A Pleasant Surprise

My FNBS (Friendly Neighborhood Bike Shop) is my friendly neighborhood bike shop for two reason. One, they do quality work (and sell quality products) and, two, their customer service is impeccable. I suppose a third reason would be that they put up with my endless questions. Not only do they put up with the questions, they answer them. Bikes and More, the aforementioned FNBS, is my standard for measuring retailers and service in the world of bicycles.This brief preface brings me to the reason why I am not writing about my recent longer-than-usual rides.

I like crotchet back gloves and try to have at least two alternating pair in service. My favorite for fit are Taurus sold by Planet Bike. Unfortunately, the two pair I have purchased have come apart long before the less expensive variety from Nashbar. Planet Bike's advocacy program appeal to me and when I can, I buy their stuff. That their Taurus gloves surrendered long before I felt they should have bothered me. I'd been alternating a pair of each brand for several months when I noticed the Taurus were coming apart where crotchet met leather, just as had happened with my previous pair. Frustration motivated me enough to photograph the two pairs before sending the Taurus back to Planet Bike. I included a description and graphic indication showing the location of the bad seams.

In the note I also said I wasn't asking for a replacement (since I had just received two new pairs of Nashbars), nor did I expect a replacement, but wanted to express my dissatisfaction with their product in light of their espoused desire to design durable products. A week and a half later a package arrived with a pair of Taurus and a note saying they hoped a new pair would last longer.

The important thing about customer service is that it doesn't cost, it pays. Will I buy more Planet Bike products? Will I tell anyone about the gloves? Yes and yes. So, Planet Biker scores positively against the Bikes and More standard of service. Whether they meet the standard depends upon whether the new gloves fail too soon.

Goals and Reality

I have cycled more than 5000 miles since acquiring my Safari in April 2011. None of it has been in touring mode and the longest distance I have covered was 55 miles. There’s no doubt the Safari can make the tour. I am the weakest element.

A week ago I loaded front and rear panniers with about 25 pounds worth of 24 ounce water bottles, all of it unsprung weight. This part of Florida lacks significant hills, but the few short, moderate climbs hinted at the effort that will be required on the Skyline Drive. I was easily able to keep pace with the road bike riders I accompanied on rolling terrain at 15 to 20 mph. For the whole trip or 45 miles I averaged 14+ which is better than I anticipated.

While studying individual segments of the Adventure Cycling East Coast Route I began to accept that 100 miles per day might be unreasonable. Mileage is going to be dependent upon the logistics of finding food, water and shelter. It’s probably more logical to aim at smaller chunks of distance during the first week then increasing the mileage as I become more physically able. Highly relevant in this reasoning is Coastal Georgia’s lack of towns and the towns I will encounter are usually small and lacking significant resources. This changes as the route eases into South Carolina.

Estimates of my ability to handle 75 to 100 mile days may change as I work at extending my range locally. Cedar Key is 55 miles away. If I’m unable to make it a one day round trip at least I’ll be in a place I enjoy.

Loading my front panniers reminded me that I won’t be on a grocery run when they’re loaded for touring. Steering response is slower, but I soon adapted to it, in part, I’m sure, because of the Safari’s geometry. It’s further evidence that the bike can handle the trip. The rest is up to me.

If you think about it . . .

Someone recently said, "If you think about it, it's pretty weird to want to ride that far on a bicycle." I suppose such and adventure could seem unusual. It didn't come about without a lot of thinking about it. If I were significantly younger I might approach it as an escapade. With most of the logistical and route planning completed it is easier to consider all those things that make it "pretty weird."

Self-doubt slides up and half wheels me frequently. It's that age thing. Aches? Pains? Falls? Illness? Can I do it in 14 days? And what about the mountains when south bound? A lot of things have fallen out of my lists bucket. It's taken time. I wanted to backpack parts of the Appalachian Trail. Drive around Nova Scotia. Hang out around the Finger Lakes. Never did the App Trail nor Nova Scotia. Did the Finger Lakes. There are other things that return fond memories and mostly they balance the things. Age becomes relevant. If I don't try it now, when?

A few things remain sources of doubt

• Coastal Georgia seems to have the fewest and most widely separated resources; camping, lodging and bike shops
• Planning the best schedule transiting through and around for DC and Baltimore
• Best route to Front Front Royal
• Handling the Skyline Drive (fortunately, the Skyline Drive is more accessible than the Blue Ridge Parkway)
• Getting from Roanoke to the SC coast (OK . . . that means more than half the trip is tentative)

I was given a T Shirt with the following inscription;

Who Dares

Wins

Pretty much says it. If not now, when?

