Going on a long tour
04-22-17 | 12:11 AM
#76
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 7,955
Likes: 705
From: Port Angeles, WA
Bikes: A green one, "Ragleigh," or something.
Give me a ring when that happens; I'll go with you. 
The more I think about it, a coast-to-coast tour sounds like what I want to do in life. Not yet sure I'd have more fun on a Southern US route as Jon has done, or a northern US/southern Canada route, but I'm up for either one, when the time is right.
The more I think about it, a coast-to-coast tour sounds like what I want to do in life. Not yet sure I'd have more fun on a Southern US route as Jon has done, or a northern US/southern Canada route, but I'm up for either one, when the time is right.
__________________
● 1971 Grandis SL ● 1972 Lambert Grand Prix frankenbike ● 1972 Raleigh Super Course fixie ● 1973 Nishiki Semi-Pro ● 1979 Motobecane Grand Jubile ●1980 Apollo "Legnano" ● 1984 Peugeot Vagabond ● 1985 Shogun Prairie Breaker ● 1986 Merckx Super Corsa ● 1987 Schwinn Tempo ● 1988 Schwinn Voyageur ● 1989 Bottechia Team ADR replica ● 1990 Cannondale ST600 ● 1993 Technium RT600 ● 1996 Kona Lava Dome ●
● 1971 Grandis SL ● 1972 Lambert Grand Prix frankenbike ● 1972 Raleigh Super Course fixie ● 1973 Nishiki Semi-Pro ● 1979 Motobecane Grand Jubile ●1980 Apollo "Legnano" ● 1984 Peugeot Vagabond ● 1985 Shogun Prairie Breaker ● 1986 Merckx Super Corsa ● 1987 Schwinn Tempo ● 1988 Schwinn Voyageur ● 1989 Bottechia Team ADR replica ● 1990 Cannondale ST600 ● 1993 Technium RT600 ● 1996 Kona Lava Dome ●
04-22-17 | 09:02 AM
#77
Freewheel Medic
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 13,578
Likes: 3,327
From: An Island on the Coast of GA!
Bikes: Snazzy* Schwinns, Classy Cannondales & a Super Pro Aero Lotus (* Ed.)
Jon, thanks for the more detailed description of your trip. It's interesting that you don't mention getting bored or bogged down in the monotony of a day in day out ride for nearly two months, even without having the opportunity to pursue your reading when you were off the bike.
I'm guessing you were on the road for approximately 6-8 hours per day. What filled the other waking hours after camp was set, meals and shopping taken care of, and bike maintenance completed?
One more question; how might the trip been different if you had been a solo rider? ...or a larger group of say, 4-10?
I've been kicking around the idea of a trip from New Hampshire, north into Quebec, ferry across the St. Lawrence, then east into and across Labrador, south through Newfoundland, ferry again across the St. Lawrence to PEI and Nova Scotia, and either ferry to Portland ME or ride through New Brunswick and back home again. Of course this is a retirement dream so still a few years off.
It would involve a great deal of "gravel grinding" because the roads north of the St. Lawrence are generally not paved. The other aspect of the trip is the significant wilderness crossing involved. Would you think doing such a ride solo?
I'm guessing you were on the road for approximately 6-8 hours per day. What filled the other waking hours after camp was set, meals and shopping taken care of, and bike maintenance completed?
One more question; how might the trip been different if you had been a solo rider? ...or a larger group of say, 4-10?
I've been kicking around the idea of a trip from New Hampshire, north into Quebec, ferry across the St. Lawrence, then east into and across Labrador, south through Newfoundland, ferry again across the St. Lawrence to PEI and Nova Scotia, and either ferry to Portland ME or ride through New Brunswick and back home again. Of course this is a retirement dream so still a few years off.
It would involve a great deal of "gravel grinding" because the roads north of the St. Lawrence are generally not paved. The other aspect of the trip is the significant wilderness crossing involved. Would you think doing such a ride solo?
__________________
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
04-22-17 | 03:12 PM
#78
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,060
Likes: 943
From: Washington County, Vermont, USA
Bikes: 1973-4 Gitane Tour de France, early 1970's Lejeune, 1970 Italvega Super Speciale, 2010 Surly Long Haul Trucker 26
Jon, thanks for the more detailed description of your trip. It's interesting that you don't mention getting bored or bogged down in the monotony of a day in day out ride for nearly two months, even without having the opportunity to pursue your reading when you were off the bike.
