BikeIdaho

Getting Groceries by Bike

tlp — Wed, 14 May 2014 22:25:00 +0000

One of the most frequently-cited examples I've heard people give for needing a car is the ability to haul home groceries. I haven't starved to death just yet, so I thought I'd share my secret! As of this month, May 2014, I've been using a bicycle as my primary mode of transportation for eight years, getting by pretty well without a car. It's not for everybody, nor is it practical in all cases, but it works for me and saves me a lot of money. It also alleviates the fear of becoming sedentary, which is my natural state of being.

My primary method of hauling home groceries is with two single compartment Ortlieb panniers, with a total capacity of 40 liters. These panniers can be left open at the top (when it's not raining) to carry a pretty impressive amount of cargo for a couple of bags on a bike. A single pannier can hold two gallons of milk, side by side, at the bottom, with plenty more space above. It can take some practice to pack these most efficiently, but it becomes routine after a while.

Since I'm only buying groceries for myself, this makes the pannier-only option more practical than if I had an entire family to feed. I do probably have to make more trips this way than someone stocking up their car trunk for a month's worth of food, but it's well within the realm of feasibility, especially when pragmatically combining a commute and a grocery trip. For years I used to pass my preferred grocery store (among others) twice per day, five days a week.

However, if I do feel like making one huge grocery trip, this is easily remedied with a simple cargo trailer. Even a child trailer will work. Pictured here is a fairly heavy (from the groceries), well-loaded Burley Nomad, which I've also used to bring home things like office chairs and LCD monitors. It's actually one of the smaller cargo trailers available, but it works pretty well.

Loading the trailer up this much is mostly a proof of concept, because I generally never feel the need to buy this much food at once, and I like the convenience of panniers. Unlike a trailer, you tend to always have them with you, which is convenient if you decide to pick something up on the way home. If there are two cyclists in your household, you might consider both riding to the store with a set of panniers each. If bulk-style grocery shopping fits you more, however, I encourage you to try hauling home some stuff in a child or cargo trailer.

The distance from me to the grocery store I prefer most has typically been about 2-3 miles, which makes it 4-6 miles round-trip. I'm fortunate enough to live near a less-preferred grocery store if I need something in a pinch and don't want to make the trip, but for a year I'd make weekly trips pretty regularly, even through the winter. I almost sometimes wish the other store weren't so close, because the prices and selection aren't nearly as good, and the temptation is great. It does save a bit on stress through the winter months, however, because there's always the option of using a messenger bag and my sneakers when the road conditions are really bad.

In short, I think bicycles are a lot more practical than people give them credit for!

Winter Strategy: Thoughts after six years of bicycling in the winter.

tlp — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 19:49:41 +0000

First, a few words about safety.

I've been a cyclist in Idaho for nearly seven years now, of which six I've ridden most days through the winter (including this year). Despite intuitions to the contrary, cycling in the winter is nearly as practical as it is through spring, summer and fall. This is not to say care may be thrown to the winds, but with proper gear and strategy, you can ride your bike most days of the year with little hassle. Studded snow tires are very effective at keeping traction most of the time, and key winter clothing combinations will keep you comfortable.

That being said, there are conditions and situations where you are better off not riding. Knowing what your limits are and when to find another way to get to your destination takes time to figure out. It's better to chicken out than risk your safety, even if you could have ridden that day. Have a backup plan. More than anything, I think this is important. For those without cars, consider walking, if you can. Do you know your bus schedule? Have friends you can carpool with? Tuck some cab fare away. There are winters I've ridden nearly every day, and winters I've taken the bus for a couple of weeks.

The biggest risk factor is, in my opinion, your route. The roads are narrower in the winter and more hazardous for everyone -- especially cyclists and pedestrians, since we lack a protective shell and must share the road with multi-ton vehicles. The shoulder or bike lane we become accustomed to riding in can have snow plowed into a heap, or with churned snow/ice that makes staying upright a focused and difficult objective. If your route is busy, the roads are narrow and you have concerns about staying upright, switch routes or switch modes of transportation.

If, on the other hand, you commute mainly on residential streets with a car or two behind you now and again, you don't have nearly as much to worry about. On these streets, you can take the lane and focus on your riding, not the cars around you. When the cars are gone, riding in the winter can be a real joy. Some days the snow and ice can make this tough, too, but on average, most snow and ice is manageable with quality studded tires.

Staying warm

Believe it or not, it's not all that difficult to stay warm riding in the winter. The novice winter cyclist will usually wind up overdressing, generating way too much heat mid-way through the ride. In the worst case scenario, overdressing can cause you to sweat too much and chill you. Clothing choices must be tailored to the individual, but here are some rough guidelines that work for me.

