Tag Archives: touring

Keegan’s Adventures: Part Deux

NYC Velo is proud to publish Chapter 2 of Keegan’s recent adventure, read on:

Yesterday, I set off to construct the frame bag that would be an integral piece of gear for this trip. I decided to make it myself for two reasons: (a) I had roughly $10 I could spend, so to purchase one new from the handful of small operations that would even sell me something like this would have set me back $150 or more and so was definitely out of the question (b) The second reason had little to do with anything other than my wanting to prove to myself yet again that, when given the right amount of thought, the proper tools and some elbow grease, I’m pretty much capable of doing whatever I put my mind to. There may have also been a small bit of egotism in there as well. I’m not as immune to such narcissistic pleasures as I would prefer, but I do know that all I had to do for a compliment was to roll in to the bike shop today and lean my bike by the door (as of course, everyone loves my newly refurbished bike as much as I do :p )

Anyway, most of the morning was spent scheming and brainstorming. How many zippers did I want? Should I make the dividers vertical or horizontal? How much velcro is too much? Will this material hold up to all the weight I’m planning on loading it with? After much deliberation, decisions were made and templates were finalized. Then, after reading and re-reading the user’s manual of this crazy, new fangled “sewing computer” I was generously given permission to use, there was some sewing, followed by some seam ripping, some cursing, and a bit more cutting and more sewing. When the dust finally settled I emerged victorious, with my slightly misshapen and handmade custom frame bag. And when I strapped it on, it even fit in my frame like it was meant to – I love it when that happens.

After spending $8.00 on the velcro and zipper for my bag and $7.00 for 2 tubes, replacement cables and patches, I was close to being set to go. At a grand total of $15.00 spent on the trip so far, I wasn’t doing too badly either. I was also fortunate enough to arrange for my mother to hand deliver a bunch of my cycling gear from home that would be necessary for the trip (she and I met up last week unexpectedly, after illness brought us both to my grandparent’s house on short notice). Among the items acquired were my helmet, a multi tool, bib shorts and a 3 weeks supply of Clif bars, shots and blocks. Without her, and a seemingly endless pile of tasty organic fuel, this trip would be costing a hell of a lot more. Thanks mom!

With a place to stash my gear taken care of, I can’t help but shift my focus back to my bicycle. Now that I’ve had a chance to take it out on a few long-ish rides, there are still a couple things prodding at the back of my mind that may need to be taken care of before I embark. The gearing, for one, is decidedly more aggressive than I’d prefer for touring. With a 53-40 up front and a 5 speed 12-26 freewheel, things could get pretty miserable in the mountains. The tires, which were pretty nice when they were new, are about a decade old and dry rotted. I thought they might get me through alright, but as I’ve ridden them, a few chunks have fallen off, and more than one sizeable cut has appeared in them. It might be worth the cost if I can find some cheap, or even used tires somewhere in town. I also noticed that my handlebars are ever so slightly bent. I’ll have to keep my eye on them, but I think I’ll keep them for the time being, as the new asymmetric shape favors my left arm, which no longer extends all the way after an unfortunate walking accident.

I have also decided on the first part of my route. I will jump on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, and follow it all the way to it’s terminus roughly 380 miles northeast in Shenandoah National park. I figure it’ll be a much nicer way to get through NC and VA than riding through the endless maze of big box stores and urban sprawl that comprises most of the US this day and age. Being a national scenic roadway, it will also provide me with a respite from commercial traffic. The Blue Ridge Parkway snakes hundreds of miles along the spine of the Appalachian mountains. It was started as a project by the CCC in the depths of the Great Depression. The idea was to connect the Great Smokies and Shenandoah national parks. Construction on the roadway took more than 50 years, and when it was completed, the National Park Service was left with 469 miles of smooth, two-lane mountain blacktop edged by grassy shoulders. No stop signs, no traffic lights. From the BRP’s terminus, I will continue northeast on Skyline drive, which is really just a winding 105 mile extension of the BRP through Shenandoah national park. Once I descend the ridge and exit the park, I will be left to meander the remaining 350-ish miles north and pick my way around the multitude of major metropolitan centers that litter the eastern seaboard.

I have decided to give myself 3 weeks to complete the trip, so I can take the time to relax and actually see the countryside I am travelling in, instead of just rushing through it.

touring, Trips

5ive Points: Bruce Weber

Bruce Weber is slated for quite a journey: He’s Riding from Astoria, OR to Manhattan, leaving next week, on his Independent Fabrication titanium touring rig. Bruce has done this ride once before, on a lesser machine to be sure, and will be blogging about the journey on the New York Times website.

We had a great time working with Bruce on the equipment portion of his project and look forward to hearing the stories that his travels will weave. Be sure to check out his NYT posts for yourself, or catch him in 140 character bits at @nytbruceweber, good luck Bruce!

NYC Velo: What bike do you ride?
Bruce Weber: Up until now I’ve been riding treks. I have three of them, a road bike, a touring bike and a hybrid. But  for the cross country trip I’m starting I have a custom made designed by NYC velo with a titanium frame built by Independent Fabrication.

