold and rain. Unlike you, who has to wear a coat indoors at 60 degrees.
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Post by Kristal Rose on Mar 10, 2009 3:50:13 GMT -5
Free tune-up, well that's not to be passed up. and yeah, I am a coat at 60ยบ person.
My Cannondale had seemingly fancier components, but my Trek was higher quality, which ultimately is more important. I suppose neither are in his range. Again, eBay. I got a $2400 Cannondale tandem for $800, and it was practicaly new except the tire rubber had aged (still had the casting spikes, but aged in the garage.)
My stock Shimano Trek parts lasted five years including the trip. Cheap replacement parts afterwards only lasted a couple years.
I told D about G-M suggesting I talk you out of this, and D suggested I tell G-M that a better idea to get the same experience would be to drop acid with senior citizens watching travel shows.
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Post by Nixie on Mar 10, 2009 3:59:59 GMT -5
Neither me nor Mark can really afford an 800 dollar bike right now, man. I got mine for 300 bucks, and I sure hope Mark can afford that soon. I know just getting our bikes ready is gonna cost some bucks, so I'm gonna see about selling plasma and doing a little housecleaning for a friend of a friend for some extra cash during this month of wait.
Acid with senior citizens watching travel shows... er... pass.
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Post by Kristal Rose on Mar 10, 2009 5:25:28 GMT -5
The concept's the same even with cheaper bikes though. 35% of cost for 80% of a new bike. There's risk though that things are more worn than stated. Twice now I've had good luck buying new wheels on eBay too. Oh wait, first time turned out to be wierd vintage size, but I got my money back in resale.
I recall on my trip passing through University of San Luis Obispo that dozens of students there had simply abandoned some very nice bikes that were going up for auction. Police auctions are a another source.
Even without a bike, the gear adds up. $4 of ziplocs isn't much, but 40 $4 things is. You'd probably like 10 $30 things too. I've been collecting stuff for years, and still would like things like new panniers, a new tent, and such. You can get by without much of it though. Your test ride to Cly's will be educational about 'how' you want to go about it for real. With a short test ride, better to travel light except for tools, parts, food, tent, camera, and diary. Find out if you could carry more from that.
How far away is she anyhow?
That trip of mine was really only about 70 crow miles (lots of hills and turns). Most days I only did a few miles. Interesting places always showed up. I do much more daily just going to school or visiting D. Weight changes everything.
My next intent, going to G-M's is about 400 crow miles. I had about 160 lbs of gear last time, more than anyone you'll ever meet carrying. I did make use of it all though. Next time I plan on carrying a complete music studio. Sure it's not practical, but nothing about such trips is practical anyhow. Carrying all this Jack-of-all-trades stuff on the road is my personal form of entertainment concept. That, and finding the supernatural in nature. For someone else it might be distance, using gadgets, or living off the land.
Any idea which you hope for?
People will provide you enough work and entertainment. I found most of my art/mechanic/electronics work tools useful, but not the personal projects I brought them for. New stuff came up. Just my two 35mm cameras with telephoto lenses weighed a ton, though I'm glad I brought them.
If you have any knack for engineering or sewing, building your own luggage system could save lots of money. You probably have frame backpacks kicking around the house. You could make a clamp system to fix one to each side of the rear wheel. Too bad C argues and takes over projects, because otherwise he has quite the right skill set to help you on that.
Plasma?
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Post by Nixie on Mar 10, 2009 13:39:19 GMT -5
Apparently, by taking the highway, Cly's 150 miles away from me. I wouldn't be taking the highway, though.
What are you inquiring about? Entertainment on the road? Paper and pencils, dude. Although MUCH less likely, I might bring my DS game system. It's pretty small and light, but it's a valuable thing that might tempt people to rob me, and there probably aren't many places I'd be able to plug it in.
There aren't any frame backpacks here anymore. That was actually how I brought this up with the parents, by asking if we still had any frame backpacks.
