Bz5 Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
Bz5
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

I hate the cold.

Bz5
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

Ok, so better final plans:

I am Close to SFO.


1. Get a 4 season nice sleeping bag and pad.

2. Bike Chain replacement:

Do any of you know what would fit a 1993 Trek 730? I have rode the bike for a while, put new braking hardware and a fork in it, and the chain came apart the other day. 700 CC multi bike.

3. Sleep laying out.

3.5 Buy used bikepacking equipment, bare minimum stuff. I learned from car camping that I require very little to live. I went from 800 pounds of necessary gear to 160. On a bike, i will need maybe 20.

3.74 Acclimate to new equipment. Sleep outside.

4. Work a bit longer, then quit and rest up here.

5. Sell truck and motorcycle and generator.

6. GTFO to hawaii. Warmest place for winter months. 4 months there or so.
6.6 maybe work a little there for return ticket monies.

7. Come back to the states, get passport in SD, Obamacare checkup. Check out the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

Gilberto de Piento
Posts: 1942
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:23 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

Count the sprockets on the back of the bike. It will be something like six or seven. Get a chain that is compatible with the number of sprockets you have. When you look up a chain online it will be described as a "x speed chain" where x is the number of sprocket on your bike. Many of the chains will be compatible with multiple speeds like "6/7/8 speed chain" so that it fits all three. Get a name brand like sram, Shimano, or kmc. There is a difference in quality in no name chain and brand name.

You may need a chain tool to install the chain. It depends on the type of chain masterlink that is provided with the chain. Achain tool might be built in to your bike mutitool or it can be bought as a standalone tool.

Gilberto de Piento
Posts: 1942
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:23 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

Good for you for coming up with a great plan. Be sure to take action now. As someone who always wanted to do a big bike tour and now can't, a bike tour really isn't that hard to make happen so DO IT NOW so you don't regret not doing it. It seems like a great way to clear some negative things from your life and get an experience you want, especially if you use part of the time to do some planning, studying, and maybe experimenting with better jobs.

Is there going to be enough road/trails to ride in Hawaii for you to get the experience you want? I don't know what the alternative is without leaving the country though. I'm guessing even the southwest and south are too cold but I don't know.

Unless you're really planning on doing a lot of serious technical singletrack riding (not going to go well on a trek multitrack anyway) don't worry about the gear being for "bikepacking." The special underseat bag, special handlebar bag, and frame bag aren't necessary for most of what is out there to ride. Even if you are riding a lot of singletrack as long as nothing is flying off or getting snagged on trees traditional touring gear will work, especially if you ride "gently."

If I was doing this on a low budget I'd get a cheap rear rack and waterproof panniers (ortlieb are great) or whatever panniers I could afford and line them with garbage bags. Depending on the size of things I'd strap the tent or mattress pad or sleeping bag to the top of the rack or under my handlebars, in a garbage bag if needed. I'd also bring a small cheapie backpack (for when I'm off the bike) and handlebar bag (nice to have access to small items without stopping) if they won't break the bank.

Bz5
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Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

Now that I have a plan, I have paralysis analysis.

I still have the full time job. Step one is to give notice today.

sky
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Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by sky »

The warmest place to winter in the western US is usually along the Colorado River between Yuma, and Ehrenberg, AZ. It gets cold at night but the days warm up quickly. You will need a good tent that can handle wind.

This area has some excellent camping, and you can resupply in Blythe, CA nearby:

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.5758013 ... !1e3?hl=en

There are free camping opportunities all over the place between Yuma and Ehrenberg, but you will have to bring in water and food. You can wash in the Colorado River (its cold!).

This area has good weather from about November to March. Then you will have to move on due to the heat.

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mountainFrugal
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Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by mountainFrugal »

www.warmshowers.org if you want to start building a network of places to stay for your bike touring.

Bz5
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Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

Finally laid some fears to rest. Good sleep.

Sleep quality was 70% vs 30%.

I just laid all my shit in the cab, and put blankets over it where the passenger seat used to be. Fetoid position.

Feel so much better about all of this. This is going to be the bicycle tour of a lifetime.

Bz5
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

I ordered a Primus stove today to replace my 'Coleman 425f. Any takers on the coleman?

I bought it new old stock. Its a great gasoline stove.

It's just too damn big for me to carry on the bicycle.

Next, I am getting a son 28 hub for the lights.

Still researching a good bivy bag setup.