Above 32F: Long sleeve merino wool shirt, light windbreaker, light gloves, most kinds of footwear, pants, and a beanie under the helmet.
Below 32F: Add a wool sweater, switch to ski gloves, use wool socks, thermal long johns under pants, a balaclava pulled below the mouth. Considering boots at this point (mostly depends on snow). Consider growing a beard if you're male (not joking, it can help.)
Below 25F: Consider pulling balaclava up over face and nose. Harder to breath, but keeps the face toasty warm with your breath. Boots more imminent, with heavy wool socks.
Below 20F: Snow overpants, balaclava covering face, thick wool socks with boots.
Everything else down to 0F: Add layers as necessary. You may consider ski goggles, though I've never used them.

I've never ridden much below 0F, but the above is my usual strategy. Dress so that you're slightly cool when you step out the door, because you'll warm up a lot on the way. Again, individuals vary, and you need to play it by ear. Cotton is discouraged, especially in very low temperatures, because it retains moisture and gets cold when wet -- if your shirt soaks up your sweat and then freezes, it can make you cold very quickly. In town this is generally not as worrying, but can be outright dangerous in an emergency. Synthetics and wool, particularly those made for outdoor activity in winter weather, are recommended, though I've used cotton myself in the past (on trips no longer than four miles or so.) Merino wool is my preferred base layer. Consider keeping backup gear (gloves/balaclava/beanie) in a pannier; it's possible for them to get wet and not dry off by the time you need to use them again.

The Minus33 merino wool balaclava. It was around 0F (no disputing it's #$%ing cold outside at this point, but I couldn't feel it.)

A note on balaclavas and glasses

I consider the balaclava to be essential below a certain temperature. The cold can be downright painful on your face when it's significantly below freezing. For this reason, I always keep one tucked away in my windbreaker's rear pocket. A balaclava pulled above the nose works nicely -- your breath gets trapped and keeps your face plenty warm. However, if you wear glasses, this can be hazardous. Your glasses will likely fog over, making it difficult to see. When it gets really cold, this fog can freeze! Now you're blind. An anti-fog solution is essential. Buy an anti-fog product, or try a thin film of dish soap on your lenses (really, it works.) I used the latter technique until switching to contact lenses. If you can wear contacts, I would recommend them above all.

Staying upright

My first recommendation for anyone considering riding in snowy/icy conditions is to invest in some quality studded snow tires. These can be pricey, but they're worth every penny, in my opinion. I've been riding with Schwalbe Marathon Winter snow tires for four winters or so (different brand before that), and I can't think of a time I've ever had a close call with ice or snow while using them. Slush, and what I call chocolate mousse, is another story. More on that later. The Marathon Winters pack 240 tungsten carbide studs per tire, which don't slow you down nearly as much as you'd think they would. Tungsten carbide studs are generally recommended because they'll last much longer -- steel studs will lose their effectiveness much more quickly, so you'll be replacing the tires (or studs) more frequently.

A Schwalbe Marathon Winter tire -- 240 studs on each, and I wouldn't go without them.

Remember, the studs are for ice, the knobs are for snow -- you need a combination of both on the same tire, which is typical. You should still exercise caution with studded tires, especially since there are so many different kinds of ice and snow, but your odds of falling will be greatly reduced; what might have brought you down before can turn into a skid instead. Your margin for error is increased. Consider dropping your tire pressure as low as you can without risking a pinch flat or damage to your rims. I usually ride 40psi or so. This can really, really help with significant snowfall, and should improve your traction overall, although it's possible to cut through fresh snow with higher pressures.

Secondly, it's necessary to develop a recognition of the nuances of winter road conditions. Fresh snow is almost always easier to ride in than churned snow, or frozen tire tracks. After a first snowfall, the shoulder of a road can be nearly untouched and perfectly rideable. Once it's been churned, frozen and refrozen, etc, it becomes a hazard, and it will toss you around, increasing the odds of falling or veering off course. This is most concerning if you're trying to share the road. My recommendation? Don't ride in this stuff. If the road itself is 99% bare, if cars can pass you safely and you're highly visible, ride on the bare pavement, as close as you safely can to the right. Be careful here, because the frozen edge can cause sudden traction problems. This might mean riding just outside the white line. If you get caught between a rock and a hard place and have no other options, you may need to take the lane (if it's safe) and ride where you have plenty of traction. This stresses me out, and frankly, I'd rather not be in that situation, but it sometimes happens, even in the summer. If you have the option, just stick to residential streets and routes where riding on the shoulder is unnecessary.

The brown/black mess of churned snow produced by motor vehicle traffic, referred to earlier as chocolate mousse, should be avoided at all costs, and caution used if it otherwise can't be avoided. Hard snow pack and the usual types of ice are generally a non-issue, although I've seen roads a time or two that have looked like a solid sheet of ice that I wouldn't chance. Again, it takes time to figure out what's okay and what should be avoided, and caution should especially be exercised if you're uncertain. One close call I had in the winter happened not from ice and snow, but from heavy slush. We had gotten a significant amount of fresh snow that was being melted rapidly by higher temperatures, and I almost went down trying to navigate through it (fortunately on an empty street). If I recall, I was able to catch myself with my foot, but it was not a pleasant experience.