Reached the ability to maintain 15 mph. When I can do that with the bike fully loaded I will be fully prepared for the trip. Until then I guess self-doubt will be dogging me. My best hope is to turn the dog into a wingman by acknowledging the challenge and potential problems while embracing Who Dares.

Some things . . .

More people are riding now. Weather's been mild. Generally dry. Perhaps someone will discover the overwhelming pleasure or riding and turn to bicycle commuting as an option. I don't know what characteristics led me to choose pedal power over hydrocarbons, so it isn't possible to predict what might motivate someone else. It's a simple matter of enjoy time in the saddle and being willing to deal with some negative stuff.

1, If it rains you get wet.
There is no way to avoid the obvious. Nothing will keep you dry. The best one can hope for is management of the degree of wetness. I sweat whether I am wearing breathable or suffocating rain gear, and nothing is truly breathable enough to counter the kilocalories of heat generated when I ride. Accepting that wet is a part of the moment and dress to minimize as much as possible. I have settled on a rain cape from J & G Cyclewear. The English have used capes for damn close to forever. After a more than a year I am completely satisfied. I know how wet I will get and carry dry clothing and, if the temperature permits, foot gear that can handle being soaked. Lacking rain-handling shoes, a spare pair. How do I carry this and not have the dry stuff get wet? Waterproof panniers from Ortlieb, specifically Back Rollers Plus.

2. If it's cold you get cold.
Again it is a matter of degree. Twenty degrees is as cold in Florida as it is in Ohio. It doesn't last as long, but it happens. The first thing to keep in mind is that being warm during the first mile or so is not good. As wigth rain wear. Heat is generated and if you are over dressed you will sweat and become colder. Layers are the only answer. Learning what works and what does not is a matter of experience. As with rain preparations, carrying alternate and additional clothing is worth considering. Hands are my coldest place, but has been moderated by wearing Smart Wool glove liners. For about $16 and a pair of Harbor Freight XL Stable Gloves my hands were relatively comfortable to the upper 20s.


3. If it's hot you will be hot.
The only secret (if there is one) is water. Hydration is the key. You will still be hot, still sweat, but you won't pass out. I carry three 28 ounce water bottle and on 24 ounce. During the 10 mile ride home I will often finish a 28 ounce bottle. Even during cooler weather I make sure the bottles are filled. Water is the fluid that fuels us.


Nothing monumental here, just reality.

Ready? Not yet.

I commence my adjusted lifestyle today working four day weeks allowing alternate four day weekends. The idea is to schedule long rides and overnights during the long weekends as part of being ready for August. Cedar Key (50+ miles), Steinhatchee (60+) and, eventually, St. Augustine (100 or so) are suitable destinations. Other parts of the plan are successive 50 mile loops and state park camping.

I purchased he Safari in April of last year and have accumulate 4800+ miles. I am more satisfied with the bike now than ever, in part because of additions and adjustments; tires, stem, pedals, fenders, saddle and so on. The Travoy has made my carless lifestyle more successful adding capacity over that available with panniers and making grocery shopping painless. Brooks doesn't need my praise, but I am one of those who has found their saddle to be ideal. Break-in was painless (literally and figuratively) but did require that I understand a B-17 was not going to behave like a gel filled pad. Maintaining good posture is a significant part of the Brooks' comfort, too, meaning I can ride more comfortably and (I hope) longer.

The value of Schwalbe tires has already been documented. Like Brooks, Schwalbe's have detracters, but for reasons irrelevant to me. Heavy? So am I. Hard to mount? I had no problem. Ultimately, they work well for me and I doubt I will ever choose anything else.

The biggest question remains whether I can handle the demand of 1000+ miles. Camping? Motel? Weather? Traffic? Secondly, if I handle all the physical and mental issues can I (do I want to) challenge myself with a do-it-yourself trip to the Skyline Drive? Doubt is generated more by the route after leaving the mountains. Do I traverse North Carolina and head for the South Carolina coast? Do I add the Blue Ridge Parkway and then cycle Georgia from north to south?

While I cannot plan for everything if I prepare myself well I suspect I will be able to handle whatever comes along.

Are you following me?

I have been using the Burley Travoy long enough to have opinions.

The Travoy does exactly what it is supposed to do. It has allowed me to purchase and transport a week's worth of groceries without incident. My presence moving along the aisles does not seem to cause obvious disruption or consternation and I am learning how to gather items so they can be bagged most conveniently for the return trip.