I'm guessing you were on the road for approximately 6-8 hours per day. What filled the other waking hours after camp was set, meals and shopping taken care of, and bike maintenance completed?
One more question; how might the trip been different if you had been a solo rider? ...or a larger group of say, 4-10?
I've been kicking around the idea of a trip from New Hampshire, north into Quebec, ferry across the St. Lawrence, then east into and across Labrador, south through Newfoundland, ferry again across the St. Lawrence to PEI and Nova Scotia, and either ferry to Portland ME or ride through New Brunswick and back home again. Of course this is a retirement dream so still a few years off.
It would involve a great deal of "gravel grinding" because the roads north of the St. Lawrence are generally not paved. The other aspect of the trip is the significant wilderness crossing involved. Would you think doing such a ride solo?
I'm guessing you were on the road for approximately 6-8 hours per day. What filled the other waking hours after camp was set, meals and shopping taken care of, and bike maintenance completed?
One more question; how might the trip been different if you had been a solo rider? ...or a larger group of say, 4-10?
I've been kicking around the idea of a trip from New Hampshire, north into Quebec, ferry across the St. Lawrence, then east into and across Labrador, south through Newfoundland, ferry again across the St. Lawrence to PEI and Nova Scotia, and either ferry to Portland ME or ride through New Brunswick and back home again. Of course this is a retirement dream so still a few years off.
It would involve a great deal of "gravel grinding" because the roads north of the St. Lawrence are generally not paved. The other aspect of the trip is the significant wilderness crossing involved. Would you think doing such a ride solo?
I've thought about solo touring, because--I have probably mentioned this before--my father went on a long tour every year from his mid-50s into his mid-60s or so. My mom rode with him on a couple of them, but mostly he went by himself. For example, he once rode from the west of Ireland to the Russian border (this was in about 1988 or so).
He was a very sociable guy but he said he never got lonely. I think that when you're by yourself you tend to make more of an effort to connect with other people, and they may make more of an effort to connect with you, seeing that you're alone. However it was, he said he got all the human contact he needed.
I'm not sure if I would be able to travel happily that way, though. I have always meant to take a week-long tour and see, but haven't had a chance to yet. This was actually the first loaded tour I'd ever done.
The time question has me stumped. We usually tried to be riding at or soon after sunrise--sometimes well before sunrise--and stop for the day two or three hours before sunset. Assuming that there were roughly 12 hours of light and 12 of darkness, that meant that we were typically in riding mode for about 9 hours a day. As you suggest, we probably rode for only about six of those hours, with the other three spent sitting and admiring the view, looking at our maps, eating bad convenience store pizza, or whatever.
We slept a lot. We were often in our sleeping bags well before it was really dark. That meant we were often awake before daylight. Say 10 hours in the sleeping bag every day.
It usually took us over an hour to set up camp (moving at a relaxed pace--we never had to race approaching darkness) and about the same to eat and get packed up in the morning. So there's another three hours.
So that's 9 hours on or near the bike, 10 hours lying down, and maybe 2 or 3 hours doing camp stuff. That's 21 or 22 hours. What happened to the other two or three? I guess we just frittered them away somehow.
We actually were part of a group of four for about a week across West Texas, since we teamed up with two solo riders, both of whom happened to be named Mike. It was sort of like forming a wagon train, I guess. It was 50 or 60 miles between water sources in some cases, and I think we all felt more comfortable being part of a larger group in that area. But overall, I enjoyed the simplicity of traveling with just one other person.
I have often thought about doing a trip very similar to the one you have in mind. I know of a guy named Stewart Coffin (he's well-known in wilderness canoeing circles) who did something very similar in the mid-80s--on a Raleigh three-speed, no less. I have a short account of it from a book of his that I would be happy to photocopy and send you. He supposedly wrote a longer account including photos that no magazine of the time had any interest in publishing. I think he's quite elderly now, but I keep thinking I should get in touch with him and see if he'd share that longer version (assuming he still has it).
