Checking Off the Things To Do

Here is a little fender bender I saw on my way home yesterday. I did not ride up to see if there were any stop lines painted on the road, but few drivers pay any attention to them anyways. I am sure glad to be on a bike instead of driving. It seems as though many drivers are more courteous of cyclists right now, than they have been through the past several months. There also seems to be an influx of cyclists, which may help raise the general level of awareness of bikes on the road.




I am happy to report that I've only driven my vehicle about 30 feet in the last 10 days. I backed it up just enough to get the mower out of the backyard, and then forward again to block the gate after I was done. On my bike commute I noticed that gas is up to about $3.45 per gallon. I suspect it will get higher soon. It is at a point where I choose to wait until I have several errands to do in one trip with my vehicle. I do not casually get in and drive.

The price of gas has also curbed my desire to explore the GDMBR much more. However, I really want to drive out to Grants to look for a spring that I think might be a better place to get water and camp near, than San Mateo spring. Perhaps this weekend I can camp out there, and also do a hike in El Malpais National Monument. I love hiking in the Malpais area when it is not too hot. I think I know where Flint's hideout might have been. Flint is a character from a Louis L'Amour novel by the same name. The action of the novel is the El Malpais area and Grants, New Mexico.

I still need to prepare my drop boxes to ship, but I have everything purchased for them. Gear-wise I am good. I am riding my trip bike every day and it is dialed in. I have learned how to pack the Epic Designs Super Twinkie Seat Post Bag so that it rides well. I love the custom frame bag and Gas Tank bag that Eric Parsons made too. I have gotten use to the Canon PowerShot A720 IS camera, but I need some more memory cards for it. I have learned how to use the Garmin eTrek Vista HCx effectively even though I wish it would hold a lot more Waypoints. I have also figured out how to make the Tracking function work on the SPOT GPS transponder. The Primus 1 liter EtaPower pot arrived and it's incredible efficiency definitely makes it worth the slight weight penalty. I have ordered the latest Adventure Cycling Association's (ACA) GDMBR maps. They should be here in a day or two. I will leave the old maps at home for my wife so that she can see where I am more easily from the SPOT tracking data and Google Earth maps.

It has been a busy year and a half getting ready to ride the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR). The physical training has only been one part of the total preparation. It has been almost a year since my first shakedown trip from Pie Town, New Mexico. Just before I left for that shakedown/experiment I was riding with my load around the neighborhood, and I overheard a couple talking in their front yard as I peddled by. I did not quite make out what she said, but his response was: "He is running away from home."

Many people have contacted me about joining my group for this GDMBR trip, but only a handful remain. In 23 days it all comes together. By this time of the day on May 23rd I will be about halfway from Antelope Wells to Hachita ... grinning from ear to ear and loving it!

New "Share" Feature on the SPOT

The SPOT GPS transponder has a new "Share" feature so that anyone, or select people (with a password), can track my progress on Google Earth. I am going to experiment with this feature starting now. Unfortunately, right now you will only see my tracking information for my commute and local training rides. However, it will give me an opportunity to test the technology prior to the GDMBR trip. Check it out and let me know what you think. Be warned though, the new Share feature is in Beta Version, so expect a few glitches. It is getting better every day.

I know some people would worry about possible security issues around advertising their position. In that case, you can choose to make the information password protected in order to only allow select individuals have access to it. However, I think that it is more likely that "Trail Angels" would use the information than others.

In any case, while it is free, check it out: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/gogl.jsp?glId=0m6nasQGcUOXidlf3uGVEBDfVg8pUtLL7

Let me know what you think.

"All Aboard"

It is getting light a lot earlier now (finally!). I should say that it is getting light a lot earlier "again," because it was nearly this light before until they changed the time in early March. This is the second year that the clock has been moved ahead so early in the year, and I hate it. However, it is like they say in Russia: "Tough shiski!" Oh well, I am getting use to it. I just don't see why they call it "Daylight Savings?" At one end of the day or the other you have to turn on the lights.



I stopped on my morning bike commute to take a couple of snaps of the New Mexico Railrunner commuter train. Right after I put the camera back into my handlebar bag a fellow came screaming into the parking lot and jumped out of his car and sprinted towards the train. The doors had already closed, the crossing gates where down, the buses where leaving, and the train was inching forward. Nevertheless, the engineer stopped the train and reopened the doors to let this fellow onboard. Try that trick almost anywhere else.



I little later in my morning bike commute I heard this chainsaw-like sound rapidly screaming closer and closer towards me on the Bosque trail. In a few seconds a motorized bicycle with a young lady grinning away whizzed by me at about 30 mph. Recently I have also encountered a fellow on the Paseo Trail a couple of times (and again on my afternoon commute today). I have kind of mixed emotions about this development. I do not think they are safe on the streets, but I sure hate to have the relative tranquility of the trails disrupted by their unmuzzled putt-putt engines.

I know they are illegal on the trails, but at the same time I have never seen any enforcement. If it were some older person I might think about letting it go, but it is a couple of younger folks who appear fit enough to pedal with the motor shut off. On the other hand I think this issue will resolve itself as soon as they get some flat tires. At about 30 mph it might not be a pretty picture. I am not proposing to flat them out, there are plenty of goatheads and thorns around here to take care of the problem naturally.

This afternoon at about the same time and at about the same place that I usually see the family of geese many afternoons I heard the parents screaming like mad and making a tremendous ruckus. Some schmuck let his two loose dogs flush them out of their hiding place near the irrigation ditch. I only saw two goslings escape with the parents - down from five last week. Had I been on the same side of the irrigation ditch as these dogs I would have pepper sprayed them and probably the owner too. Unfortunately, the hasty picture I took does not reveal the extent of the disruption . It disturbed me that the dog's owner only began to call his dogs when he saw me taking pictures. I do not know if he did not understand what they where up to, but regardless he did not seem to care. It is a $65 per dog fine if there was ever any enforcement. This is not at all unusual in the Bosque. I see loose dogs daily, that is why I carry pepper spray.



