How much Training

How much training? If touring is about getting in lots of miles per day then I am not a tourist.. I remember part of a tour on the Oregon coast where
after breaking camp we moved out to the main road then turned into the next
state park a whole mile away.. It was a park that was not to be missed,
that to me is the fun of bicycle touring.

I have also done three days in a row where each days mileage was just over 100.
The daylight hours were long and my body did not protest the hours in the saddle. Properly fueled and hydrated with a callused butt I can ride long or short miles.
I find that the miles I put in before lunch are usually the same amount I hit after a nice lunch break.
Ride 35 miles before lunch then after my little afternoon
siesta I will easily crank out another 35. It is usually how I pace my day.

Hills ! God I hate long climbs. This is where I really spend most of my time training. Standing up and grinding out that long 10 block hill over and over again then moving on to another hard climb. I know I can do the miles over the flats it those steep to the moon climbs that darken my day. I have never found a low enough gear that allows me to spin my way to the top. So I learned to stand up and climb, using those clip in pedals to help pull on the up stroke.

But I always remember the bike guru who told me that there was never a hill that he couldn't walk up.. In the words of Carl the Groundskeeper "so I have that going for me.."

How Cold Was It?

Riding in the winter is always a fun time. What was once a sweet downhill run in the warm breeze of a summer day now is slim fingers of arctic air looking to numb its way to my heart. But there is nothing like a below freezing day to get your heart rate up and the blood pumping. Lots of layers and plenty of zippers seem to be the proper method to regulated body heat.
Downhill I am the Michelin man fat and happy in my cocoon of warmth.
Uphill I look like a four year old who got dressed all by himself.

This winter I added a biking skull cap to my collection of arctic wear. It has proven itself as a great way to keep my head warm. I am just missing the long robe. For with this cap and the robe I could pass for a novice Tibetan monk.

My new bike just got a mini tune-up from Discover Bicycles(www.discoverbicycles.com) in Hood River.
The red pumice stone that the city uses to sand the icy streets eats brake pads. Changing pads after only four months of riding was a first for me. Entirely glad that I did it as a little lube here and there, a few bolts needing a slight tightening, replace the pads, check the chain stretch and best of all having a competent bike mechanic give the whole bike a once over. I left the shop with that warm glow that a nicely tuned bike gives. Cold what cold…..

Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.‏

So today was a four wheel drive road in my two wheel drive world.
A little snow starting a few days ago pushed me off my bike and onto my indoor trainer. But the last day of the year gave a ray of hope for the coming New Year. Snow in the morning turned to drizzle then to a full fledged winter rain by late afternoon. Just like seeing or not seeing the shadow on groundhog day being able to ride on the first day of the year has always been the indicator of a great year of riding.

Fully dressed to resemble the Michelin man I rode off to work. All I can say is I hope the the snowplows get to my road before the end of the day or it is going to be a long push, uphill, in the snow, home

lighting the night

But wait there is more :)
just came across a rechargeable solar blinkie.. this is a photo of it
Am going to send away for one and will do a full report after I give it a testing

Ernest, thanks for the suggestion.

As I am an Oregonian I should have been promoting Rechargeables as we pride ourselves in being the Green State.
I added some good information to this thread.
Cost savings
As mentioned, you can not only lighten your environmental footprint, but save a ton of cash by using rechargeable batteries.

A pack of 4 rechargeable batteries I purchased a short while ago cost me around $20. They'll be good for at least 500 recharges, likely more. A battery charger costs anywhere from about $10 -$30. The cost to recharge the set works out to to be just a couple of cents each time. So, in total, even factoring in the charger, a set of 4 AA will cost around $50 for their serviceable life.
A comparable set of heavy duty disposables cost around $2 - and that's at a discount price. The equivalent usage would cost $1000!
Environmentally and financially, rechargeable batteries just make more sense. If you can, try ditching your disposable battery habit and reap the rewards.



