Stupid Newbie question:

I've received a private message. But when I try to access and read it I get a "The administrator has restricted use of the private message system to members with less than 10 posts." message.

So...(1) how do I read my private messages and (2) how do I contact an ADMIN to discuss?

Make up as many more quick relevant post on useful subjects, once you pass the requI8red 10 messages, which you CAN DO TODAY, YOU WILL GET ACCESS TO YOUR MESSAGE.

Ricrunner,

I understand how the forum is suppose to work. Unfortunately it is not functioning correctly. Yesterday I started the day with 8 posts, I posted 5 messages (I know this because it wouldn't let me post a 6th message, which is apparently another newbie limitation), for a total of 13 posts. Yet after posting 13 messages, I'm still receiving the "The administrator has restricted use of the private message system to members with less than 10 posts."

This morning, the forum claimed I've only posted 9 messages....

I wrote a book about it
 

creditcardbiketouring.com

My best advice:

• Spend some time each evening planning the next day: which roads to take, where to eat lunch, where to stay the night. Leave open for various alternatives.
• Be kind to yourself
• Take a day off at least once every week
• Take a break every second hour or so, have a coffee and something sweet, enjoy the view
• Don’t push your biking into the evening and dark, the last hour you bike each day is much harder than the first hour
• Eat well
• Be careful with that alcohol
• Lock your bike and stay close to your stuff

stands
 

Racing bikes and higher end bikes dont have kick stands because the tubing is so thin on a light weight bike a kick stand will crush or deform your chain stays.....many manufactures will recommend not to install one on the chain stays........if you have an expensive ultra light dont do it...........use the stands that mount to the rear axle if you must

touring bikes
 

In 1959 my older brother bought a new Schwinn Black Phanthom....[a big beach cruiser].......in 1962 when I turned 12 I got it handed down to me......I stripped off the fenders and tank and chainguard and rode it from sun up to sundown literally.....my wheels of freedom.......there was a bunch of us boomers and if you didnt have a bike you couldnt hang out with the gang....if you had a flat your life was ruined........for the next three or four years we toured all over lower Michigan........the great lakes lakeshores state parks fishing hunting camping out to the beach.....spring summer fall....we did 60 or 100 miles a day without thinking....all of us could peddle all day long.......I tied my waxed canvas backpack on my rear rack....sleeping bag to my seat .....my ww2 army canteen wired to the side of the rack and I had one of those aluminium lunch boxes wired to my handle bars.......eight peanut butter sandwiches two apples two bananas and a bag of peanuts...my pocket knife and four of five dollars in my pocket I would be good for a week at least.............when I turned 15 I got a real touring bike .....a 1965 Schwinn Varsity........10 speed !..........of course now I have a Miyata 1000 and for backup I have another Miyata 1000. and a LHT....but the moral is ......its not about the bike at all.........

Yes, and no - in my situation (already about 70), I don’t have as much time as you did to experiment to arrive at your final setup for touring. Given that you have two of them, obviously they must be satisfactory for your needs - better than other options. 😉

I do have a few possibilities among bicycles I already own and I am starting to think which one I should modify and to what degree.
At this point, Trek’s old touring bike ought to my first pick, which hasn’t been used in a couple of decades. Rather than using old or similar components as the bike came with, I’m more inclined to change them to newer counterpart, keeping in mind their ability to withstand extra loads.