Very heavy snow can be a complete non-starter with any bike I have experience with. Moderately heavy snow can toss you around and make you feel like you're going to fall any moment, but can indeed be navigated with a bit of handling skill and low pressure tires. I only recommend this if there are no cars around -- say, on a vacant bike path. Falling over in the snow at low speed when you're bundled up and insulated is not usually a huge deal, but falling into traffic can be fatal. In these situations falling happens much less than you'd expect, but the probability is much greater. On my current route, I'll often wait for the roads to clear up before I even consider riding.

You should try to pilot your steed in as straight a line as possible over slick surfaces, go slow when you're uncertain, and apply power to the pedals cautiously. Gravitate to the surface area with the most traction. Be extremely careful with your front brake on slick surfaces, and avoid sharp turns at all costs. When the road is covered with fresh snow, be mindful of what may lie beneath it. Manhole covers, train tracks, etc. If your tires are narrow enough to get caught in a railroad track carved into the road, you can be brought down rather quickly. This is actually one of the only times I've ever fallen in winter due to road conditions, on a vacant street I was unfamiliar with. Another time I was riding without snow tires over a slick wooden bridge on a bike path and overestimated traction. Again, no car in sight. The next one almost doesn't count: I was climbing a hill recreationally in February after all of the ice and snow had been melted. The heat generated fogged my glasses and I lost sight of the edge of the road. My tire went off into the mud and I slipped.

Finally, and what most people seem to forget: the roads are clear or mostly clear the majority of the season, and staying warm is the most you have to worry about. I've tried to be exhaustive with this section, giving the reader fair warning, but many days are downright mundane. Riding in the winter becomes a routine.

Braking

Disc brakes work best in wet conditions, so use those if you have them. Rim brakes can have their effectiveness greatly reduced and caution should be used. Pulling down on the levers can clear snow off and get you stopped, eventually. I've only used rim brakes in the winter for one season, so I don't have much more advice than that. Switch if you can.

My winter bike is a fixed gear, meaning there is a single gear with no freewheel/coasting ability. I can slow the bike to a stop by resisting the pedals, which has been my preferred method in winter to this point. Snow usually slows me down, so I tend to slow to a stop most of the time. This bike is equipped with rim brakes, but I rarely use them in the winter.

Shifting

Derailleurs can freeze up in the cold. Sometimes shifting just doesn't work. This is partially why I ride a fixed gear in the winter. I don't think this affects bikes with internally-geared hubs.

Pedals and footwear

I generally just use grippy, flat pedals with no retention. Winter boots designed for clipless retention systems exist, but they are much more expensive than a regular pair. Being clipped in can also give you less time to react if you need to put your foot down. Be sure your boots will comfortably fit a layer of thick, wool socks or two. Mine are a little big for this reason.

Nighttime visibility and vision

It gets darker come winter, so being seen (and seeing the road) is more difficult. I recommend a high quality lighting system and reflective clothing. My lighting setup uses a generator hub, so there are no batteries (which can have trouble in the cold), and my LED headlight is as good for seeing the road as it is to be seen. Generator hub setups are expensive and not required, but I would recommend the best lighting setup you are willing to purchase.

Bike choice and maintenance

If possible, do some research and build yourself a winter bike. The wet/sloppy conditions can be very harsh on your drivetrain, especially if salt is used on the roads. If you're using your best bike in the winter, consider frequent drivetrain maintenance. Get some long fenders if they'll fit -- they'll keep both you and your bike cleaner than you'd otherwise be.

Having two bikes is nice, too, in that you can ride your regular bike just until the point you need the studded, winter bike, which will be immediately available and ready to go.

Advice

Ease into the season. Just keep riding every day and adjust your clothing as necessary. I generally install the studded tires on my winter bike around December, or when the forecast shows signs of snow.

Practice riding in winter conditions where it's safe to do so. Learn your limits.

Get used to checking the weather before you head out and throughout the day. This can inform how to dress, and how safe/practical it is. Your morning commute may be fine, but a blizzard can prevent safe return home. My strategy here is to take the bus when conditions change, usually bringing my bike home with me on the bus rack.

Chicken out. Really. It's okay to take a break when the conditions are hazardous, or you just don't feel up to it. Keep cab/bus fare on hand, and use it when you need to. There are days I've been on the road with some regret in retrospect. When in doubt, don't pull the bike out.

Study the map and find the least trafficked route you possibly can. This might mean considering routes you'd never think of using in the summer. When there are no cars to worry about, most of the danger goes away.

Consider a helmet mirror. I like mine a lot.

Remember, winter conditions vary. Snow and ice melts, the roads clear up, and it stays that way for a while. Things usually get interesting in December, January tends to be the coldest month (thus more likely to keep snow and ice around), and by the end of February I don't worry about the roads or the temperature as much.