__________________
www.redclovercomponents.com
"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
www.redclovercomponents.com
"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
Last edited by jonwvara; 04-22-17 at 03:18 PM.
04-23-17 | 02:23 PM
#79
Freewheel Medic
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 13,578
Likes: 3,327
From: An Island on the Coast of GA!
Bikes: Snazzy* Schwinns, Classy Cannondales & a Super Pro Aero Lotus (* Ed.)
Jon,
Thanks for the further explanation. It was very helpful. And yes, I'd like to see the account written by Stewart Coffin. Would it be possible to create a PDF?
Thanks for the further explanation. It was very helpful. And yes, I'd like to see the account written by Stewart Coffin. Would it be possible to create a PDF?
__________________
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
04-23-17 | 04:37 PM
#80
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,060
Likes: 943
From: Washington County, Vermont, USA
Bikes: 1973-4 Gitane Tour de France, early 1970's Lejeune, 1970 Italvega Super Speciale, 2010 Surly Long Haul Trucker 26
I'll find the book and photograph the relevant pages and make them into a pdf. It can't be that hard--I'm a smart guy, I should be able to figure that out.
__________________
www.redclovercomponents.com
"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
www.redclovercomponents.com
"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
04-23-17 | 08:57 PM
#81
Bike Butcher of Portland
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 12,492
Likes: 8,059
From: Portland, OR
Bikes: It's complicated.
Give me a ring when that happens; I'll go with you.
The more I think about it, a coast-to-coast tour sounds like what I want to do in life. Not yet sure I'd have more fun on a Southern US route as Jon has done, or a northern US/southern Canada route, but I'm up for either one, when the time is right.
The more I think about it, a coast-to-coast tour sounds like what I want to do in life. Not yet sure I'd have more fun on a Southern US route as Jon has done, or a northern US/southern Canada route, but I'm up for either one, when the time is right.
__________________
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
04-23-17 | 09:14 PM
#83
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 21,842
Likes: 5,804
From: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
It was about as minimalist as I could make it, but it was still quite a lot of stuff. Right after I got home I weighed the whole outfit (I'd forgotten to do it before we left) and found that it came to about 33 lbs. total. That includes the panniers, rear trunk bag, all their contents, and the clothing I wore while riding. It doesn't include the Blackburn racks, bottle cages, bottles, or any food or water. Loaded down with 8 quarts of water for the long stretches between towns in West Texas, the load must have been 40 lbs. or a little more.
I don't think I could have reduced that by much, though, since I felt that I needed everything I had and only once needed something that I didn't have, when it turned out that my 8" adjustable wrench didn't open quite wide enough (lacking maybe 2mm) to engage my headset locknut. I had to buy a cheap set of channelocks at a farm-supply store to adjust the headset--fortunately the chrome had already been dinged up by a previous owner.
Anyway, here's what I brought:
In dry bag strapped to front rack--lightweight 20-degree down quilt from Enlightened equipment, lightweight pants with zip-off legs, a medium long-sleeved wool jersey, a super-light down jacket--comparable to a lightweight fleece--and two extra pairs of wool socks. My rain jacket and pants were strapped outside the dry bag.
During the day I wore wool socks, SPD cycling shoes, black long underwear (some kind of high-zoot synthetic stuff), and two pairs of cheapish Nashbar liner shorts under a pair of unlined bike shorts (I found that one pair didn't provide enough padding). I also wore a white cotton dress shirt, usually with a highway-worker safety vest over it. It made me look like a dork, but since I am a dork I didn't really mind. I also wore a bandanna under my helmet, covering my ears and cheeks. As a result I only had to put sunscreen on my nose an cheeks, and never got sunburned at all. I don't like sunscreen but I like sunburn even less.
In right front pannier--lightweight insulated air matress, small MSR canister stove with fuel canister, lightweight nylon hammock (a fabric one, not the mesh type), a headlamp, a one-pint plastic mug, a plastic knife, fork, and spoon, a pack towel, a butane lighter, and a 4-cup aluminum pot with lid, which actually held 6 cups when filled to the brim.The fuel canister, lighter, towel, and headlamp fit into the pot. I usually carried a jar of peanut butter in the mug.