I really don't have a knack for either engineering or sewing. Even the stuffed cat-tails I made to go along with my cat ears are falling apart at the seams after being worn only a few times.
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Post by Kristal Rose on Mar 11, 2009 7:32:17 GMT -5
Paper and pencils are definitely lighter than mechanics tools or metal 35mm cameras.
Ah, the crafty gradual subject introduction.
I wouldn't think people would want to rob a game, but then we have Alex as an example of that lately.
So what's your pack plan? Still sounds to me like you can use my panniers.
150 miles. Well at least it sounds like you'll be travelling much lighter than I did. 50 miles/day, three days might be possible. Fewer days, less you need to carry. For three days you don't even need a pan and stove unless you're a tea/coffee addict, even then though cola could suffice if not for the cold. My record day was 120 miles in 12 hours when I was 14 years old, visiting my aunt. Even that was quite an adventure actually. I got stuck on railroad tracks amidst nothing but large granite rubble for miles. Ever since I've had plans for train-track adapters on my bike. Hmm, yet another reason to go the side-car route for luggage. Oh yes, I also got stuck taking the freeway for a dozen miles too. Towns between Ventura and Santa Barbara weren't otherwise connected between freeway frontage roads.
Maybe taking some GPS map screen thingie isn't such a bad thing afer all if one can afford it (which neither of us can).
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Post by Nixie on Mar 11, 2009 13:32:32 GMT -5
Alas, I would love to bring a road map GPS, but they tend to be over a hundred bucks with monthly fees tacked on.
I'm still contemplating how the luggage thing is gonna work. It'll be a lot easier to work out once both me and Mark HAVE bikes, though, which is why as soon as possible I'm bringing him to Jack's, the place where I got my bike.
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Post by AlexTHVK on Mar 12, 2009 0:44:54 GMT -5
GPS devices dont have fees, as far as I know. But I do know pricewise, they do tend to go around the hundreds.
If there's a Circuit City around you, those are closing an they have everything on sale, so you could check that out.
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Post by Kristal Rose on Mar 12, 2009 23:45:00 GMT -5
I have my doubts about any Circuit City values. If they were such values, their competitors like Best Buy would have bought out their inventory at reduced wholesale prices.
IF you were to carry a laptop, I think you can get a CD of all US roads for just $10-20. Keeping a laptop dry, powered, and safe is another matter though, and they still aren't all that light as something to carry with a ton of other luggage.
GPS map device services do indeed cost. It's yet another ripoff. One could just buy a 3G wireless modem for their laptop ($60/mo.) and have unlimited access to tons of features they try to charge separately for with iPhone/Blackberry subscriptions which can cost upwards of a $100 if not $300/mo.
The actual GPS feature itself comes from free one-way sattelite reception. One could use any 'enabled' GPS device in conjunction with MapQuest, GoogleEarth, or a road-map CD.
If biking is really your investment gig, better to get a gps biking computer which tracks road elevation data, somethingthat makes little difference to motorists, but a huge difference to bike compers.
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Post by Nixie on Jun 23, 2009 12:52:15 GMT -5
We're leaving later this morning for a campground near the Canadian border. It's about a 23 mile ride.
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Foxy
Lurker
Posts: 79
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Post by Foxy on Jun 23, 2009 16:02:29 GMT -5
Have a safe trip OuO
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Post by Kristal Rose on Jun 23, 2009 19:15:50 GMT -5
Yay, super cool.
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Post by Nixie on Jun 23, 2009 19:43:32 GMT -5
... Delay after delay after delay...
When I first wanted to go on walkabout, I decided to go in a month (that would be sometime in March). I spent all of March and April trying to get Mark to help me and prepare and eventually planned on going on June 1st... That didn't work. I wanted to before my birthday... That didn't work. I planned on leaving Monday, but that didn't work, so we got all packed up Monday night so we could leave this morning... That didn't work. How can we be all packed, have our plans made, and still not be ready to go? Dumb little things like needing to stop by the bank keep getting in the way, because I can't leave my fully loaded bike sitting unguarded outside the bank... The trailer wobbles side to side so much that I worry the hitch will break... Dumb little things like that keep delaying us...
