jargo432

I'm leaving on June 8th for my trip so I did an overnighter this weekend and here are the things I learned. (some funny some not)

1. It really helps to see in the dark if you bring a flashlight.
2. Bring shower shoes
3. Be careful who you talk to, some people never shut up.
4. You can't have too much padding between you and the rocks.
5. (this is a biggie) Watch where you ride. I ran over a thick piece of wire, it kicked up into my spokes on the rear tire and caused a mess. One spoke broke, one bent, and the derailleur is suspect. (couldn't find any damage yet, but need to check it when I get the wheel back from the shop)

Overall, good practice run.

treebound 

If you suspect that the derailleur got whacked then see if you can find a friend or shop with a hanger alignment tool. Really helps to get things back in sync.
Park Tool Co. » Park Tool Co.

Apart from that, sounds like the trial run was good for figuring things out.

timdow

Shakedown trip is a very good idea. You might consider a headlamp instead of a flashlight. That way you can use if you have to ride after dark on your helmet, and also for reading after dark in camp.

Bummer on the broken spokes. Should be able to fix it OK.

veganbikes

Forget the flashlight get a headlamp (the Black Diamond Storm is a great deal) that way you have your hands free because if you need light you probably need your hands!

Also why would you need padding between the rocks? Unless your hammock isn't properly suspended you shouldn't ever feel any rocks ; )

If you sleeping on the ground like a caveperson I suggest the Sea to Summit pads. They are new from StS but super comfortable and you can get various models but one is almost like two pads in one so if one pad gets punctured you still have a pad and it also gives you more cushioning from rocks. I could talk on and on about them but I suggest going down to your local outfitter and trying them out.

Glad you had fun and learned some good things! Have a blast on your June trip!

indyfabz

+3 on the headlamp. In addition to what others mention, it can double as a front light. My last two tours across PA featured five unlit tunnels, one of which was over a mile long. Wore the headlamp just under the helmet. Worked fine.

A cheap pair of flip flops for the shower. They weigh nothing and can take up no pannier capacity. I position mine under the bungees cords that hold the tent to the rear rack.

Yeah. Some people don't know when to quit. A few years ago I got "accosted" by a trail monitor on the GAP while I was reading before bed. After 20 min. of his incessant talk, which included some sexists comments, I finally had to tell him that I wanted to get back to my book.

bikenh

Wrong...you need to be more selective in where you camp. Don't be sleeping on rocks unless you want the rocks to be poking into you at night. It all comes down to campsite choice.

staehpj1

On the light choices...

I am probably weird on this one, but I found that I almost never bothered to dig out a flashlight or headlamp. I wound up doing without most of the time. So I started carrying a tiny eGear Pico light on a cord around my neck. It is inexpensive (<$10), light (0.2 oz.), and I find it plenty bright. I typically use it no more than a few times per day for 5-15 seconds at a time, so the battery lasts me longer than my longest tours (even coast to coast ones). It is usually the only light that I take other than a small, light, cheap blinkie for the back of the bike.

On the other hand, if you use a light a lot more than I do, headlamps are probably more convenient than flashlights.

staehpj1

The Sea to Summit pads look interesting, but I have not tried them so I can't say much about them.

I will say that the Thermarest NeoAir xLite is super light, extremely comfortable, and packs really small. It is quite durable if you use it with care. I have done quite a few tours with mine as well as a good bit of backpacking and it has been comfortable and trouble free. It is on the expensive side, but worth it IMO.

B. Carfree

Back when my wife and I bought our first tandem in the late '80s, we took it out on a 500 mile shakedown ride prior to a planned 4000 mile trip. Unfortunately, our builder neglected to tell us that he hadn't built our wheels yet and had put the wheels from his quad on our bike. (He had recently ridden the quad across the country in less than two weeks, so those wheels had seen some action.)

We limped into a town around Clearlake, CA with two broken spokes. A hilarious scene then unfolded as I had no idea how to remove the disc brake driver and neither did the mechanic at the bike shop. We eventually found the phone number of the builder who laughed at us for not figuring out that we just needed to apply the brake fully and roll the bike backwards. Thankfully, our new wheels were ready for us when we got back home and we've never broken a spoke since.

Shake-down tours are a really good idea. In our case, we purposely selected lots of unpaved roads with steep grades. Then, on our planned trip we felt much more confident about leaving the paved roads behind when traffic became annoying. That really opened up a lot of beautiful sights.

mijome07

Forget this and mount a flashlight on your helmet. This is not your cheap, run-of-the-mill LED light.

stevepusser

Really? How do you propose to do any reading in the tent or cook a meal after dark? Wear a helmet to bed and try to bend the light down at a steep angle? Strap the flashlight to the top of your skull?

A headlamp is much more versatile, and you can get some that are just as bright as a flamethrower LED flashlight, if that's your thang.

jargo432

I ended up buying a bike light that doubles as a personal flashlight. That way if I get caught having to ride in the dark I can avoid thick wires with a target on my spokes.

veganbikes

Agreed. Petzl makes one that is over 700 lumens which kills over kill for most touring purposes.

