two hundred sixty seven

HALF OF THE FUN IS CREATING YOUR OWN STYLE OF RIG

Traveling by touring bicycle is much more then transportation, it is a lifestyle and an expression of your personality. There are very few if any touring rigs sitting in bike shops ready to jump on and ride into the sunset, you will need to create your own which is half the fun. 

There are bike shops today that have all of the parts and pieces to build your rig, but you first have to make some choices. It depends on what you want to do. Is it on road or off road, long distance or short weekend trips? Do you have a bike or do you want to purchase or build a special use touring bike?

If you have a bike that is geared right, instead of racks and panniers a great place to start is a "BOB" trailer. These came out in the late 90's and were very popular when there were very few touring specific bicycles and gear. They easily connect to most road of off road bicycles. It directly attaches to the rear axle and tracks well with one wheel. 

I have seen plenty of these on the road, they seemed to work well. I tried one on a short ride but I didn't like the feel, it felt like I had a flat tire. There are some issues with down hill speeds and vibration. I camped with a guy who had this issue that resulted in a crash. Panniers must be packed correctly or they can have vibration issues too. The "BOB" style trailers may have the same issue.

I here good and bad things about them but one thing about trying a trailer you can know if you even enjoy touring without purchasing a new bicycle, racks and panniers. If you don't like touring you can usually sell the trailer with little or no loss of your purchase price because they are very popular.

Today they make a few more styles and brands. Some are geared for off road with a wheel shock absorbing system. They hold up to 50 pounds and a few are designed with racks for additional panniers. 

Off road trail riding takes a specific type of bike. This is more for the minimalist who needs performance more than creature comforts. I met a man in Central Oregon heading to Ushuaia (the tip of South America) on a similar rig. He started in Alaska and seemed to be in a big hurry. I admire his grit, his bike and his gear but I need a few more creature comforts.

On road touring rigs are built specifically to carry weight. You need to look at these more like a truck then a sports car. They are longer, heavier and much slower then other bicycles. Reliability, safety and fowl weather riding is the focus. 

Panniers are available everywhere now. Some companies do a great job designing them for wet weather and convenience. Picking the right storage packs is fun but I suggest accumulating your gear first to see what you need and then buy the panniers to fit. You may find your style of camping will require more or less room. You don't want to drag anything you don't really need over a mountain pass.

 

Your first tour will suck, this is just how it goes. You will understand the feel and freedom but your bike and gear will have some issues. Touring is a continuous learning curve. Each trip you will find things that work and things that don't and some things that will make you wonder what you were thinking. 

A young couple was in a shop in Phoenix purchasing brand-new bikes and clothing. This was after the first six days of a coast to coast tour to Florida. They left San Diego and found that nothing was working. They put panniers on their sports car road bikes then were shocked that they got flats, broke spokes, the seats were torture and the desert is cold at night. They almost flew home but thank goodness for high interest plastic.

It is all part of the fun. Everything I bought was a piece of the dream. I search the internet now but back then I visited dozens of bike shops, camping stores even hardware stores searching for that perfect item. Dreaming and creating the perfect rig that reflects your style and personality is the fun.

This blog allows me to show you my style and personality. I hope my experience can help you avoid some of my mistakes. There are some characters in the bicycle culture riding the most amazing and original creations. You will see every possible rig configuration. Let your free flag fly.

Anything is possible....

This is my creation, it is functional and reflects my personality.

My rig is now a tested product of my imagination. Here I am in Florida thousands of miles from home. I saw fires, floods, tornadoes, snow, deserts, dense cities and endless open spaces. 

*RANT TRIGGER WARNING*

America is taking a hit these days but take my word for it the people of this country are kind, generous, curious and loving. I am amazed how every place I interacted with people face to face, people were so different then I had been led to believe (the media). 

Test this for yourself look in the eyes and hearts of a stranger, but remember respect reflects respect, kindness reflects kindness, love reflects love but hate will always reflect hate. First check what you are putting out into the world and realize there is a total difference between reality and Netflix.

Let me be clear I fear our Washington government is broken and beyond hope, so by America I mean it's amazing people. I don't call for a rebellion, revolution or an "insurrection" (the media and half of our politicians new word). Person to person understanding, tolerance and respect will cure the hatred, fear and drama that keeps us pissed off, fearful and divided. 

two hundred sixty six

DING DING.......

 

....DING

 Yes it is a bicycle bell. I really didn't need one but this one is stealth with a surprisingly piercing sound. I rarely used my old one except to say hello and alert a walker or cyclist on a boardwalk or bike path.

I stumbled across a picture of one so I researched the company. The company is located in Australia is called Oi. They make a few styles and colors but I opted for the stealth look.

It matches everything and makes a great sound. Too bad I have bar end shifters or I could have those sparkly streamers.

My bike bar bag is perfect. It holds my headlight, bug spray, dog pepper spray, glasses and hats. I don't like the bar bags on or above the handlebars because they make the bike feel top heavy. This is small and holds just enough. I rarely ride and fumble around finding gear, I just stop I'm not in a race. 

two hundred sixty five

WHY DID THE CAR MAKE ME CROSS THE ROAD?