In left front pannier--tent fly (Phil had the tent body and poles), some food items, and wool knit cap, and some light wool gloves which I needed a few times early on, and could have sent home later but didn't. Toothbrush, toothpaste, and a little bottle of Dr. Bronner's soap. ("All-One!")
In trunk bag on back rack--too many tools and spare parts (I'm not going to list them all, but I think they weighed about 5 lbs in aggregate.) Three spare tubes, three tire patch kits. I also carried some food back here, shifting it around to the front left as needed to equalize the side-to-side weight in front. I also carried as many as four additional quarts of water in the trunk back during desert crossings. The trunk bag had a zip-open expansion that was useful for carrying bulky short-term items, like the occasional six-pack or rotisserie chicken (or, once, both).
In a Jandd frame bag on the top tube--more food, mostly for eating during the day (I thought of this bag as my fuel tank, because it goes where a motorcycle gas tank would be), my notebook, pen, and postcards.
In a tiny frame box--reading glasses, phone charger, and a few other small odds and ends. I had a small cheap digital camera in a plastic bag in my hip pocket, along with a Swiss Army knife and folding allen-wrench set
That's pretty much it. I probably could have gotten by with one extra pair of socks instead of two. The hammock weighed a pound and a half and I could have done without it, but it was nice on evenings when there were trees around. Phil's sleeping bag wasn't quite warm enough on the coldest nights, so it was also useful as a supplementary blanket from time to time.
I don't think I could have reduced that by much, though, since I felt that I needed everything I had and only once needed something that I didn't have, when it turned out that my 8" adjustable wrench didn't open quite wide enough (lacking maybe 2mm) to engage my headset locknut. I had to buy a cheap set of channelocks at a farm-supply store to adjust the headset--fortunately the chrome had already been dinged up by a previous owner.
Anyway, here's what I brought:
In dry bag strapped to front rack--lightweight 20-degree down quilt from Enlightened equipment, lightweight pants with zip-off legs, a medium long-sleeved wool jersey, a super-light down jacket--comparable to a lightweight fleece--and two extra pairs of wool socks. My rain jacket and pants were strapped outside the dry bag.
During the day I wore wool socks, SPD cycling shoes, black long underwear (some kind of high-zoot synthetic stuff), and two pairs of cheapish Nashbar liner shorts under a pair of unlined bike shorts (I found that one pair didn't provide enough padding). I also wore a white cotton dress shirt, usually with a highway-worker safety vest over it. It made me look like a dork, but since I am a dork I didn't really mind. I also wore a bandanna under my helmet, covering my ears and cheeks. As a result I only had to put sunscreen on my nose an cheeks, and never got sunburned at all. I don't like sunscreen but I like sunburn even less.
In right front pannier--lightweight insulated air matress, small MSR canister stove with fuel canister, lightweight nylon hammock (a fabric one, not the mesh type), a headlamp, a one-pint plastic mug, a plastic knife, fork, and spoon, a pack towel, a butane lighter, and a 4-cup aluminum pot with lid, which actually held 6 cups when filled to the brim.The fuel canister, lighter, towel, and headlamp fit into the pot. I usually carried a jar of peanut butter in the mug.
In left front pannier--tent fly (Phil had the tent body and poles), some food items, and wool knit cap, and some light wool gloves which I needed a few times early on, and could have sent home later but didn't. Toothbrush, toothpaste, and a little bottle of Dr. Bronner's soap. ("All-One!")
In trunk bag on back rack--too many tools and spare parts (I'm not going to list them all, but I think they weighed about 5 lbs in aggregate.) Three spare tubes, three tire patch kits. I also carried some food back here, shifting it around to the front left as needed to equalize the side-to-side weight in front. I also carried as many as four additional quarts of water in the trunk back during desert crossings. The trunk bag had a zip-open expansion that was useful for carrying bulky short-term items, like the occasional six-pack or rotisserie chicken (or, once, both).
In a Jandd frame bag on the top tube--more food, mostly for eating during the day (I thought of this bag as my fuel tank, because it goes where a motorcycle gas tank would be), my notebook, pen, and postcards.
