Tandem Tom

After we arrived home last weekend from a 6 week tour in Canada it was time for some chores! Today I took the drive train and wheels up to the LBS where I have shop privileges and cleaned up everything and re-trued the wheels. Just have to clean the frames and put everything back together.
Next up was washing the tent. I ordered some Tech Wash that was recommended by Big Agnes. So filled up the bathtub and washed everything 2x's rinsed well and hung it on the deck to dry. We then wrestled the air mattress into the tub of water to locate a sdlow leak. Fortunately it was on !y wife's and I never touched the ground! Found it and it will get patched tomorrow. Going to replace the guy lines on the tent fly with bright orange cord to keep from tripping.
Also tomorrow I will install the fenders and a rear rack along with some new 32mm tires on our tandem. We are heading bout for a 5 day ride on the GAP. We rode vit this Spring down to DC but we have never ridden our tandem on the trail. So we will head out for a Fall colors ride.

djb

re tent guy lines, they do sell some with little bits of reflective stuff in/on them so your flashlight reflects back. If you are trip prone, they are kinda neat as they really show up with the reflecting.

staehpj1

Plus one on the tent guy lines with the reflectorized stuff. They work really well in the dark with even a very dim flashlight where orange doesn't really show up that well.

I have to say that I am puzzled by the comments about washing the tent. It never occurred to me that tents needed washing other than maybe a fairly rare hosing off of the mud on the bottom with plain water.

Enjoy the GAP Fall colors ride. It should be stunning if you catch the colors anywhere near their peak.

djb

another puzzler here for tent washing. The worst Ive ever seen a tent of ours is when I lent my old tent for a scouts trip, and it rained a lot, tent got muddy, and the kids just kinda rolled it all up in a wet muddy ball after probably stepping on with muddy boots--I had to take a wet cloth with soapy water to that one, but that was a first in all my lifetime of camping.
Yes, the bottom of a tent has had to be wiped a bit a few times, but the mud/dirt generally brushes off after dry.
So doofus scouts kids aside, never had a tent that dirty that it had to be actually cleaned.

mdilthey

Mirazyme for everything. It works. Better than soap and water because the microbes actually eat odor-causing stuff.

Works great on my bike shoes and gloves, too.

fietsbob

Getting the Jotul Gas heating stove in the house to fire up, after turning off the pilot light for Months ,

with out paying $115 for the service call to do it For Me.

After My long tour I was already Boxed up , [stuff in storage] so I Moved to another town.

I liked the Seasides of the Irish And Scottish Coast, so I moved to the Oregon Coast when I came Back.

sam21fire

Don't forget the most important chore...beginning plans for the next tour!