I just tested out my BOB ibex trailer for the first time today. It rides smooth no hands but shimmies my CAAD7 while out of the saddle at high(er) speeds. Started to smooth that out, i should get used to it.....
... so i'm giving the racing bike with BOB trailer (Faulkner style) a go this time and it feels fast. The suspension BOB is 18 pounds with upgraded schwalbe tire and pitlock skewer. It adds 7 pounds over using panniers and racks but the aerodynamics is far superior. My CAAD is only 20 pounds with fenders and (longer) alloy steer tube so thats light enough. But somehow the load ended up heavy with all the warm clothes i packed for my journey that will take me thru potentially cold places such as the Adarondacks. Plus a bunch of pills that i have to take for Lyme disease, 2 pounds of pemmican, etc.... the trailer is well over 60 pounds.
My lyme disease seems to be going away. i had a rough December and January followed by a great February and March with one flare up at the end of March that left my right ankle/achillies a bit fragile. Hopefully it will be solid while I ride. This will be the first real test for my body since getting sick. Last year I went on a short tour with Eric Gullaird and others in Northern VT called the superhero bike tour. More than a dozen cyclists dressed up like superheros and rode around helping people for a week, good times. I will try to post some pictures of that in this entry when i get home.
This route starts at the VA/NC border where my parents bought a house. From here I will head north to Montreal to stay at the Holiday inn that i got my highschool banned from 15 years ago. On the way i have potential "business" to settle in Tupper Lake NY. After Montreal I will head home to SW NH, probably thru the white mountains. I have a short list of people to visit along the way and plan to blog a few times. I can't imagine there is as much to blog about as in Europe with Oracle Jen, but who knows.
I am using a lot of the same gear as in Europe. But not everything. I have a new primus omnifuel stove that i think will be great and i have some new 340g innov8 off-bike shoes that are hightop and waterproof. Jen told me to get a puffy jacket so i did, a stylin' lightweight down, from mountain hardwear of course. I rigged up some quick release SKS raceblade fenders that i hope will work good. I modified 2 pairs (4 sections) to give me full coverage and they mount under the trailer for better aerodynamics when its not wet. Swapped out my Putney jersey for Matt DeCanio's SU13 kit, he's racing in France, go Matt! (he says he quit maintaining the SU site last week) Also running a powewrtap SL, it looks bad ass with a BOB skewer and 30c tire. hopefully the data won't be wimpy, and hopefully the blog will be good, not boring like how much my stuff weighs.
My lyme disease seems to be going away. i had a rough December and January followed by a great February and March with one flare up at the end of March that left my right ankle/achillies a bit fragile. Hopefully it will be solid while I ride. This will be the first real test for my body since getting sick. Last year I went on a short tour with Eric Gullaird and others in Northern VT called the superhero bike tour. More than a dozen cyclists dressed up like superheros and rode around helping people for a week, good times. I will try to post some pictures of that in this entry when i get home.
This route starts at the VA/NC border where my parents bought a house. From here I will head north to Montreal to stay at the Holiday inn that i got my highschool banned from 15 years ago. On the way i have potential "business" to settle in Tupper Lake NY. After Montreal I will head home to SW NH, probably thru the white mountains. I have a short list of people to visit along the way and plan to blog a few times. I can't imagine there is as much to blog about as in Europe with Oracle Jen, but who knows.
I am using a lot of the same gear as in Europe. But not everything. I have a new primus omnifuel stove that i think will be great and i have some new 340g innov8 off-bike shoes that are hightop and waterproof. Jen told me to get a puffy jacket so i did, a stylin' lightweight down, from mountain hardwear of course. I rigged up some quick release SKS raceblade fenders that i hope will work good. I modified 2 pairs (4 sections) to give me full coverage and they mount under the trailer for better aerodynamics when its not wet. Swapped out my Putney jersey for Matt DeCanio's SU13 kit, he's racing in France, go Matt! (he says he quit maintaining the SU site last week) Also running a powewrtap SL, it looks bad ass with a BOB skewer and 30c tire. hopefully the data won't be wimpy, and hopefully the blog will be good, not boring like how much my stuff weighs.
I'm jealous!! I'll be with you in spirit for 2 X 20 min each day as I commute on my studded tires- it's 37 and still snowing here in Anchorage. Go slow enough to recognize opportunities for adventure....best of luck! -OJ