In a tiny frame box--reading glasses, phone charger, and a few other small odds and ends. I had a small cheap digital camera in a plastic bag in my hip pocket, along with a Swiss Army knife and folding allen-wrench set
That's pretty much it. I probably could have gotten by with one extra pair of socks instead of two. The hammock weighed a pound and a half and I could have done without it, but it was nice on evenings when there were trees around. Phil's sleeping bag wasn't quite warm enough on the coldest nights, so it was also useful as a supplementary blanket from time to time.
I'm thinking about doing a cross country or at least a ride from the west coast home to Des Moines.
04-23-17 | 10:50 PM
#84
Bike Butcher of Portland
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 12,492
Likes: 8,059
From: Portland, OR
Bikes: It's complicated.
How did you like the handling of the bike? You had most of the weight centered over the front wheel which is a bit unusual. Is there a reason why you chose not to use rear panniers? I've been thinking of using a carradice camper in the rear and front panniers on low riders. I like how the bike handles with low riders and the camper is roughly the weight of a rear rack so it's a decent trade off weight wise. I've been thinking of getting an enlightened equiprment quilt as well.
I'm thinking about doing a cross country or at least a ride from the west coast home to Des Moines.
I'm thinking about doing a cross country or at least a ride from the west coast home to Des Moines.
8 out of 10 of these bikes are headed out with low trail on a trip last year. Some of the riders mounted their lightweight, bulky sleeping pad in the back. I put a 3 lb tent in the back of mine (middle of the picture with khaki panniers)
__________________
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
04-24-17 | 06:40 AM
#85
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 21,842
Likes: 5,804
From: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
I'll butt in and say that loading over the front wheel is extremely under-rated. I carried a tent, sleeping bag, and gear like that for a 3 day trip, and would do it for a 7 day, month long, or cross country trip. With a low trail setup, and loaded down in the front, you can stand and climb without the "tail wagging the dog" that you get when loaded in the back.
8 out of 10 of these bikes are headed out with low trail on a trip last year. Some of the riders mounted their lightweight, bulky sleeping pad in the back. I put a 3 lb tent in the back of mine (middle of the picture with khaki panniers)
8 out of 10 of these bikes are headed out with low trail on a trip last year. Some of the riders mounted their lightweight, bulky sleeping pad in the back. I put a 3 lb tent in the back of mine (middle of the picture with khaki panniers)
Last edited by bikemig; 04-24-17 at 06:45 AM.
04-24-17 | 08:11 AM
#86
Bike Butcher of Portland
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 12,492
Likes: 8,059
From: Portland, OR
Bikes: It's complicated.
Time is what I need. There's no way I an take off 2 months to cross the country in my current job. I can schedule a week one trip no problem, two is even possible with a long heads up. Three? At that point SWMBO would be asking why I'm using most of my vacation time away from the family...
__________________
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
04-24-17 | 08:24 AM
#87
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 21,842
Likes: 5,804
From: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
Time is what I need. There's no way I an take off 2 months to cross the country in my current job. I can schedule a week one trip no problem, two is even possible with a long heads up. Three? At that point SWMBO would be asking why I'm using most of my vacation time away from the family...
04-24-17 | 08:39 AM
#88
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,060
Likes: 943
From: Washington County, Vermont, USA
Bikes: 1973-4 Gitane Tour de France, early 1970's Lejeune, 1970 Italvega Super Speciale, 2010 Surly Long Haul Trucker 26
How did you like the handling of the bike? You had most of the weight centered over the front wheel which is a bit unusual. Is there a reason why you chose not to use rear panniers? I've been thinking of using a carradice camper in the rear and front panniers on low riders. I like how the bike handles with low riders and the camper is roughly the weight of a rear rack so it's a decent trade off weight wise. I've been thinking of getting an enlightened equiprment quilt as well.
I'm thinking about doing a cross country or at least a ride from the west coast home to Des Moines.
I'm thinking about doing a cross country or at least a ride from the west coast home to Des Moines.
Long story short, the bike handled really well once I got the side-to-side weight distribution right. The steering was "heavy," but the bike went where you pointed it and held a straight line well. I would guess that I had 1/3 of the weight in the rear and 2/3 in front most of the time. That might have been closer to 1/2 and 1/2 when we were carrying a gallon of water apiece, since I kept my extra bottles in the trunk bag.
