Utility Cycling - Devo and The Dummy

howdy all

some silly vids of bike stuff in general
http://www.asanacycles.com/vid/

and more stuff about me and the dummy
a trip to LA and back... on AmTrak, etc.

http://www.asanacycles.com/asana_cycles/


peace...d

Love your article Devian, thanks! :)

Will hopefully be on a BD of my own in the not-so-distant future, thanks so much for doing such a great job documenting your experiences with the rig. Only makes me want one more! :)

Steve

hey steve:

thanks a bunch.

and thanks for entry on your website.

thank you very much.

bike life in general.

check out the new Hunter 29er rig i picked up yesterday.

rode the dummy up to Watsonville, to Sunset State Beach, right next to the glider port... argh!
and the wind was straight off the ocean, white caps and all...

anyways... camped the night, then rode over to Rick Hunter's place and picked up my new rig.

lately i catch myself watching the hawks, and peregrines.

Around Pt. Mugu, i saw a peregrine dive and narrowly miss some sand pipers.... very impressive.

on another note... i think i may have a line on a Combat Wings XL with a Flash 5. i keep visualizing Cuban 8's.

here are some pics

one things for sure about a Cargo Bike, is that the allure of packing, easily can get out of hand.

suddenly there is a TON of space to load things

and this trip, i totally over loaded, yet again.

this time, not the AmTrak, not a trip to LA, Malibu, etc...

but a solo unsupported run to Big Sur and south to Kirk Creek.

the next trip should be a lot lighter...

peace...d

ok... well, i got some kind of wacky prolonged energy burn going on right now.

once back, the tenant downstairs is having another funky episode, where she stomps around, and slams doors for awhile....

its like camping in the jungle and having Orangoutangs near by, breaking sticks, and such...


so whatever.... i could kind of care less, other than it intimates other people, and thats not cool. ill will, and cruelty... not cool
__________________________________________________ ___________________
Cone Peak for $8

day one, Monterey to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
the fun part is of course the big dumb load, a big cargo bike, and lots of hills.
right from the get go, its over Carmel Hill, and i swear the Hospital sits at about 700ft, so its this steep little pitch... steep by road bike standards, and it has its moment when it would be steep for an MTB.

over carmel hill...
and then drop back down to Rio Rd, and exit Carmel, onto Big Sur, passing Point Lobos, Carmel Highlands, etc...

hill... hill... hill...

and oh ya....

hill

some wind

tonight coming home from Big Sur for a solid 2 or 3hrs, it was at least a 20mph head wind, as i was obviously going North...

at Pfeiffer, i met Fred from London who is touring B.C. to San Diego
he's 6'7" and rides a Koga touring bike... cool stuff... way cool guy...

we also met up again at Kirk Creek, as I finished the Cone Peak jaunt.

camping at Pfeiffer is $3

DAY 2 was south, and i had thought of Kirk Creek, but this trip, altho i still have WAY TOO MUCH stuff, it is less...
at Kirk Creek, i decide i have enough day light to give Nacimiento Ferguson Rd a shot.

however, the 8 mile climb and 3000ft gain, I have no idea of water source(s).
so at Kirk Creek, i filter water, CamelBak, 3L MSR Dromedary, and 4 large bottles on the dummy

hours later, at the summit of Nacimiento Ferguson Rd, I still have enough daylight to get onto the dirt road of Cone Peak Rd.

around 8:30pm, i finally pick a spot, pitch the tipi, stove, etc, and by 10pm, i've sourced water, firewood, heat, Udon Noodle, and egg for dinner with decaf Green Tea, washed up, and put my clothes up to dry in the clothes line up top.

crash out, sleep like a rock, and something little sniffs around my face thru the tip/lifted skirt hem of the tipi... it runs off after i sniff back.

4:42am, the birds are OFF THE HOOK!
ruckus... in the night it was some frogs, and that was cool.
they'd do their song, and as soon as the slightest change would occur, they'd stop...
then start up...
that was nice

4:42am, i confuse the pre-dawn with what i thought was the moon... but its waning.

at around 3800ft, the sky is.... amazing... The Ventana Wilderness... wow...
i love Big Sur, and the Ventana

around 5am, the birds make a some kind of a ruckus, and later, i look up, as I'm heating water for coffee and oatmeal...

a puma is walking right down the road, towards me
so i do as everything I've ever read...
i hold up my trekking pole, shout... wave, etc...
it stopped, looked around... and made another step or two...
then i picked up a rock, and shot at it with my sling shot...
maybe 50ft away?

it ran as soon as it heard that rock in the air
i grabbed a hand full of anything from the ground
and fired off multiple stones in the vicinity, in what i thought was a suppressive fire pattern, thinking i could further run it off

from there, not a sound...
i still fired off a few large rocks in various areas every so often just to feel better.
drug the Big Dummy out of the tipi, and i felt fine... no worries

i love a sling shot! its your FRIEND! its really fun to shoot at large trees down far below, with large rocks, and pull way back! makes big NOISE! me feel strong.