And finally, people will think you're crazy, no matter how warm, comfortable, and safe your winter commute is. Make sure you do stay safe -- otherwise they might be right! ;-)

Coffee to Go

tlp — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 18:00:07 +0000

If you're like me, your day typically begins with an alarm going off, reluctantly climbing out of bed, and heading straight to the coffee pot. Once brewed, you pour yourself a cup and wait a bit until it's cool enough to drink. After your first few sips, you notice it's time to head out the door in a hurry -- and you have all this coffee you haven't finished yet!

Okay, maybe that's just me, but you get the idea.

In this situation, or even a more planned routine, it's nice to be able to bring your coffee with you so as not to waste any precious nectar. Even better would be to enjoy the rest of your coffee on your bike commute; especially this time of year! But how do you carry it? One way might be to use a handlebar-cluttering cup holder with some kind of mug that fits. Perhaps a thermos you stow away in your bag, but these are tricky to unscrew and drink while riding. The cup holder is just One More Thing(tm) causing clutter, and, besides, most bikes already have drink holders -- sometimes more than one!

The ideal solution, then, would be to use your existing bottle cage to carry your drink. However, drinking coffee from a water bottle is less than ideal, and, frankly, makes me cringe thinking about it. Fortunately there exists a wonderful little travel thermos you can easily open with one hand, even a gloved hand, with the press of a button. It fits nicely in your bottle cage, and it will keep your beverage nice and warm (or even hot!) for a long time. It's called the OXO Good Grips LiquiSeal Travel Mug, and will set you back about $20. The previous version of this mug had a flaw that made it difficult to impossible to clean the lid thoroughly, but fortunately it has been fixed. Fear not reviews that mention this!

With this mug, you'll never again have to leave any coffee behind, and you won't have to worry about extra doodads to do it. If you have your own method of drinking coffee on your commute, be sure to leave a comment and let us know.

The Pipeline Deserter Branch - s24o Labor Day 2012

selfash — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:53:43 +0000

Indeed, the first half of our s24o was delightful. As dusk set in and I discovered that the seam tape on at least one seam of my bivy sack had failed, my enthusiasm quickly waned. I packed fairly light, so I didn't have much in the way of insulated clothes to get me through the night comfortably without a reasonably warm sleeping bag, and my soaked down sleeping bag and sleeping pad were no longer able to provide that need. My choices of discomfort were either sharing a tent, thus crowding and likely disturbing a friend with my restless sleep through the night, or packing up and riding home. I obviously chose the latter. Unfortunately for Dan, he didn't want me riding alone, so he opted to ride into the night with me.

I love riding at night. I really should do it more, though with more optimal lighting than Korey's stand-by low-power headlight. The night has a mysterious way of hiding some of the effort and provides me with a sense of serenity that I struggle to find when I ride under the sun. At the same time there was far more of a sense of urgency than our out-bound trip, as we were eager to limit our exposure to the dropping temperature and out-pace our eroding mental drive.

The night environment was very agreeable. The temps were in the 60s at the start and didn't dip below the 50s, the winds were mostly calm or at our backs, and a nearly full moon helped ease our detection of the road. I had a powerful taillight and Dan had a reasonably powerful headlamp, so together we managed fairly well when we were light challenged. Our route mostly paralleled I-86, so the freeway's on-coming car headlights hindered our vision at times.

The section of road from Seagull Bay to the Rainbow Road freeway exit (~5mi) is on Fort Hall Indian Reservation land and is in very poor condition. Rain from the earlier downpour had filled the multitude of wheel-eating potholes. With little wind, the puddles reflected light very well, thus appearing to be freshly patched areas instead of the pits of despair that they were (sadly, we figured this out experimentally). After our first pitfall experience and some wet legs, we were more diligent in dodging the inviting dark patches.

Once beyond the bumpy section we managed much better, though we were getting incrementally colder and more sore where the body meets the bike. We arrived back home around midnight, which we considered to be fairly fast for the 30+ miles, especially considering the added weight and lighting constraints. Dan was a trooper, and while his legs didn't thank him, I sure did! While I didn't meet the '24' of the s24o, it was definitely epic for me.

Pipeline Campground Cycle Camp, Labor Day 2012

peltkore — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:35:07 +0000

My usual cycle camping buddies (Travis Poppe and Dan Lloyd) and I were eager to do an overnighter soon, and Labor Day weekend was approaching. Recently, Jeff Selfa had joined our circle of geeky beer drinking cycling folks and Travis had gotten himself a girlfriend, Justina, and they both wanted to come along as well. Jeff is a very experienced cyclist and has the ability to blow us all out of the water in terms of speed and skill as well as sheer coolness factor of the bicycles that he rides, so I thought he was going to be bored to tears for this event. Justina is pretty new to cycling so I was worried that this 60 mile round trip ride was going to make her hate cycling for the rest of her life. Ah, well, I was interested to see how things were going to turn out! And you never really know how a cycle camp is going to go anyway, to be honest. But that’s how adventures are supposed to be and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

We all gathered at Travis’ house at around 9:00 am on Saturday, September 1. It was a sunny day and the temperature felt perfect. Dan and I were towing trailers, Jeff and Travis had their panniers packed, and Justina carried a bottle of water. ;-) Yes, we knew what Justina was in for, so we thought we’d better assist her the best we could. She seemed very happy and enthusiastic about the ride; I hoped this would carry her through when things got tough for her ahead!