Christian



>>
> > hi Christian!
>
> how about using rechargeable batteries for those uses when you're
> not out on tour? at your current rate you might save a little money in
> the short term, but you're adding 5 extra batteries per cycle to
> landfill/disposal.
> rechargeables would cost you less in the long run and almost
> completely eliminate the impact on disposal.
>
>
> cheers!
> e
>
>
> christian Oregon wrote:
> >
> >
> > led lights are the bomb.. Changed my rear trunk light after a year of use w
> > ith fresh batteries as I wondered if it was getting dimmer (not that I coul
> > d see, but knowing they were a year old) New batteries and the light is j
> > ust as bright as the old. So one year of use on a bucks worth of batteries.
> > LED head lamp gets used all the time - I use it to read while I sit in the
> > hot tub under the stars. I get around 100 hours of use for a dollar. I alw
> > ays buy my batteries at the dollar store. The cost ratio is two Panasonic's
> > for a buck or 2 Duracell's for 3.49, so far seven Panasonic's (equivalen
> > t to 2 Duracell's in cost) have outlasted the 2 Duracell's.
> >
> >
> >
> > to icy to ride today. may have to resort to the trainer....
> >
> > Christian
> >
> >
> > Today is a good day to Ride

talking about comfort

Neil writes>I like comfort too. In a related vein, how much clothing do you carry?
Chris reply: from my packing list for upcoming 18 day tour.
2 pairs socks - one to sleep in if it is cold, fleece pants, fleece pullover,rain jacket, 2 pairs padded shorts, 1 polo shirt -non wrinkle( for going out to dinner) 2 pairs cargo over shorts (like the Columbia titanium brand- light weight but tough) 2 wick shirts, bike sandals, hiking sandals, wind rain pants, and three bike jerseys.

> What you're wearing and one change, or two? >Neil writes: Do you carry extra layers to deal with inclement weather? Chris replies: see above
>Neil writes: Do you wear bicycle specific clothing, or general purpose clothing? Chris replies: Yes
>>Neil writes: Do you wear padded underwear? Chris replies: padded bike shorts
>Neil writes: How many miles a day do you usually travel? Chris replies: 40-60 on average.
But have cranked out a few 100 milers when the next town with a cold beer is calling my name.

Comfort vs. Weight on Tour

Comfort vs. Weight on Tour

Okay so I’ll state my philosophy right up front when it comes to tours. Why cut out 10# of gear if you are going to be miserable for the entire tour. I have a very opposite view then the weight misers that sacrifice comfort to peddle a lighter load. I am not talking about a hundred extra pounds of gear; you know the hot tub still stays at home. But sleeping on a postage stamp pad as some bike touring cyclist do to me is well kinda nuts. How are you going to get a good day of cycling in if you are not sleeping well? I have traded up and then traded up again until my final sleeping pad is a camp size thermarest. Yes it is big yes it weights more then most but wow do I sleep like I was home in my own bed. I wake up refreshed and glad to be alive, ready to start the day. This is just the start of the comfort vs. weight debate and I know till will not sit well with some but so be it.

I just added a new tent to my gear stash. It is a three person three season double walled tent. It weights a hair less then a pound more then my small two person tent but offers me almost double the room. So why do I need a bigger tent? Good question glad you asked. I tour in the early spring and late into the fall. During the summer months my two person tent is perfect. But after spending a wet spring on tour in BC where the rain days out numbered the dry I knew that there had to be a better plan. If I was going to be forced to ride out another rain storm I wanted to have some room. The little two person tent offers nothing more then a good shelter to sleep in. With normal weather this is all it is needed for just a place nice place to sleep. But when you are traveling in the early spring or late fall and the weather can go bad for days on end you want the ability to move inside. That larger space is then a welcomed extra pound gladly carried.

I have been following the travels of a couple who are on an epic 10,000 plus mile tour. They have been carrying and using for months a set of camp chairs. Not to heavy, but large in size. They have some of that same comfort philosophy I do. Sitting on the ground is never really comfortable. When the ground is cold or wet it is avoided so taking a chair the comfort outweighs the weight.. Pun intended.

So this next week I am going to lay out all my gear for my upcoming tour just to see what is there as a comfort item.. YOU?