One of the motivating factors in buying the Travoy was the inconvenience of strapping a bicycle rack to my bike when I rented a car. It was obvious that some things cannot be slipped into panniers and if I intended to continue this two-wheeled existence I needed a solution. Only the Travoy offered a high enough level of convenience and efficiency. I imagined putting the rack on a trailer and eliminating the inconvenience. What I imagined did not even come close to the ease by which the Travoy accepted and carried the rack.

Twenty-four miles of Gainesville's streets reaffirmed what I already believed. The Travoy is cool. The bike rack fits perfectly and is easily held in place with three bungee cords. When I picked-up the car on Friday the Travoy quickly and easily folded compactly enough to fit perfectly behind the car's front seat. Low pressure tires provide the right level of rebound over bumps and roll easily enough to make little difference in pedaling effort. Only the occasional click from the hitch gives real evidence of the trailer behind. Only the weight limit (sixty pounds) and imagination create parameters that can't be exceeded. Beyond that, if it fits I can probably carry it . . .  them . . . all of them.

A short transit on a dirt path through a stretch of woods takes me from my complex to another paved street when I go grocery shopping. Too and from are handled with equal ease. The trailer is no wider than my handlebars so it is easy enough to determine whether a passage is wide enough. As with city street bumps, the low pressure tires handle off-road competently.

It's not built for touring and that was never my intention. Burley promotes it as a tool for commuters and it fits that role perfectly. All I can wonder about now is its durability. A few thousand miles from now I will have an answer to that question.

Planning

I have all the Adventure Cycling maps needed to travel north as far as Baltimore. They are comprehensive and leave few ques tions except the pragmatic ones. Where will I sleep? Eat? Shower? Even these questions are answered by the thorough descriptions of the routes showing bike shops, campgrounds, motels and more. The questions are generated by personal uncertainties. How many hours can I remain in the saddle? How far can I ride?

For the next few months I will learn about my personal limitations by doing increasingly long day and overnight trips. Refining my camping skills will make it easier to anticipate were and how to do some stealth or guerilla camping. This seems to be a larger issue across southeastern Georgia than anywhere else.

One necessary adjustment has too be made to my intended route. The cost to cross from "mainland" Virginia to the Eastern Shore is too high at about $50 by private ferry. Getting to the Outer Banks remains on the schedule since the public ferries will set me back about $3. As a result, I no longer have to plot my own course from OBX.

North of Baltimore I will leave the Adventure Cycling Atlantic Coast route and head due north into Pennsylvania on the Maryland North Central Trail near Monkton.. The North Central Trail, a rail-to-trail path becomes a section of PA's J Route which eventually follows US 15 along the Susquehanna River. Currently, I am losing interest in daring the narrow roads leading to Pottsville and will consider my trip successful if I reach the confluence of the North and West Branches of the Susquehanna.

The return route remains uncertain. reading Bicycling the Blue Ridge has given me a good idea of the challenge I will face there. I am less concerned about my ability and stamina than I am about where to turn south. Do I cross all of Georgia? Or do I head toward the coast again somewhere in North Carolina? No matter what route I choose it will be without good map support, a daunting prospect. Yet, if I have succeeded in reaching my northbound goal I will probably be able to cope with a less structured journey.

None of my concerns causes me to waiver in my desire to set-off. I see the concerns as reasonable and the solutions just part of planning and doing.

Disappointment

I was very disappointed when I left work and found my rear tire flat. I have long passed being upset about fixing a flat. It's part of riding. But this was a Schwalbe Marathon with which "Punctures become obsolete"! I rationalized that I'd picked up a shard of glass when I navigated broken bottles which had fallen from an overly full Herby Curby® on trash pick-up day. Marathons have a reputation for long life and puncture resistance. The touring tire of choice. A priceless piece of equipment for touring. <sigh>

I'd found nothing sharp or pointy in the tire carcass and no obvious hole in the tube. With a spare tube in place the ride home was as uneventful as usual. That evening I plunged the tube in water and eventually found the tiniest of holes in the area where the valve stem meets the tube. It had not been a puncture, apparently, but a small hole in the tube. If I had refilled the tube without changing I could have made the ride home easily. Had the leak always been there and the real cause of the flat the act of a nefarious evil doer? A practical joke?

For me, the result is that I again trust the Schwalbes to keep me rolling. And if the flat was a physical defect in the tube or the act of someone, it doesn't matter much. Even if it had been the failure of the tire to protect me, it had done its job perfectly for more than 1000 miles. I once had two punctures in the same tire in less than 10 minutes. City streets can be figurative minefields of sharp things easily able to pierce lesser treads. I have used many less expensive tires and spent much more to keep rolling for 1000 miles than the $100 I invested in a pair of good tires.