Soon, we were all cycling along Highway 30 at a moderate speed, chatting with each other and enjoying ourselves. By about mile 20 we were all ravenous for Tres Hermanos, our favorite place to eat in American Falls. A few miles later we pulled into the restaurant parking lot, went in, got our food, and began shoveling tamales into our faces. There’s nothing like authentic Mexican food after 25 miles of riding. :-P~~

After we ate, we picked up some food and beer at a local grocery store and cycled the remaining 5 miles or so to Pipeline Road. Jeff and Travis decided to cycle down the dirt road to see how crowded it was since many locals love to have one final camp for the year over Labor Day weekend. After a while, Jeff cycled back to us and announced “we’ll have to share the campground… with the birds!” The campground was completely empty! We all cycled down to the campground, had a look around, cracked open a few beers, and relaxed. The lush greenery, massive Snake River, pelicans floating by, and the surprising absence of bugs made this area seem like such a paradise.

Next, we set up our tents, made a fire, drank more beer, and started cooking some food. Shortly thereafter, dark clouds started coming in, the wind began to pick up, and a few sprinkles began to fall. Dan shot a video of it!

The rain started getting a bit harder, but I just stood there like an idiot, shirtless, drinking beer and enjoying myself. The temperature hadn’t fallen much and I have a layer of blubber that keeps me warmer than other people, I think. Dan and Jeff put on their rain jackets and Justina turned herself into a burrito with a sleeping bag. Next, the wind and rain started falling way too hard for comfort, so I dove into my tent! I was sure to take some beer with me, though. I’m an expert at outdoor survival, I’m sure you can tell.

The rain stopped after about 30 minutes or so, so I emerged from my tent and went back to the campfire. Jeff and Dan had apparently weathered the storm by standing around the campfire with their jacket hoods cinched up. We cooked more food, ate plenty (mostly thanks to Jeff and Dan’s instant add-boiling-water meals) and took some lovely shots of the sun setting across the Snake River. And then we headed to our tents for bed.

And it was at this point that poor Jeff discovered that his bivy sack and sleeping bag were completely soaked. He decided his best choice was to cycle home through the night. Dan volunteered to go with him since drivers probably aren’t used to seeing cyclists pedaling along the back roads in the middle of the night. I loaned Jeff my headlight blinker and he and Dan pedaled off into the night. Jeff wrote a brief but vividly written article entitled "The Pipeline Deserter Branch – s24o Labor Day 2012" about his experience that night. Tis a good read!

The next morning, thick fog rolled in and mist was coming off of the river. It looked like like an enchanted scene from a fantasy movie. I walked out onto the dock and basked in the sounds of fish jumping and water birds talking to each other. As soon as Travis and Justina were up, we cleaned up the camp site, packed up, and headed back towards American Falls. There, we stopped at a cozy diner called Casey’s Lounge, ate a hearty breakfast with plenty of hot coffee, and then headed back to Pocatello. Hot coffee and breakfast is so fantastic and delicious after camping overnight, isn’t it?

The ride home was pleasant except for the fact that we were all tired of sitting on a bicycle saddle. And the temperature had risen a lot, so by the time we were nearing Pocatello, I was ready for a long shower and more beer! And that’s exactly how I ended my journey. Oh, and Justina endured this whole trip like a real trooper! She did amazingly well for her first long bike ride as well as being surrounded by beer swilling barbarians for 2 days straight and we’re all very proud of her!

Here's a link to all the photos we took!

And here's a short video taken by Travis at around 7 am on Sunday morning (September 2):

Republished with permission from Korey Pelton's Cycling Blog

Porteur Pizza, Please! How to Carry Pizza With Your Bike

tlp — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 23:45:00 +0000

One of the many challenges facing utility cyclists is the need to carry a wide range of objects without the assistance of a motor vehicle. Surprisingly enough, almost anything you wish to carry can be done using a bike! Don't believe me? You might appreciate a visit to Bicycle Cargo: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, and Chapter 4. Using a variety of methods, from cargo racks, panniers and trailers to messenger bags and backpacks, chances are you'll be able to haul most of what you'd need to carry on a daily basis without ever putting your key in the ignition.

One challenge I've faced is coming up with a method to carry a non-frozen pizza without all of the toppings falling off. Placing a boxed pizza vertically in a pannier, messenger bag or backpack would produce amusing results, to say the least. Unless you want to eat DiGiorno or delivery for the rest of your bicycling career, another method must be used.

Fortunately, there are a handful of very simple and obvious options available right off the bat. The most obvious is to use a cargo or child trailer, which will certainly have enough area to place a take-and-bake or carryout pizza flat for travel. With a trailer, all you need is a bit of planning to be sure you're hitched up for the errand. However, more spontaneous pie cravings on the commute home from work might leave you with a frown on your face.

Enter the porteur rack. These racks sit on the front of the bike, as low to the wheel as possible, and have a wide surface area. They were traditionally used in Paris to deliver newspapers — purportedly up to 110lbs! These racks are great for hauling packages, beer, and other boxy things. You can also strap a backpack or messenger bag to them when you're getting tired. While it's certainly possible to do this on a rear rack, you typically don't have the same surface area to work with, nor can you keep a close eye on your cargo. I have actually strapped a carryout pizza box to a rear Tubus Cargo with good results, but this wouldn't work very well with a flimsy take-and-bake unless an additional box or platform is used.

Without any extra gear, aside from a bungee cord, you can strap a pizza directly to the rack and take it home. I've hauled numerous pizzas this way, including a 16" family size take-and-bake, with great success. The monster-sized family pizzas would benefit from a fairly large porteur rack, but even a modest 14.2" by 11.4" rack can get the job done — the pizza just hangs off the edge a bit, and the sides get a little pinched. Careful with speed bumps! A do-it-yourself platform made of lightweight plastic or cardboard would alleviate any caveats.

Porteur racks benefit from handlebars that do not extend past the stem, unlike traditional drop handlebars, to make room for tall, wide boxes. However, drop bars cause little interference for the types of things I typically carry using this method. Your mileage may vary, depending on your needs.

These racks are not typically something you can find mass produced at Walmart, or even many local bike shops, so they do cost a bit more than you might expect. I've provided a few I'm familiar with for your convenience, but you may have to do a bit of searching if you're on a budget. Be sure to contact me if I've missed any, and I'll add them to the list!

Now go hitch that child trailer gathering dust in your garage, or grab a pimped-out porteur bike and get some pie!

A Ride for the Birds

tlp — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:00:00 +0000

So there I was, cycling along the mountainside against a grueling headwind, hunched down in the drop handlebars on my touring bike, when I noticed I had a riding partner. Well, perhaps more of a flying partner... or beaked stalker? I digress. Crouched down like this, I'd noticed the shadow of a bird about half the size of an adult crow just in front of my wheel. I'd see his shadow for a few moments before he'd fall back against the force of the wind. Poor fellow, I thought; and it was neat! How often do you find a bird that wants your companionship? This went on for maybe half a minute before I started to question what was going on.

Then it hit me, as if a sharp stone from the side of the mountain had broken off and struck with the full force of gravity.

This bird was trying to kill me by dive-bombing, falling back, and then repeating the attempt. I immediately began swatting behind my shoulder in a fleet of panic, proceeding to engage warp nine uphill and against a headwind. I'm used to this with dogs, but birds!? Completely new experience. Once I'd escaped the little menace, I began to wonder what happened. Were Daphne du Maurier and Alfred Hitchcock on to something? Are the birds beginning to wise up and rebel against the current masters of the globe? Perhaps Maurier was unknowingly clairvoyant. Even better: a prophet cleverly disguised as a writer!

"No, no, no," I thought; level-headed reason came flooding back to me soon after I took a quick peak over my shoulder to see if the bird was gone. "I must look like a deer or some other large quadruped when I'm hunched down in the drops like this." He was going for my neck, hoping to down me for food. Fascinating. Nature doing its thing. The idea got my mind going for a bit until I realized how embarrassing it would be to be removed from the gene pool by that little twerp.

Indeed, it's the best guess I have for what happened, and I suspect it's correct. My riding style and attire were significantly different on this ride than those in previous years. I rarely ride aggressively, preferring to take in the sights, sounds, and smells around me. I generally sit up on the bike with my hands on the brake hoods, "ramps," or even the "flats" (part of the handlebars closest to the rider and parallel with the ground.) This is a comfortable way to ride, and you can actually see things. What a concept!

This time, I went all-out to battle the headwind and help prepare myself for more difficult rides this summer (and hopefully keep up with my friends on their light racing bikes). In addition to riding more aggressively, my back nearly flat, I wore sunglasses for the first time and an orange, long sleeve athletic shirt made from merino wool. "Superfine" merino is amazing for athletic activity; year round, even! It's fast-drying, doesn't itch, regulates your temperature, sheds water, retains its thermal properties when saturated in water/sweat, and it doesn't smell.

The merino shirts I buy even look like normal clothing, which is something I value as a recreational and utility cyclist. I've been wearing these shirts since 2009, but never long sleeves. Pippi Konstanski, a friend and fellow cyclist, mentioned she wears them in the summer to prevent sunburn and potential skin cancer -- all without resorting to goopy sunscreen. What a wonderful idea! I believe this only added to the quadruped look, hiding my flesh and giving me a coat of "fur." The shirt worked, even in 80 F, but I'd like to find a lighter-weight version for future rides; preferably one with a person painted on the back of it...

Last but not least, as you might have guessed, the bird didn't actually make it to my neck; I designed the bold sentence for effect. ;-)

Some words of wisdom for other cyclists: add birds to your list of ride hazards.

Note: Reflecting back, I doubt my 'bird of prey' hypothesis was correct; probably territorial -- either way, watch out!

Dork Stats

Minor variations will be present between MapMyRide data and cyclometer data.

Distance: 29.04 miles

Riding Time: 1:43:12
Travel Time: 1:54:01 (stops included)
Avg/Max Speed: 16.8mph/35.2mph
Avg/Max Cadence: 88rpm/135rpm
Wind: Moderate.
Temperature: ~80 F, sunny.
MapMyRide Route

Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tires (26×1.35)

tlp — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:17:00 +0000

I recently replaced the aging Schwalbe Marathon tires (26×1.5) on my Surly Long Haul Trucker (LHT) with a narrower, hardier version of the same thing: the Marathon Plus (26×1.35). These tires are known for their extreme puncture resistance — the “Plus” version even more so. In addition to this, they last practically forever. Unfortunately, my original Marathons have lost much of their puncture protection and are a bit too wide for my taste. I mentioned to my cycling buddy, Korey Pelton, that one of my Marathon tires had probably seen close to 5,000 miles of use — a couple thousand on my old LHT, and a couple more on the new LHT. I did have to replace one of them at some point after running over a nail or something, damaging the tire. If I used a strong boot, or “tire patch,” it might have been okay. However, I’m hesitant to test this since I can be up to 50 miles away from home on a given ride.

Korey is a bit skeptical a rear tire can last so long (5,000 miles), so I’m going to keep track of how many miles these new Plus tires see. I bet him a Pilsner Urquell both front and rear tires will last. My cyclometer this morning (since last reset) says I’ve put 1,727 miles down; I’ll revisit this in a few years, at the 6,727 mark, to see if my claims match reality.

Update: I pulled what looks like a nearly inch-long drill-bit fragment out of the rear tire; it was completely embedded for months with no flat. How's that for puncture protection!

Update (11/15/2012): Got my first flat since owning these tires. A large nail punctured the rear tire and gave me an insta-flat. Still the best flat protection I've ever had.

Goodenough Cycle Camp 2010!

peltkore — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:00:00 +0000

We enjoyed camping in Goodenough Canyon near McCammon, Idaho in the past so much that we decided to do it again this year! The distance is good (30 miles one way), there’s plenty of trees (a rarity in southern Idaho), and McCammon is only a few miles away from the campground. I was late, as usual, arriving at our meeting spot near the south end of Pocatello, so we set out at about 9:30 am. I was riding my Windsor Tourist touring bicycle and towing my Nashbar Kid Karriage trailer full of firewood, sleeping bag, etc. Dan Lloyd was riding his Motobecane 29er mountain bike and towing a Burley Nomad trailer full of supplies. And Travis Poppe was riding his Surley Long Haul Trucker with his massive Ortlieb panniers stuffed full. Yeah, we weren’t planning on averaging more than 12 miles per hour on this fine Labor Day weekend. :-)

After passing the usual 500-or-so Pocatello Marathon runners that are usually on this stretch over Labor Day weekend, we arrived at the Inkom town park feeling fine; after resting for a bit and refilling water bottles, we continued on to McCammon on Highway 91. In McCammon, about noon, we locked our bikes up at our restaurant of choice, Subway, and went in to get some lunch. Wow, a foot long cold cut combo sandwich loaded with veggies tastes great after towing a trailer by bicycle for 25 miles! After Subway, we cycled over to the nearby convenience store and loaded up on beer, hot dog material, chips, and extra water. Our rigs now weighed significantly more than when we arrived. Oh well, the campground was only a few miles more, weighing a ton is no problem! Yeah, those were famous last words. ;-)

The campground lay to the west, and is about a 600 foot elevation gain from McCammon, with the first part of the climb being very steep (over 10% grade). Trudging up the steep road in our lowest gear was slow, and we each concentrated on our own method of climbing. It was about 1:00 pm and the temperature had reached 95 degrees, according to Dan’s fancy digital watch. I was pedaling very slowly, concentrating on my breathing, and just focusing on getting through this last part of the journey. My attitude was pretty positive at this point, since slow, torturous hill climbing is something I have mastered over time. However, it was difficult staying positive in the next portions of this climb.

After what seemed like an eternity, the road leveled out and then turned to gravel. I was sweating buckets and drinking water frequently while continuing to low-gear along the road. As I continued along the canyon road, the temperature seemed to be getting hotter and I began splashing my face, head, and neck with my water bottle and maintaining a steady pace. And next I saw the trees in the distance and I was very glad. Some thick clouds covered the sun a few times and the temperature felt like it immediately dropped 10 degrees; and then the sun came back out and I was in the oven again. After I felt like I was doing to die, I reached the top of the last hill of the road, sped down the other side, got off my bike, laid my bike down, and dumped more water on my head and back. Oh my god it felt good getting off that bike. After a minute, Travis caught up and next came Dan. We all looked at each others sweaty, red faces and Dan said his watch said 101 degrees.