NYCV: What’s your favorite ride?
BW: I’ve got a couple of friends with houses in the Hamptons, one in water mill and one in amagansett. To go beach and woods roads from one to the other and back is about 35 miles.

NYCV: What’s your favorite post-ride food?
BW: Watermelon.

NYCV: What is one thing you always carry on a ride?
BW: A $20 bill and/or a credit card.

NYCV: What’s next?
BW: I’m on my way to the west coast to ride back to my apartment in Manhattan, a trip I’ll be flogging about for The New York Times.

 

 

5ive points, IF, independent fabrication, touring

Keegan’s Adventures

Prior to the return to NYC Velo of shop wrench/prodigal son Keegan, he did a bit o’travelling around the US of A. His recollection of the journey follows:

So, I find myself on this day in rural Western North Carolina. How I got here is a story for another day, but in short, I have been hitchhiking and backpacking around the southeastern US for the last few months, and like many fellow travelers, hobos, freeloaders and bums, I ended up landing in Asheville. It was very welcoming, even though my clothes were dirty and I may have smelled a little bit. It really is a nice little city. It appears to have an actual community of people supporting it, and not only that, it appears to be alive and thriving. You can see examples of this all over town. Art and music is everywhere. There is not a chain store to be seen in all of downtown (barring a single urban outfitters, which, from what I have been told, made quite a ruckus among the locals when it was allowed to move in). The people actually go outside. You can see them playing music on the sidewalk, walking in the park and doing yoga. You can find food grown within the city limits in the grocery store.

Anyway, I was wandering around downtown one day when I stumbled upon, or, I should say, overheard some hipsters discussing, and then spent the afternoon searching for, the local bike co-op. The Asheville Recyclery certainly isn’t relying on walk in traffic for their business as they are in the very back of the basement of the French Broad Food co-op and they have no sign to speak of. After I managed to find the place, I strolled in and got straight to work. 4-5 hours later, I emerged from the shop triumphant, wheeling my very own shiny new(read: 1970s era and covered in dirt and cobwebs) touring bicycle.

The original intent was to get my hands on a bicycle to use as a means of cheap, quick transportation around town while I was visiting, but as anyone who shares my love of cycling will know, once I actually took my new toy out for a spin, it didn’t take long to evolve into much more. I was getting that familiar itch and it wasn’t long before I was daydreaming about the next place I would go with my new wheels. This, combined with my boycott of air travel and a growing hatred for buses and trains led me to put two and two together. Instead of taking the bus, I would ride my bike back to New York city in a few weeks. I am planning on parking it there for the summer anyway, so, why not ride there? It’ll be the perfect segway back into the cycling community, as I am going to be picking up the wrench again at NYC Velo when I get back to there, and hell, I’m not doing much of anything right now anyway. And so a bike trip was born.

But wait, there’s still one problem, I’m broke. With less than $100 to my name, there would be no decking myself out with the latest and lightest touring gear. I’ll be able to afford food and some basic repair necessities, but not much else. This is not an undertaking I would recommend to someone who is new to cycling. Bicycle touring can be demanding even for a new bike. Riding long miles day after day in all types of weather and terrain puts a lot of strain on your equipment. Factor in the 15-20 extra pounds of gear I’m bringing and the fact that this bike is 35+ years old, and the likelihood for problems increases. It could be risky…if something breaks on the bike, I could end up stranded far from anywhere, left to my own devices to figure a way to the closest bike shop. It’s a good thing I’ve got plenty of devices. Being a larger rider and having very reckless tendencies on and off road, I have had my fair share of mechanical malfunctions far from home. I’ve used leaves and mud in place of a tire boot when my tire was gashed open by a surprisingly sharp rock. I’ve employed a stick and the bark of a nearby sapling to lash a broken frame back into something I could ride home. When a derailleur went missing once, I even performed a trailside singlespeed conversion in order to make it back to the car.

F*ck it, I’m going anyway I’ve never been the type to fret over things before they happen, and I’ve got applicable skills, right? A decade of bicycle repair? Check. A year or more of hitching around the US and Europe on almost no $? Yes. Having done my fair share of dumpster diving and other “creative” means of acquiring sustenance? Sure, couldn’t hurt. Combine that with my sub 10 pound camping setup and all I have to do is round up some fabric and borrow a friend’s sewing machine and I’ll have a custom frame bag to put it everything in. Oh, and I should probably get in shape…

Then I start thinking to myself, Why not make it MORE of a challenge. You know, for fun. Why not try and do the entire trip on $20-$30, including the cost of the bike and anything else I need to acquire for the 800 mile trip. That would REALLY give me an opportunity to put my DIY skills to use. Anyone care to make a wager?

touring, Trips

BOTW – Surly Long Haul Trucker

We’re starting a convoy! The ‘Trucker is quickly becoming a best-seller in the shop. Every time we put one on the floor, it sells before we can show it off!

If you haven’t seen one, check out this sweet build, which is also this week’s Bike Of The Week:

Honjo fenders and racks/panniers from Velo Orange

Bike of the Week, touring