There was no tendency for the bike to wobble when climbing out of the saddle, as I sometimes did to give my weary ass a short break. I would use the same system again.
One minor drawback is that the front wheel tended to flop around when you went to lean it against a wall or some such. I have a good-sized scrape on one seatstay from a time when I forgot to account for that.
Also, I think that rear panniers are more forgiving in terms of side-to-side weight distribution. Phil actually lost one of his panniers near Warrenton, Tex., and didn't even notice until Dave, a friend who rode with us for a week, pointed it out. (Maybe the fact that he was on a recumbent had some bearing on this?)
Anyway, he went back ten miles and searched both sides of the road, but never found it. All his clothes and tools were gone. We had to stop at the Wal-Mart in Brenham the next day and buy him a bunch of new clothes, plus a soft-sided 24-pack cooler that he zip-tied to the rack in place of the missing pannier. He rode the last 1,200 miles with that picturesque setup. (You can see it in the last photo in post 62.)
__________________
www.redclovercomponents.com
"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
www.redclovercomponents.com
"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
Last edited by jonwvara; 04-24-17 at 08:52 AM.
04-24-17 | 08:46 AM
#89
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,060
Likes: 943
From: Washington County, Vermont, USA
Bikes: 1973-4 Gitane Tour de France, early 1970's Lejeune, 1970 Italvega Super Speciale, 2010 Surly Long Haul Trucker 26
I hear you; time is tough. I did the northern tier in '97. Pretty much everyone I met doing the crossing was either in their 20s or retired. Lots of retirees actually. I'm getting the itch to do another though. I'm thinking more of a west coast to Des Moines ride; the west is the best part of the crossing by a long shot and this way you maximize the good stuff (mtns out west, Black Hills SD, sandhills NE, etc). It doesn't get boring until you hit IA and then you're almost done,
At a restaurant in Fort Hancock, Texas, we were talking to a couple of nice older women (that is, they were about our age) and one of them asked why we were doing the ride. I said "It's just something guys do once they're so old that they're no longer of any use at home." They laughed and laughed and slapped their knees and and laughed some more--much more, I thought, than the remark really warranted. I think they read more into it than I had intended.
__________________
www.redclovercomponents.com
"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
www.redclovercomponents.com
"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
04-24-17 | 09:07 AM
#90
Freewheel Medic
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 13,578
Likes: 3,327
From: An Island on the Coast of GA!
Bikes: Snazzy* Schwinns, Classy Cannondales & a Super Pro Aero Lotus (* Ed.)
Still a lot of people in their 60s doing the ride.
At a restaurant in Fort Hancock, Texas, we were talking to a couple of nice older women (that is, they were about our age) and one of them asked why we were doing the ride. I said "It's just something guys do once they're so old that they're no longer of any use at home." They laughed and laughed and slapped their knees and and laughed some more--much more, I thought, than the remark really warranted. I think they read more into it than I had intended.
At a restaurant in Fort Hancock, Texas, we were talking to a couple of nice older women (that is, they were about our age) and one of them asked why we were doing the ride. I said "It's just something guys do once they're so old that they're no longer of any use at home." They laughed and laughed and slapped their knees and and laughed some more--much more, I thought, than the remark really warranted. I think they read more into it than I had intended.
__________________
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
04-24-17 | 09:13 AM
#91
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 21,842
Likes: 5,804
From: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
Still a lot of people in their 60s doing the ride.
At a restaurant in Fort Hancock, Texas, we were talking to a couple of nice older women (that is, they were about our age) and one of them asked why we were doing the ride. I said "It's just something guys do once they're so old that they're no longer of any use at home." They laughed and laughed and slapped their knees and and laughed some more--much more, I thought, than the remark really warranted. I think they read more into it than I had intended.
At a restaurant in Fort Hancock, Texas, we were talking to a couple of nice older women (that is, they were about our age) and one of them asked why we were doing the ride. I said "It's just something guys do once they're so old that they're no longer of any use at home." They laughed and laughed and slapped their knees and and laughed some more--much more, I thought, than the remark really warranted. I think they read more into it than I had intended.
) but this thread is getting me motivated.