It's either a

integrated bivy:

bivy tent with separate bag

Bz5
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

It's either an integrated bivy bag with lid or a separate bivy tent and bag.

I like the separate option, but the fastest to deploy undeploy is the bivy.

theanimal
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Contact:

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by theanimal »

I strongly recommend getting a larger tent than just a bivy tent. It is far more comfortable and less claustrophobic and gives you room to read and do other things when it's raining out. If you are going to be living in it everyday you will get very fast with putting up/taking down the tent if that is a concern. My DF worked trail crew for nearly a decade and she & her crew all could setup a 2 person tent in under a minute. I can do under a minute and a half myself without having lived in one full time.

Bz5
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

I scored a factory refurb Son 28 hub for 230.

The seller is going to make me a wheel out of it, a simple 700cc.

That ends the problem of the night light charging. Now I need to find a buck/boost converter system to charge devices.

Bz5
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

@ the Animal:

I agree with that. I want a little room if it is raining to read and write stuff.

I am primairily working on a video game based on butts. You are a butt ninja and you climb butt mountain and fight the Sumo-Butts.

Also, I will be camping in coyote country, and i would hate to wake up to a test nip from those rabid teeth of theirs.

Coyote:

Oh man this smells like beef jerky oh man does it taste goodd?

-test nip-

Oh no it taste like dirt and weird human fabric.


4 fast biked high blood flow hours later

Me:

Doc, I had skin contact with a coyote's teeth. Unknown rabies status of the unsub.

Doc:

Well to be sure here is a 600 dollar battery of tests and a 1300 dollar rabies series. Will that be cash or card?

Bz5
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

So yeah in a tent i can move away from the wall with the sniffy doggo noses.

Bz5
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

It's amazing how i am adapting to new circumstances. I am staring at a bicycle and feeling totally okay with moving into that. I am fine with it.

macg
Posts: 174
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 1:48 pm
Location: USA-FL

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by macg »

My two cents ... I wouldn't overcomplicate the bike touring plans. Unless you are purposefully avoiding civilization, you can always find places to charge devices, like restaurants, libraries, coffee shops. If a few months in you decide you do need something, there's a ton of solar options for devices nowadays as well. And the bike lights? Yeah, of course you need them, but how much night riding will you actually be doing?

I have only ever gone on short trips, 2 days max, but all the blogs / books I've read, one thing that seems to be consistently said is keep just the necessities, think about weight. If you need to adjust as you go and learn more, you can always do that. You'll never pre-plan for every contingency, nor would you want to ...

Best of luck in your trip, and enjoy!!

Bz5
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Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

This is more than a trip for me.

Mastering bicycle touring opens me up to live anywhere I want to .

Learning methods to live without a car even more so. The wheels in my head are turning.

I see a future where I have an off grid property. All solar powered. Low consumption of power.

Imagine a 4x8 powered bicycle trailer. That could build a house better than any truck.

I can leave cars totally behind in the rear view mirror.

Bz5
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

Hard times create strong humans

Strong humans create good times

Good times create weak humans

Weak humans create Hard times


My Cycling trip is coming more into focus. I am going to be gone for a while. 2 years or so.

Seeking hardass interviewees. People who have done really hard things. Minds over their own matter.

Publishing focus:

Publish the ButtMushroom video game.

Publish vol 1 of Corsair: Dark Jade temple. Up until finding out who Cypress is.

Publish 99 hardass interviews.

Publish Paperkraft model kits. I produce papercraft that can be printed at any pharmacy or wal mart 4x6 photo machine. This makes it independent of owning a shitty, nasty printer. Just superglue needed.

I will have 16 hours per day to test self employment opportunities through only a computer and internet connection.

Physical goals:

JCVD level flexibility and power. Duplicate the training montage feats i see in kickboxer.

C2 level in Chinese.


If I chase two rabbits, both will escape. These individual goals are woven into a flexible tapestry, and their natures can be changed at any time. Goals are just tools anyway.

But the Buttmushroom game:

My mother should never have spanked me for pooping my pants. I now must give birth to something vile. An intellectual farcical-faecal social commentary.

Bz5
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

I am excited to be bicycle touring the country. It will be a welcome change to the brutish combative city lifestyle.

Bz5
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:10 pm

Re: Bz5 Journal

Post by Bz5 »

@ macg:

I plan on doing a lot of night riding. I like night riding under a full moon, it is really relaxing. During the day the sun beats down .

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