One other great use of a sarong is a mini shower stall --- In South East Asia you'll see everyone from road crews to farmers to taxi drivers taking their noon wash-ups in the nearest stream wearing these things - modesty is preserved, everyone gets clean and the light cotton things dry in no time by just wringing out the "skirt" by hand while you are wearing it.

Well, I guess 'clean' is a relative term.

Greg,

In your pics at crazyguyonbike,

-- How did you attach your review mirror?
-- Where did you find that cargo box?
-- What is holding your iPod?
-- Who made your handlebar bag?

It's a Serratus.

The easiest way to get a bike box is to just grab one out of the dumpster. I was always amazed when i worked at the bike shop, we'd charge people for abox they could have grabbed out of recycling for free!

Just get warm water out of the faucet for your oatmeal, I have toured plenty and one thing that I am not is picky when it comes to food on a tour.

[QUOTE= always bring some antibiotic ointment with you.

David in PA[/QUOTE]

zinc oxide, or the stuff that life guards put on their noses, is both an antibiotic or can double as a sunscreen, especially for burned/exposed areas. I love the double use of this stuff, and a little tube of it always sits in my gear.

I always carry a sarong too. It has multiple uses - towel, a ground cloth, a sheet. In the desert I wet it and wrap it around me to keep me cool. If its cold, I shove it in my pants, shirt, or jacket to provide extra insulation. I throw it over my shoulders or over my head (secured with a bandana) to wear a-la Saudi headress style for some sun protection. Do I look like an idiot? Yeah, probably for about two seconds, but then again that might be due to my long lean frame and an occasional beard that might make me look a little like Osama. Oh, and then it can always be used as a fashionable wrap. Can anyone say "toga!?"

Most bicycle shops I've encountered just give me a box when I go in and ask. The only places that charge are airports.

one trick i cant seem to find in the forums is, how to weight the bike


like are front paniers(sp?) needed? do you run like 20% weight front and 80% back? or 50%50% or 60%40% or 40%60%?


help would be awsome (wanna know if i need front paniers for my bike trip, or if i can just pile everything on the back and hope for the best)

Good question, I also need to know this as I always use to use only the rear bags as I never carried more than 15 kg. As I got fitter more spokes broke as I hit bumps on the road at a higher speed. I am now going to ride Venice to London over the Alps and want to spread the load as I can imagine climbing all day and having all the load on the rear will be hampering my climb. So what is the ratio ?? 40 to 60% on the rear I suspect but would appreciate the stats from some one who has tried and tested this...

I used to have only rear panniers. When going up to the hill it make riding very uncomfortable. Last year I divided the weight about 30% to front and 70% to back. The going was much more comfortable and stabile.At the front you really have to make sure that both sides has equaly weight. Otherwise you need too much strength to go straight.

Well, google don't know what is dirolites. So what is it?

its a notepad that you can write your shopping list on

ROFL
I thought they were some sort of pills

Yes they are some sort of pills. Minerals that get flushed out of the system, on tours, we drink plenty, sweat and pedal plenty. At the end of the day the minerals get flushed out of the system and those minerals are needed in the chemicals in the brain to ensure connection with the part that decides what needs to be done to achieve something and putting it into motion. A friend of mine who was in the special forces tipped me off with this as after a long day of carrying their heavy packs running around etc. having these pills made a difference between life or death for them. In their position they could not afford to be in vacant position in their heads. I tried this and it made a world of difference, for many years when I use to think I had a bit of a sunstroke, after telling my friend this story he put me right and since then I never suffered .

I do not know in your country what they call this but any good chemist will tell you. Normally this is prescribe to people who have had chronic diarrhoea, where all their body fluids have been constantly been flushed out. They are given Imoudioum for the diarrhoea and the Dioralyte to restore the minerals in the body. Hope this helps... it is really worth having if you tour hard in the sun.

Sorry folks its my spelling no wonder google did not come up with anything. This is how it is spelled: Dioralyte, google this it comes up with whats it about...

Trailer wheel punct*re

a 700 tube doubled over will fit in a 16in trailer wheel to save patching by the side of the road.

found this out at the weekend

george

Ok, Understood.
If I use sport drinks during the ride, I think that Dioralyte will not be needed. What do you think?

Hey,


I haven't been on many tours, just one six-day ride and a lot of commuting, but from what I've read about the weight distribution is that more weight is put up front. I did my ride like that. I was probably close to 70:30 but I think most people say 60 in the front 40 in the back. Of course being as even on both sides as possible.
I like the way the bike felt with more of the weight in the front. I don’t have rear panniers yet, so everything in the back was just strapped down to the rack (that’s why I wasn’t able to get it to 60:40) the steering was very smooth and on long straight stretches of road I didn’t have to make small steering corrections. It just went straight.

Sport drinks kipibenkipod, never use them, I think the sugar hit in them gives you the needed boost, but what goes up comes down and the down is lower than where you were before. good on the last stint home. I use dry figs, the natural sugars give you the straight hit needed then by the time that wears off the carbs kick in. I would try the Dioralyte on its own then compare the two methods and post a reply as it would be interesting to know..

Yes Dar agreed, I tried the 60/40 and what adifference to the bike, very much in control and found it much easier to climb, also you can section stuff out, I got the kitchen in the 2 fronts so it makes it easier to stop and have a brew whilst admiring some special view.

Old bike tire tubes make excellent bungee cords. I've used some, with the ends from worn out bungee cords, for many years. They don't lose their elasticity and they don't tear easily.

camel bak = like, but not for longrides
handlebar bag = never figured out what i would use it for if i had a camel bak

result... the first (well most likely not) camel bar. bladder in the handlebar bag, food, leatherman, wallet, and map... works like a charm (its been 4 days and 510km and its still working great)


i suggest putting your water bladder in your handlebar bag (if you are like me and prefer drinking from the bag and not a bottle)

A guy I ride with puts the bladder from a small Camelback in the middle back-pocket of his jersey, with the hose coming over his shoulder and clipped to a place he can use it no-hands. Works great for him.

I carry a 11x17 padded shipping envelope (the plastic ones, with the "bubble wrap" inside). They have many uses:
- A cushion, great for sitting next to the campfire. It also insulates your rear end if the ground is cold.
- A cooler, great for keeping that end-of-the-day 6 pack cold from the depanneur to the campsite.
- A thermal insulator, great for preventing certain things on hot days(insulin comes to mind) from becoming too hot.
- A padded protector for sensitive equipment like SLR camera lenses, etc.
- You can also fold it and slip it under your Thermarest when your tent is on a less than perfect surface.

The envelope I use is a Jiffy Tuffguard cushioned mailer #6 from Sealed Air Corp.

I'm sure you can come up with other creative uses...

Firestarting tip.

Dip a cotton swab into vaseline, then put it in a ziploc bag. Repeat. When you have many in there, smoosh them so that the vaseline is spread out.

To start your campfire, just put 4-5 cotton balls under your kindling wood and light them. They'll burn surprisingly long. No need for newspapers for starting the fire.