Also @mijome07 My front light is not a cheap run of the mill POS, it is a Niterider Lumina 650 and is plenty bright for riding. My headlamp currently is an older model Black Diamond ReVolt (100 lumens or so) The flashlight you have looks like one of the ones from the bulk ammo magazines, just sayin' (I have one that is why I know)

I wouldn't want a heavy flash light on the head anyway. I would stick with one really high quality bright set of lights (either USB charged or Dynamo powered) on the bike, a second set (either USB or battery) again on the bike and then if I felt like I needed more lighting I might put a set of lightweight stuff on the helmet but that would be the last place. Your bike is going in the direction it is going but your head will swivel at times and if I was driving I don't give a patootie about where your head is but where your bike is going.

indyfabz

Hmmm. I see a new thread in that: "Need Advise on Wearing a Helmet When Sleeping" For those of you who camp while touring, do you wear your bike helmet when you bed down for the night? I was thinking it could be useful in the event my tent were picked up by a tornado. But I am worried that I might poke a hole in my expensive air mattress. Any ideas?

treebound 

Light mounted to helmet, helmet hanging from chin strap from the inside top of the tent, virtual living room lamp.

mijome07

No doubt headlamps are good. But if I have what is pictured above, the headlamp becomes redundant (for me). The light is detachable you know.

I'm not doubting you have a good light on the bike. That's good. Why so defensive? I made that remark referring to not getting a cheap one at Wal Mart. I don't even shop there (for many reasons).

Assumptions. That light is/was light. And I had another one mounted on the bike.

Now you're thinking. Many ways to use this on and off the helmet.

If people wanna use a headlamp, then knock yourself out. There are other options/alternatives.

Rob_E

My headlamp has been MIA for a year. I know it's around here somewhere, but I'm about to break down and buy a new one. It was very handy.

But I also enjoy my current solution. I got a little flashlight that expands into a little camp lantern at Eddie Bauer. It looks similar to this (and may be the exact same thing rebranded): INGEAR High Output 200 Lumen Lantern Flashlight with Batteries Included! Essential for Camping, Hiking, Backpacking, Indoor & Outdoor Activities - Weather Resistant & Durable-o-ring Weather Sealed - - 100% 1 Year Warranty Guarantee! | Amazon.com: Out

In combination with my twofish light mount I now have a headlight, a flashlight, and lantern. https://www.amazon.com/Two-Fish-Lockb...ish+flashlight

staehpj1

I don't go with a helmet mounted flashlight, but the same question could be asked of my minimal setup so I'll answer too.

I typically finish riding for the day fairly early and turn in for the night at or a little before dark. So I rarely read in the tent after dark. In fact on most tours I don't read much at all, but when I do it is most often by listening to audio books. I have sometimes taken a paper book or a kindle, but typically read while it is still light when I do.

For cooking, I find a 5 second peek once in a while to be sure I am not scorching dinner is sufficient. That said more often than not I cook and eat dinner before dark. I do eat first breakfast in the dark, but it is pretty often just a granola bar or instant oatmeal.

mijome07

Besides the flashlights, I also got a 10 LED USB light I can use at night around camp. Great for inside the tent. I got 2 e-book readers. One doesn't have a backlight display and the other does, which doubles as a way to watch movies, how-to videos, etc.

Everything electronic I have runs on AA batteries and I got 2 chargers, which are charged via solar panel. Another hobby of mine is radio communications and will take this small; light gear as well to test.

veganbikes

Maybe I was a bit harsh. Mah bad. Though mounting a flashlight to the helmet is a bit silly when a headlamp is far superior : )

mijome07

No problem. I wasn't bothered by it. I been using that setup for years. That photo is actually 5 years old. It works for me. Nothing silly in that.

chandltp

I like that mount. I use a flashlight with two velcro strips, but not fast to put back on due to aiming it properly. How well does that stay aimed? Do you have a link to that mount?

mijome07

The helmet I got has the ability to aim the light multiple angles. Once I have it mounted, it doesn't move. We all know velcro doesn't last forever, but I've had this mount for 5 years with no problems (yet).

I'm aware of the TwoFish mounts. This is a cheap (as in $$) Chinese knock-off I got from eBay. Do a search for velcro flashlight mounts. Recently saw a listing for 2 @ $3 shipped (or close to it).

DropBarFan

Wise decision to do the shakedown run eh? I walk/bike a lot on flip-flops but as shower shoes they can be quite slippery. Once went to a fog-bound campground & could barely find the shower/WC hut even with a flashlight. BTW funny thing about campers is that you'd expect them to mostly wake up with the sunrise but while car or bike camping I'm always the 1st to wake up for shower. Bad luck about running over the wire. Even tiny little wire bits from truck etc tires can cause flats on normally tough tires. Once read about a X-country skier who ran over a tree limb that speared her leg causing need for emergency medevac.

Foam pads for sleeping bags don't do so well in rocky areas, even little rocks can poke thru.