What have you done to your bike today?
- Thread starter Chris(NJ)
- Start date
Bikeworks
Well-Known Member
Congrats!!!
qclabrat
Well-Known Member
What's the latest on cross country trips using the latest tech like wireless shifting? I assume you're doing it self supported. Gave up my bucket list last year to do the same and will be selling the Bruce Gordon RnR I've been dialing in forever. Other than a dynamo with a charger it's all mechanical. Have extra brakes and derailleurs for worst case scenarios. Also what tires are you running, I landed on Vittoria Voyagers but my route was all road. @liong71er had Minions on his KM when he did his x-country trip. So what do I know...
GSTim
Formerly M3Tim
This is older GRX 11spd Di2, so not wireless. Still need to charge eventually. I plan on camping/hotel about 50/50% so hopefully ok. I haven't settled on tires yet, but I put on a set of Continental Terra Speed 45s that I'll probably use. Plan to ride some gravel/trail like the GAP and C&O Canal Trail and probably some stuff out west. Yes, self supported.
GSTim
Formerly M3Tim
Going to do the Florida Coast to Coast next month as a tune up.
If there's anything I've learned from the touring people, just ride whatever and don't over think it.
There's enough people who do it on shitty Walmart bikes.
GSTim
Formerly M3Tim
If there is anything I've learned about this board though, we love to over think everything. 😁
GSTim
Formerly M3Tim
Also, since I'll be following the Trans-Am (and alternates), I'm hoping that there should be a decent amount of support infrastructure available.
Karate Monkey
Well-Known Member
Can't speak for SRAM stuff, but all of the Shimano equipment can get by on 1-3 charges depending on use. A small, 1-cell battery bank can charge it completely overnight. If you wire the shifters (Ultegra/DA only), you increase the battery life on the new generation drastically, as it is not using wireless protocol for shifting. If you disconnect it from a garmin/wahoo, it will last just as long (~3 months of heavy use) as the original stuff. Bonus: the extra wires can be used as replacements in a pinch, since you don't NEED them for wireless shifting.
qclabrat
Well-Known Member
Really, I couldn't imagine that it went well. Yeah, if you took an Ozark Trail and change everything it's doable but no idiot is grabbing a bike off the rack in Manville and riding it to the Pacific coast.
Look at the crazyguyonabike blogs. There's seriously a ton of people that have done just that. Generally young people that have no $$ and stealth camp the whole way. When I was on the Southern Tier I saw a ton of people on shitty bikes going across the country.
When I did touring I did it on a $600 bike from bikesdirect.com. Shit, I just looked it up, they still sell that bike for $600 and now it has disk brakes.
qclabrat
Well-Known Member
A steel Dawes from BD is a decent bike. Not what they claim the bike's worth but how can you say it's equivalent to an Ozark Trail, those cranks and wheels will explode trekking the Divide.
Ian F
Well-Known Member
My first touring rig was a Panasonic 10 spd. Granted, I was 14 and didn't really know any better. Amusingly, I still have the Cannondale panniers I had on that bike, although I haven't used them since the mid 90s.
After watching Katy Winton do a (sort of) bike packing trip of the BC Trail on her enduro/trail bike (S-Works Stumpjumper) I definitely agree about not over-thinking it too much. "Sort of" meaning that while she did carry all of her gear on her bike, she didn't camp ("because I'm a princess") and stayed in hotels every night. She also did something I think is really cool - she would ride to trail system areas, add an extra day to the hotel stay and go ride the trails with the gear removed from her bike. I have thoughts about doing something similar, although to a much lesser degree - ride from my house in Lower Bucks up to Stroudsburg, PA. on the first day, ride Glen Park the second day, ride home the 3rd day.
After watching Katy Winton do a (sort of) bike packing trip of the BC Trail on her enduro/trail bike (S-Works Stumpjumper) I definitely agree about not over-thinking it too much. "Sort of" meaning that while she did carry all of her gear on her bike, she didn't camp ("because I'm a princess") and stayed in hotels every night. She also did something I think is really cool - she would ride to trail system areas, add an extra day to the hotel stay and go ride the trails with the gear removed from her bike. I have thoughts about doing something similar, although to a much lesser degree - ride from my house in Lower Bucks up to Stroudsburg, PA. on the first day, ride Glen Park the second day, ride home the 3rd day.
Overhauled another cup and cone hub, swapped brakes, discs, wheels, tires around between some bikes I’m reconfiguring. A nice snowy afternoon of wrenching in a warm garage. Among my tasks was to swap headsets. I’ve had this Chis King on about 5 different bikes over 25 years. I remember buying this headset from Mark Traeger at Marty’s in Morristown. It was my first bling purchase. It is just as smooth today was it was in 2001.
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
SeaBass did it on a BMX bike 🤷
Over the Bars
Well-Known Member
Fixed my stuck mtb brake piston, bled my brakes, cleaned the cassette in the ultrasonic cleaner, waxed the chain, retaped the rear wheel that was leaking sealant through a spoke hole and put everything back together. Cleaned the road bike cassette in the ultrasonic cleaner, cut and cleaned 2 new chains plus cleaned and old one then waxed them. Ordered some long bibs and mountain biking shorts from the gorewear closing sale .. is it spring yet?
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