Ya know what? We waited all this time because we needed to get tools and replacement parts, and now we're told to LEAVE THEM BEHIND!
I shouldn't get depressed. We'll just leave tomorrow morning... we're all packed and there's a bank right next to Mark's house... we should be able to leave tomorrow, even if I have to ride to Mark's house and wake him up and wait outside with my bike while he spends an hour waking up..........
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Post by Kristal Rose on Jun 24, 2009 5:40:15 GMT -5
You could walk your bikes home from a 23 mi. trip in a day if you really had to. You could be there and back in a day on bike. This is the sort of trip I suggested you do unloaded, with a bag lunch. So no, you don't need spare parts (aside from the obvious tubes) and tools for a day trip.
It is also though a good trip for testing your fully loaded set-up.
It took me three days of repacking to get my system down before leaving. With that kind of trailer you're going to have to have everthing really well balanced, with all the weight as low and close to the center of the trailer as possible. It's a better trailer for something like sleeping bags and coats. Wobble is caused by over-correction. If any weight can shift it adds to the problem. Think like a cat, who jumps on counters with a 1/4" tolerance. Move only as much as meets your needs. If you have to sway to avoid a rock or piece of glass, you should do that gradually over 40' and not at the last moment, and your bike will stress less. Loaded biking is more demanding than leisure biking for reasons other than just more weight.
Also keep in mind that more force goes into turning with more weight and the bike wants to go straight more instead, on gravel, sand, or wet roads. Your tire may not grip. I broke my hand learning that.
Tools are heavy, and need to be mounted inside the frame or on the seat post, places water bottles go.
Did you get the odometer working? (and set the tire size?) Does the flashlight work? I need to give feedback on those.
I was pretty bummed myself. I got so caught up in business problems that I missed one of the solstice/equinoxe hikes I've been celebrating 12 years now.
It's posible to carry 160 lb of gear without a trailer, but you have to have some experience first I suspect. There are vendors at Venice Beach who carry 100's of pounds of stuff on their trailers, more than D&C ever put in the mini-van. It can be done.
If something looks like it might break, it probably will.
He'll wake up on the road if he sets his clothes and coffee machine up the night before.
Hey, if I take an Amtrak up there this summer, I could bring a bike set up for camping myself.
I'm sure you'd be happier to know you had succeeded on your own first though.
No cause for depression. You have the process underway.
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Post by Nixie on Jun 24, 2009 17:05:15 GMT -5
... And ANOTHER delay. The trailer hitch broke off and I wasn't even carrying anything near the maximum load capacity of the thing. I hadn't even ridden two miles on it. I have no idea how I'll fit clothes, cookware, hygiene products, tent and sleeping bag onto a single rack, and I'm not even sure I can put panniers on my bike at all, because when I tried it before, my heel would kick the panniers every time I pedaled. I can't get a rack on the front of my bike because I've got front shocks... I can't spend 500-or-so dollars to get my bike extended... I can't spend $300 to get a functional mini-trailer... There aren't any on Craig's List in my area...
... I don't know what to do...
Regarding the stuff you sent: We know the bike computer turns on. We had to put it on Mark's bike, though, because with my front shocks, I couldn't even put it on my bike. We haven't tested it yet, though. As for the crank light... Well, it works, but it goes dead quickly and you can't crank it while it's attached to the bike. You have to find a way to remove it and actually, I can't figure out how to take the light off it's stand now that Corry put it in there.
Regarding Mark's sleep: He doesn't drink coffee and even when he gets up at a reasonable hour, he walks around like a zombie all day. Up until only a few days ago, he was sleeping 14 hours a day and spending the rest of the day half conscious.
................... Damn it... everything looks so hopeless. I might've been better off getting a job, working for a year, and buying a peice of crap car instead. OH WAIT, I already spent a year trying to get a job before I decided to go on walkabout. Damn it...
My head hurts...
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