There is a lesson in here somewhere and it is not solely about having good equipment. Even with good equipment stuff happens. I intend to travel more than 2000 miles at the end of the summer. How I handle adversity will define much of that event. Preparation increases the potential for success. Everything else is up to me.

Things That Work

The travoise has been used successfully by indigenous people, like the Plains Indians. Simplicity of design and high functionality are its prime attributes. Burley, maker of bicycle trailers since the 1970s found a way to bring the Travoy to the 21st Century. I recently acquired one of these marvelous things.

Many people will tell me that $300 is a lot to spend on "something for your bike." Even people who have known me for all of the two plus years I have been a full-time rider do not understand that cycling is not a whim or hobby. Cycling is not part of a phase that will pass. It is who I have chosen to be. And I spent closer to $400 when I added the Upper Transit Bag accessory. As with the Travoy, any additional Burley accessories will be purchased through my FNBS, Bikes and More.

I've had the Travoy two weeks and used it twice to get groceries. Not enough time for a serious long-term test, but more than enough for "initial impressions." It is attractive and well designed, working as it is supposed to with out work-arounds or adjustments. Burley's hitch fastened to my seat post properly and was easily adjusted for height. The Travoy unfolded and attached without a problem.

Novara Safari, Click-Stand, Ortlieb Back Rollers and Burley Travoy

Switched into its hand-truck mode the Travoy was easily maneuvered around my local supermarket. I will have to adjust my path through the store to avoid constant rearrangement of heavy items to avoid crushing tomatoes, squashing bread or tearing plastic film on products. The provided bag (the one that also holds the folded Travoy) handled a large supply of stuff. In the past I have used front and rear panniers to handle the largest loads. Using the Travoy bag to gather eliminated any worries about having enough room. Additionally, having the Travoy AND front and rear panniers provides a dramatic amount of room to transport things.

Towing the Travoy is like . . . towing a trailer. There is added weight and cornering requires anticipation to be done cleanly. Stopping distances will be longer, but nothing that should not be expected when pulling a trailer. Mounting the hitch on the seat post makes the turning radius shorter than it would be with a conventional trailer. All that needs to be said is that the Travoy is well engineered.

I've read very few points of criticism for the Travoy. One person observed that it was too wide. It fits through doorways with room to spare and is no wider than my handlebars. Seems narrow enough for my needs. Another person observed that it was expensive and it is if you are not investing in something to fit your lifestyle. If cycling is more trendy then the Travoy might be expensive. For me, having done without an automobile for more than two years, having something that makes shopping and transporting things a fact of life is, well, a fact of life.

As a committed commuter I am pleased to have the Travoy as a part of my life style. I anticipate a long and meaningful relationship with it and will give a long term evaluation in a few months.

Only if it applies . . .

I dislike misusing words and that generally places me in a minority. Take, for instance, "awesome." I can probably count the number of times I have truly been in awe of something, yet others seem moved to an "overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear" multiple times in a typical day. Witnessing my first napalm strike stirred an "overwhelming feeling of . . . fear." I was in awe of the Grand Canyon. Niagara Falls. The Twin Towers/9-11.

I like Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia, but it isn't awesome. Funny Cars and Top Fuelers doing 300 mph is amazing, but not awesome. (Seeing them light up the sky with their flames and fill the air with their thunder like an internal combustion Aurora Borealis on finals night of the Gator Nationals comes close.) Still, there have been some things about my evolution into the bike culture and mentality that touch the edge of awesome.

After mounting Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS 348 tires (700c x 38) on my Safari, Michael, the mechanic at Bikes and More, said "these tires are awesome." I might have quibbled with him over the phrase, but, now, nearly 1000 miles later I'm tempted to agree. They are a fine blend of everything good. I am not a boy-racer, so weight is not an issue, thus they accelerate quickly enough, show little wear, provide excellent flat protection and handle predictably. The idea was to determine whether they were as good as advertised and claimed. I think they are.

The break-in took time, but the result was the same as touted by others. Brooks makes a helluva saddle. Though it lacks any cushioning, relying entirely on flexing of the leather, the B-17 fits me and has eliminated all discomfort from long rides. I am in awe of a product first made available in 1898 which continues to be the product of choice.

Because the best accessories for a bike are far less expensive than comparable accessories would be for a car, I can invest in the best, or what I perceive to be the best for me. That is why I have a Novara Safari, Ortlieb bags, Tubus rack, Topeak pump and a Click-Stand. It is awesome stuff only if the term applies, otherwise, it's just damn good!