I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
due to gas prices, and other bills, today was my first day riding my bicycle to work. 15 miles rounds trip. Doesn't sound like much until you get out there and realize you haven't riden in years and the bike is OLD. But, gets me back and forth to work. Saves a couple bucks a week that I can put toward more gear...
Don't overlook recumbent bikes! Look in my gallery for pics. (I use Arkel 60L panniers and an Arkel tail-rider too.)
I ride a recumbent.
I like to HAM it up on the CW.
I use Linux.
I play go.
Of course I sleep in a hammock!
Rug.
Hang On!
I used to use panniers/frame racks but there is another way:
http://www.revelatedesigns.com/
I've learned that my hammock/UQ/TQ and tarp will fit into an eVent dry/compression bag and fit under the handlebars or on a minimalist rack above the front tire.
Minimalist rack: http://salsacycles.com/components/minimalist_rack/
My food/stove/fuel go into this bag: https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...=4&ProductID=7
The frame bag at Revelate holds my camp clothes and bike tools.
Camera/wallet go into the Revelate 'gas tank' which mounts on the top tube next to the stem.
This system works with or without the minimalist rack.
For water I use the Salsa Anything Cage-it can also carry a small tent or whatever you want to put there: http://salsacycles.com/components/anything_cage/
What this allows you to do is completely avoid panniers if you want to and avoid the metal racks to carry the panniers. It's just lightweight backpacking/hammocking kit applied to a bike.
A lot of my kit is specific to Salsa bikes but the frame bag is made to fit whatever bike you are using. The name of the game is of course weight reduction and less fiddle factor...seems like I used to fiddle with panniers-not a lot once they are dialed in, but the frame bag,seat bag, etc. just make it simpler AND you wont be tempted to pack too much. The tube bag easily holds 3 days food.
I sometimes use a rear rack that is pannier capable but it alone weighs more than all the bags I mentioned above
In about 2 weeks, a friend and I will be riding the C&O canal towpath and the Great Allegheny Passage on our recumbents. I drove to the Pine Grove Furnace hanging to see what these things were all about. I was very impressed. I got home and bought a Hennessey Expedition on-line, specifically for this bike trip. I still haven't spent a night in it, plan on doing that tomorrow night in the back yard. I live in the city and only have one tree in the yard, so I figured a way to hang it from the roof supports of my back porch. We have been getting a lot of thunderstorms and I will only be half under roof, so it should be a good test for bad weather as well.
i never owned a car or a drivers license and i am proud of it somewhat. for me biking is the way to go most of the time and combined with trains i can get to most places. i am also thinking about getting a christiania trailer for shopping and hauling gear around. my ortliebs look exactly the same, only in blue, but be careful, they are not 100% waterproof
those cat eyes are really efficient though:
Kobold-thanks for the great pics!
FalconRider-please post a trip report when you get back. I hate the fact you can't camp (easily stealth wise) on the Alleghany! so please let me know where you stayed each night.
Among commercial panniers, only some Arkels made for tandems are as big as the Ortlieb appears in the first photo. That Ortlieb design is a roll top. It has a reputation for excellence of seal with the cost of some extra material. None better for rafting and circumstances where water may come from any direction. Unless damaged, they can be counted on to float.
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