I have been crossing streets since I was a small child. "Look both ways before you cross the street" was drilled into us. Cars and trucks behaved in a predictable way. We understood they are much larger than us so we accepted that fact and reacted accordingly. 

Crosswalks do give the pedestrian the right of way, the cars and trucks are to yield to pedestrians IN the crosswalk. Not yielding to a pedestrian IN the cross walk can end in receiving a citation, but this is rarely enforced.

I have been walking everyday to get my knee in shape. I live in a residential area so most of my route is on sidewalks. There are a few busier streets and a couple have specific pedestrian crossing lights. 

The small side streets are where I notice this the most. Traffic will stop to let me cross the street even if I don't want to. I try to look like I am in no hurry and I am not wanting to cross the street. I do this with my eyes and with my body language, but they stop anyway. 

I can be up to 15 feet from a crosswalk when they see me and instead of just driving they stop in the middle of the street, sometimes blocking traffic. If I wave them by they glare at me. If I do want to cross I would rather wait until they pass so I don't have to hurry. At least give me a chance to be at the crosswalk and look both ways.

I noticed they stop for people illegally jaywalking. Jaywalking is the art of timing traffic so you can cross through the spaces between cars. This requires the cars maintain their speed but as soon as you step out somebody stops and screws up the whole plan. I'm a damn jaywalker I don't deserve your damn politeness. If I see a jaywalker I figure it is illegal so he is on his own and I assume they have a plan I don't want to screw it up.

I first saw this while living in San Francisco and wrote it off to some new woke cult of pacifist driving. I walked everywhere in SF and learned to not look at the crosswalk until you were there or cars would stop while you are ten feet away from the crosswalk. 

I did have a confrontation with a jogger while driving in Noe Valley. He came from behind a building at full stride as I entered the crosswalk, he then kicked the side of my SF friendly beater GEO Metro. We exchanged pleasantries and commented on each others levels of intelligence. I smiled and politely offered to kick his ass as I exited my car. This is a tradition not seen often in San Francisco. For some reason he lost interest and chose to continue his run. My x-ray vision must have been on the blink that day.

SF is a congested city with scooters, cars, trucks, cabs, trollies, public busses, pedestrians and very obnoxious idiot cyclists. This blend of chaos is amazing to navigate. There is a ying and yang or give and take that works, in a way in all of that chaos I understand the pedestrian phobia.

I now live in a small town in central Oregon, the people here are polite to a fault. My DMV experience was delightful, they all smiled, helped me find the proper forms, directed me to the shortest line, then promptly finished the transaction and thanked me, yes thanked me. I felt bad there wasn't a tip box because that is how well I was treated. This has happened every time I have been there.

This may explain some of the overly polite driving. There is also an aggressive element, they are usually in large mud covered pick up trucks or in expensive German touring cars.

The reason for this post is my worry about this change. I ride on the edge of the road sometimes far from bike lanes. How people react to me is important. I actually hope they don't over react. This over reaction has put me in danger many times. 

On one of my trips through Vermont there was an accident behind me because the driver instead of passing me stopped and followed me up the hill. I was climbing a grade so I was going slow. Every other car drove past, a few slowed, a few went extra wide but this one stopped and followed.

The cars piled up behind me but I could not turn off because of a deep ditch. A truck back in the line started to pass and naturally a car came over the crest of the hill. Things got interesting and fenders got bent but somehow we avoided a total disaster.

I don't trust cars, period. However I do rely on a little judgment and skill. My philosophy is do what you are going to do and I will work around you, just stay in your lane. Over reacting to my presence can put me in danger. Don't let me in, don't wave me by and don't follow me up a hill.

I learned to ride a bicycle in traffic in the Phoenix area. Phoenix is not a bike friendly or bike tolerant city. They crowd you, block you, blow the horn at you and throw stuff at you. Yes they throw stuff at you like Big Gulps and whiskey bottles. I learned to ride close to traffic, draft trucks and use cars for picks. 

Heavy traffic riding takes timing and skill, a driver stopping in traffic to give me the right of way is a nightmare. The traffic behind usually isn't aware or in agreement with showing me the same courtesy. I have a plan as to how I am going to navigate any situation so this always screws up the flow. 

I don't worry about big trucks, the driver is usually a working professional so I assume they have some level of driving skill. Cars and pickups are a mixed bag but the scariest vehicles are motorhomes. These are piloted by and unskilled senior driver, they are 30 or more feet long with a car dragging behind, what could possibly go wrong? Now if we add to this a new overly cautious driving style it doesn't help.

I hope this new driving style hasn't spread across the country. I don't understand it and I won't do it. I have received the evil eye and a middle finger a few times as someone lifts their eyes from their phone and expects me to stop on a dime. They don't realize there is traffic around me and I don't stop because it might cause a four car pile up on a dark snow covered street. 

As a pedestrian, cyclist and a driver I take in the whole picture. I don't want to slow or change the traffic flow I'm content waiting for an opening. The reality is cars have fenders I do not.

My rant is simple, 

JUST DRIVE I WILL WORK AROUND YOU!