i rode up past where i had last seen the lion, and continued up past the trail head for San Vincente Flats, San Antonio Trail, and ultimately the Cone Peak Trail

at the old fire lookout atop Cone Peak, its mega fies... its crazy... got to go.

then it was a decent back to Kirk Creek.

oh.. in the am, i broke a pulling spoke in the rear wheel, on the drive side...
i tried to ghetto rig a truing gauge, with an MSR Groundhog tent stake, using a rubber band, lashed down to what would be a stay...

but the wheel is pretty wacky...

later in the day, as i had just crossed Nacimiento Ferguson Rd, and onto the dirt section going South, to what I think would be Wild Cattle, Plaskett Creek... etc...
suddenly i break another spoke... again, same side, another pulling spoke.. only a couple holes away...

so i figure, its a sign, and i need to think of heading back...

my notions of dropping into Ft. Hunter Liggett, Indians, Indians Rd, check out the trail head for Junipero Serra Peak... all that is not tossed aside, with the thoughts of a failing rear wheel.

at Kirk Creek ($5 camping), now Day 3 in the afternoon, i meet more touring cyclists, and i play bike fix it guy, flats, try to work on shifters, etc...
tall guy Fred... all 6ft 7 inches is beyond enjoying his trip to the US, especially when the pound gets about $1.90

come morning, everyone packs up, and I'm last to break camp, with my total deluxe set up... dummy and all...

my notions were to hit Monterey, but i'd settle for Big Sur...
at Big Sur, I'm realizing that I've got some kind of crazy legs under me these days, and i decide to push for Monterey...

something like an 11 hour effort, and I'm back.

all in all, an awesome trip

the views, simply amazing, i even saw condors flying slope in +20mph winds...
wow... makes me think of R/C gliders... and amazed at how they fly... my god!

i still can way reduce my load.
its mega amounts... at this point i am still playing with max load, thinking here.

the methodology is to start big and work my way down, and increase distance.

big loads, long days, short miles...

Kirk Creek to Monterey 60 miles, me thinks....
hills, and big wind, with crago... solid effort.

i'm very happy with my disposition, the way i process things, and how I'm actually moving thru the world...

the loads will get lighter, i will get more distance, in less time.

this trip was $8 in camping fees

plus now i guess i need to think about that rear wheel.

i dream of a Rohloff and a super strong DH rim.
maybe 40 hole

meanwhile the antithesis awaits in full function
the Hunter 29er, as I'm anxious to get some bags from Jeff at Carousel Design Works.

a SUPER BIG THANK YOU to Surly for producing yet another amazing design. it totally kicks butt!

i started having crazy techie notions of a FS Dummy, with lock outs, and that fancy rear hub. dreaming of being able to possibly use a double ring up front, 1 for a super low range, and unlock the rear swing arm, and design it, so that effort makes the bike dig in for traction... use the biggest DH tyre you can find.

this platform begs for time spent in the backcountry.

i was bummed out to cut it short

but this coming week, i should be on a trip to LA, yet again, this time for my nephew's 3rd birthday. so its an AmTrak/Bike trip this week to come.

so The Dummy is everything i ever wanted in a bike.

thank you Kipchoge from XtraCycle for the inovation, and genius to create a longtail cargo bike, and thanks for the stainless steel water bottle.
its awesome, works perfect for making tea.

soon i think a trip to McKinleyville will come, then it will be to tour and spend time around Arcata and into the woods.

simply touring the State Parks, in the Bike camping areas, has got to be a totally awesome experience.

peace....d

Great story and pictures, Having just finished my first xtracycle camping trip/mini tour, this inspires me to plan the next one. Never thought of a slingshot, I often wonder what to do about bears/ mountain lions while in backcountry.

Good to have you join us, D! Thanks for bringin' the love....and pix!

Dude! Mountain Lion!!! Awesome. Sounds like you did the right stuff, glad it all worked out.

Nice stove man! That's camping in style :D

Steve

want a BIG slingshot?? Turn your bike upside down. Take off front wheel. Use old tube to make the sling: First cut it to one long elastic band (cut on each side of the valve to get rid of it). Tie onne end to each of the two fork ends. Sit on the bike just behind BB, feet placed on handlebars to keep it in place. Pull back sling. Load with an egg or something, aim at one of the natives and let gooo...:eek::D:D:D

want a BIG slingshot?? Turn your bike upside down. Take off front wheel. Use old tube to make the sling: First cut it to one long elastic band (cut on each side of the valve to get rid of it). Tie onne end to each of the two fork ends. Sit on the bike just behind BB, feet placed on handlebars to keep it in place. Pull back sling. Load with an egg or something, aim at one of the natives and let gooo...:eek::D:D:D

I like the way you think, dude. :thumb: