We took a day off the bikes to catch-up on work. Since some of you have asked, I thought I would answer the question "how can you ride a bike across the country?" The short answer is, "its easy on the right bicycle."
So what makes the right bike? It is a combination of things. Surprisingly being light weight is not one of them. If you want to lighten your load, drop a few lbs off your bottom or don't take that "essential item" you will never use.
The right bike has these qualities: it's comfortable for you to ride for at least 8 hrs; it's geared to haul you over a mountain; plus it's sturdy enough to deal with bad roads, carry loaded panniers and forgive an occasional driver error. To illustrate these qualities let's walk around Diane's bike (which is not as sturdy or as dependable as mine - but as she points out "it's prettier").
Let's talk about being comfortable on the bike. There are 3 contact points between you and the bike - the seat, the handle bars and the pedals. It is very very important that you can ride the bike for long distances without feeling pain in your butt, your hands and/or feet. Also the bike has to be "sized right" for your body so you don't develop neck pain, etc - that's too complicated to deal with in a short blog, but trust me - this is critical.
Regarding keeping her bottom comfortable, Diane rides an Avocet women's touring saddle developed in the 80s - yes it is old but works very well for her. The point here is - if it's comfortable for you, don't let someone sell you a "new, better technology" - always go with what is comfortable for you.
Below is a photo of Diane's handle bars. Please note the cushioned yellow padding. The weird black round things allow her also to place her hands higher for changing her riding position or she can rest a forearm on them as well. (For the curious, you can also see Diane's rear view mirror on the left, a mounted head-light on the black bar and her cycle computer which gives her time, speed, average speed and distance. And yes that is a small bungy cord connected to the front pack- it helps hold the weight of all her "riding essentials." (Did I mention the importance of a strudy bike?)
In the next photo you can see Diane's pedals. Here again we ride "ancient technology" - we use toe clips and platform pedals that allow for ease of dismounting, yet maintain the feet properly and securely on the pedals. (The correct length of toe clip, as well as its placement on the pedal is part of the comfort equation.) In addition Diane uses a reinforced biking shoe which distributes the pressure of pedalling across the ball of the foot. Lastly the "geometry" of the bike makes a difference in riding comfort. Racing bike angles within the frame and between the front fork (which holds the front wheel) are more acute than touring bikes. The wider "touring angles" allow for more flex and therefore absorb more "road shock."
Ok, we noted the need for "sturdy" and talked about being comfortable on the bike - let's finish with what makes a touring bike move down the road. Above is Diane's drive train - which consists of the front chain rings, the chain itself, the rear gear cluster, the derailleurs (that make the switches among the chain rings and various gears on the cluster), and finally the wheels. A good touring bike gives the rider a number of gear combinations to choose from - gears that allow you to fly down the road when the surface is flat, smooth and the wind is to your back - plus gears that allow you settle in and grind your way over a mountain. These combinations are accomplished by having 3 chain rings on the front and 6 gears on the rear cluster. If you want to go fast you use the largest chain ring on the front and the smallest gear on the back cluster. If you have to grind over a steep hill you use the smallest chain ring on the front and the largest gear on the rear cluster. For other circumstances you learn to choose the right gear (sort of like using the right club for a golf shot). With regards to our specific gearing set up - once again we use ancient technology because the newer stuff does not allow for the very very easy uphill gearing I have on both Diane's and my bike. (Yes the proper technology can overcome age and semi-poor conditioning.)
BTW the chain is moved among the gears and chain rings by the derailleurs which in turn are moved by cables connected to the "handle bar end shifters" which can be seen in the second photo above. I have set up the shifter so if you are going uphill and need an "easier gear" you just have to pull up on one or both cables depending on how steep the hill (or weak the rider).
I won't talk about the chain except to say buy a good one - by the time we get to the Keys our chains will be wore razor thin. But it worth talking about the tires. Our tires are built specifically for heavy touring - they have a Kevlar belt to resist flats (we have had only one in the first 1000 miles) and they are rated at 120 lbs of pressure which helps with rolling resistance. Even with these qualities, I may have to replace the rear tires before the trip is over - they will simple wear out. Lastly the tubes I use are again "old school" with schrader stems (versus stems developed in Europe). The schrader stems allow me to air up at truck stops or tire stores... an important consideration when traveling through rural American.
Ok, enough. Hope this has been interesting.
Rob
Rob, your bike touring 1011 was totally interesting! Thank you so much for taking the time to explain it so well! I love the way you write and I think you should publish a guide! I love you guys so much!
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