We got to the campground, put our stuff down, and began cracking open the beers, which were still cold. I swear, there is nothing in the world as good as a cool beer after putting yourself through a long, hard, and hot bike journey. The beer helped us relax and improved our mood 100%. Soon, we were jolly and thinking that this trip wasn’t so bad.

We talked for a long time, drank all our beer, played some Frisbee, made a fire, cook hot dogs and marshmallows on sticks, and went to bed. The rest of this trip is rather uneventful, except for the stupid large rodent that got into our trash that night and was clinking beer bottles all night long. I think we were all just too tired to get up and shoo it away.

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Bicycling Smith Canyon Road: A Lava Hot Springs Adventure

tlp — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Over Memorial Day Weekend, my friend Korey Pelton and I had planned a 3-day, fully-loaded, 100-mile camping trip by bicycle from our hometown of Pocatello, Idaho, to the well-known tourist destination of Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, using a little-known dirt and gravel route in the country: Smith Canyon Road. Much of our trip revolved around this section, even though it is a relatively short part of the distance traveled, due to its 1,800 foot elevation gain. We chose to do this trip in May to avoid the intense heat of the summer, which can easily make or break a trip of this difficulty.

We woke early Saturday morning--two days before Memorial Day--and loaded our bikes with water, snacks, camping gear, and repair tools. Having plenty of water, as well as knowing how to deal with mechanical failure and flat tires, is a must for long distance, self-supported bicycle touring; you may find yourself miles from nowhere with only sagebrush for company!

After running through our checklists, we hit the road at 10:00am. We made good time, leaving Pocatello using Old Highway 91, a low-traffic, 40-mile route to the entrance of Smith Canyon. I was riding my touring bicycle, which is suitable for both on and off-road use, and Korey had used his mountain bike. We stopped at a Subway restaurant 25 miles into the trip for lunch--one of the few places available to eat in the rural area of McCammon, Idaho. After eating, we followed the highway for another 15 miles until we reached Smith Canyon, just past the small town of Arimo.

Calling the next portion of this ride difficult is an understatement. Smith Canyon begins as a gravel road, winding up the mountain 1,800 feet over a distance of six miles, that slowly transitions into a smooth dirt road. When taking into account the type of road, distance we traveled just to get to there, the elevation and amount of weight we were carrying, this makes for a challenge to even experienced bicyclists. My lowest gear combination--26 teeth on the front and 34 on back--allowed me to spin my way up the mountain. Korey's mountain bike didn't have quite as low of a gear, making his climb a slow grind.

I stopped numerous times to catch my breath, making sure to take plenty of photos, while Korey continued his slow ascent with infrequent stops. The elevation makes for spectacular scenery: Rural houses in the distance silhouetted by hazy mountains in the evening sunlight. I appreciated this section even more on our return trip, when this part of the ride was downhill. The occasional Jeep and car could be seen coming and going on this road and on those in the surrounding area. We climbed Smith for about an hour before being rewarded with one of the steepest descents either of us recall experiencing. The remaining portion of our trip was done coasting at high speed, right up until we arrived at our camping location shortly after 5:00pm. After pitching our tent, we saddled up once again to make a trip to a nearby grocery store. Returning to our campsite, we ate dinner and soon fell asleep.

The following day was spent resting. We woke early and casually bicycled around to explore the small town of Lava. Our mission that morning was to find coffee with some of the greasiest, high-calorie breakfast food we could get our hands on. Envisioning crispy strips of bacon and giant stacks of syrup-covered pancakes, we locked our bikes outside the first diner we could find.

For the remainder of the day, we hung out at our developed campsite and chatted with our camping neighbors. Many people had brought their RVs, dirt bikes and ATVs with them for the weekend. We occasionally spent time barricaded in our tent to escape ferocious winds and rain--yes, it was certainly Memorial Day weekend, known locally to be as consistent as Old Faithful when it comes to precipitation.

Early next morning, on the final day of our trip, we concluded by traversing the same route on which we came--right back up Smith Canyon. The reverse climb was even steeper, covering the same elevation over a shorter distance. Surprisingly enough, we were well-rested and able to make it home on Memorial Day at 2:00pm.

It is certainly a trip to remember.

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BikeIdaho

Getting Groceries by Bike

Winter Strategy: Thoughts after six years of bicycling in the winter.

First, a few words about safety.

Staying warm

A note on balaclavas and glasses

Staying upright

Braking

Shifting

Pedals and footwear

Nighttime visibility and vision

Bike choice and maintenance

Advice

Further reading

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Coffee to Go

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The Pipeline Deserter Branch - s24o Labor Day 2012

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Pipeline Campground Cycle Camp, Labor Day 2012

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Porteur Pizza, Please! How to Carry Pizza With Your Bike

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A Ride for the Birds

Dork Stats

Distance: 29.04 miles

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Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tires (26×1.35)

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Goodenough Cycle Camp 2010!

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Bicycling Smith Canyon Road: A Lava Hot Springs Adventure