sumgy

And some pics from a trip along our local rail trail outside of Brisbane, Australia.
330km round trip, which I decided to do on my singlespeed.

th0

Just back from a short weekend trip to Montauk.
https://imgur.com/a/lBeZzBp

Got 2 flats, first one was near a bike shop so got it fixed pretty easily, the other one, was 6 miles from one, so wanted to fix myself, and it went well until I had to pop the Continental Tire back on. Just wouldnt go. So ended up taking an uber to bikeshop. Turned out the first shop didnt catch the big cut in the tire and it popped the replacement tube.

All in all, a good trip besides these 2 popped tires. must have driven of some sharp piece of metal I think.

Slept at Sears Bellow County Park, pretty good spot, has warm showers.

djb

th0, practice repairing flats, and especially doing a proper tire inspection pre and post tube change.
Pretty important to be self sufficient and to know what to look for with little bits of wire or glass that can be imbedded, yet hidden in a tire if you aren't methodical.

th0

I know how to repair flats this one was just not going on. even the guy in the bikeshop said it was a tough one, he tried before he put on a new one.
maybe Ill get some crankbrother levers, I was told those are good for these very tight ones

stardognine

I had some levers made by SunRace before, that were excellent. Nice polished aluminum, so strong & light. A shame, they were boosted from my bar bag a good while back, and I've never seen them for sale again. 😩

djb

A friend of mine has a bike with a certain rim/ tire combo that is a real bugger to get the tires on the rim. She has Pedros tire levers, super super strong. I bought myself a pair just to have around for tough cases, and they won't break like thinner ones.

One trick I always recommend is the old pedal strap technique.
Look up on YouTube, how to get marathons on a wheel, something like that, and a British guy shows it. Really makes the difference with hard to get on tires.

Here's the link, will help immensely for hard to get on tires, just remember the concept, it works.
Tire bead pushed down into well of the rim, gains you that little bit needed....

https://youtu.be/-XUFVrl0UT4

Doug64

The method you recommended for mounting tires is excellent. My wife and I taught a bike maintenance course and she would demonstrate fixing a flat tire. She could mount most tires onto the rim without the use of any tools using the technique described in the video. For most tires the pedal strap is not needed, as long as the tire is pinched toward the center of the rim , and pulled forward as you work around the rim from both sides.

We did have some Continental tires that were really difficult to mount. I was not sure whether it was the tires or the rims we were using at the time. We also did not know about the method shown in the video at the time.

djb

my friends bike had some tough Continental on it, some touring somethingorother. Really tough sidewall tire if I recall. It had seemed low on a ride we did, and suspecting a slow leak, I offered back home to look at the tube under water, but boy it was a bear to get back on. Her husband pulled out the Pedros levers and being a strong guy, just levered the heck out of it and got it on. Impressed me to no end though that the levers stood up to the rather forceful prying he did and didnt snap.
They are reasonably priced also, but seem to come in pairs, not three (which I prefer), but you can see that they are very strongly designed.

Doug64

Ontario


Alberta -- We were wondering what the barricades in front of us were all about......


We soon found out.

djb

Hi Doug, it's all fun and games until you sail off the edge of the world!


Quite the washout, and very neat how you just don't see it from afar.

indyfabz

Acid mine damage along the GAP.

TimothyH

-Tim-

stardognine

Sometimes, ya need AIR brakes. 😁

indyfabz

Hobbit Shower at the GAP Trail Campground in West Newton, PA. Those are real plants. Great facility.

djb

Tim, I would have seen that flic at the movies when it came out in 77.
If I was an Alberta kid with a junker of a car, I'd probably think (just think) of how me and my pals could skooch over those cement blocks, rig up a ramp and give her a try....

(just watched a youtube clip of the Bandit jump scene, and man o man, wasn't racism fun back in the 70s???--Jackie Gleason character......)

stardognine

Back in the mid-70s, everyone was a little crazy anyways. At around 14 & 15, I was driving pretty regularly (alcoholic step-dad, lol), and once you added any drugs or alcohol, it got a little crazier yet. 😁 Anyways, I had an old VW bug, primer gray, that ran pretty good. We used to jump a certain set of railroad tracks, that sat at the top of a hill, called "Lover's Leap", what else (?).
I won't claim I got as much air as Burt, but the other guys all said we got serious air. And that's about all a dumbass 15 year-old can hope for, huh? 🙄😁

str

Beautiful pictures from Vietnam....

str

Georgia, Caucasus

gorideabicycle

Here's some photos from my first bike tour about 5 years ago. We decided to bike across the state with our 80s Trek bicycles with skinny tires. I rode a 1987 Trek 400t Elance, another friend rode a 1984 Trek 420, and the other rode a newer Specialized. The Specialized sustained numerous mechanical issues but the classic Treks did great!

Thanks for looking!

Stats:
460 miles from Westport, WA to Lewiston, ID
6 days of riding
Average 76 miles per day
35 hours and 7 minutes of time on the bike
13.1 mph average speed


Planning the route


Rest stop at a park near Olympia, WA


Climbing White Pass!


Going down the other side. The road was blocked off to automobiles so we had 11 miles of downhill, car-free bliss!


Evergreen trees giving way to the dry side of the state.


Not as much to see out here! But still beautiful!


Made it to Palouse Falls State Park!


The waterfall.


Sunset!


The end of our journey in Idaho!

I'll post pics from my second bike tour around the Olympic Peninsula at a later date.

sumgy

Thanks str

Happy Feet

You guys are raising the bar! Good shots

TimothyH

No kidding. This thread makes me want to call in sick tomorrow.

indyfabz

The fog of tour on the GAP.

indyfabz

Flutterby.

professorbob

Niel, I want so much to click “like”!