When I got home my 1 liter Primus EtaPower Pot was on the front porch. Since I was on my own tonight as far as dinner was concerned I wasted no time preparing a meal in it. The efficiency of the EtaPower Pot is amazing. I could not turn the heat low enough on the MSR Pocket Rocket stove to keep from boiling the water right out of the pot. So, I just shut it down and covered it. It held the heat well enough to finish cooking the Angel Hair Spaghetti even with the dehydrated hamburger and corn that I added. When I returned in about 10 - 12 minutes everything was ready to eat. Clean up was a cinch with the Titanium non-stick coating. The lid also serves as a miniature frying pan for my breakfast cooking adventures.



As I race towards the beginning of my GDMBR ride. The daily bike commutes continue to be part of the training and equipment testing. In no time the school year will be over and I will driving 300 miles south to the Mexican border. Soon we will hear: "All aboard."

Another 1000 Waypoints

After spending hours deleting a thousand Waypoints from my Garmin eTrek Vista HCx GPS I uploaded another thousand. This gets me from Antelope Wells, New Mexico to the Wyoming border with all the alternatives routes. However, I could not quite fit the Slater main route north from Steamboat Lake State Park in Colorado. I did fit the Columbine alternate route in to the Routes and Waypoints.

I am hoping my wife will meet me near the Colorado/New Mexico border with a laptop computer so that I can upload my saved Tracks and download some more Routes and Waypoints for destinations north of Steamboat Lake State Park. I will delete Waypoints and Routes as I pass them each evening so that I can make room in the internal memory for some more. It does not seem like it would be terribily difficult for Garmin to design and build a GPS that would handle 2500 Waypoints and also to make it a lot easier to delete them en mass.

Kudos to Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) for the fantastic job with the latest update on the GDMBR GPS data. The best part is that is free. I certainly feel inclined to send a donation to support their work and for the 2319 GDMBR Waypoints that someone researched and typed in to the data base.

Figuring Food and Finding My Way(points)

I crashed at 8:30 last night. I was trying to write a post and finally just deleted it and went to bed. I awoke at 2:30 am thinking that it must be around 6:30. When it became clear that I was not going to fall back to sleep I got up and pulled all my trip food from the garage to the kitchen. I started loading plastic bags with 5 day resupply portions. I have plenty of dinner entrees, but I am sorely lacking in lunch supplies.

Then I decided to refigure my itinerary in order to determine how much more I should order. That got me messing with the Garmin GPS and now half a day later, I am not sure what I have accomplished. Nevertheless I know I need to keep trying to prepare my drop boxes for shipment. It is just what to where and when are the questions that remain.

Then I crashed around 1:30 pm and slept until 5:30 pm.

Today I have learned a lot about using my Garmin eTrex Vista HCx GPS. The good news is that it will hold 1000 user inputted Waypoints. I filled it up with the ACA GPS data and only got about half way to Canada. Clearing Tracks and Routes are no big deal, but clearing 1000 Waypoints is a several hour project. So BEWARE, it is a several step process to remove each Waypoint individually and that is really bad news. There does not seem to be any way to remove them en mass. Pick and choose the Waypoints you enter or upload carefully so that you do not have to spend several hours removing unneeded and unwanted ones.

Tracks are like "electronic breadcrumbs" that allow you to retrace your path. If you download someone elses' tracks, then you can follow their path. However, you can only use Tracks that are downloaded to the Active Log. Tracks that are saved to the Micro SD card cannot be used for navigation.

Routes are user connected Waypoints. The Waypoints can be user inputted or downloaded. With the Garmin eTrek Vista HCx you can have up to 50 Routes with up to 250 points each, but it does not appear that you can exceed the 1000 Waypoint limit. However, by the time I have deleted at least a 1000 Waypoints one at a time with a minimum of a six step process for each one, then I will be very glad that there are only 1000 of them!

Please do not get me wrong, the information from the ACA GPS data is valuable, but unless you are carrying a computer or can find one where you can load the software, then you must pick the best 1000 Waypoints to work from. I would recommend leaving some space to input Waypoints where you camped, found water or a store, etc. Of course, as you pass various navigational Waypoints, then you could delete them and add more manually each evening. It is a intensive labor demanding project, but each to his own. Many people will not use a GPS at all, and they will do fine with just the ACA maps.

New Mexico Weather Report: Chile Today, Hot Tamale

This is the Bosque Trail at Paseo del Norte. On the far left is a soft dirt road for horseback riding. In the middle is a hard packed gravel road, which I use to shakedown my bike on a daily basis. The paved trail is for hikers, joggers, cyclists, and skaters.

On weekdays I usually arrive here around 6:30 am +/- 5 minutes. The main trail has the stripe down the center and the trail coming in from the right is the connector with the Paseo del Norte trail which runs east-west. The Bosque Trail runs generally north-south along the Rio Grande, which is about a 100 yards to the right of the trail.

Despite the apparent emptiness of the trail this morning it is as busy as any highway on the weekends. I am both glad and perplexed at the lack of joggers and cyclists this morning, because it was in the low 50's. I was both sad and perplexed by the lack of wildlife along the trail this morning, because I was ready to have a few Kodak moments. I did get a quick glimpse of my pheasant friend from about 200 feet. I was hoping he would demand his right-of-way again like he did a couple of days ago.

Unfortunately, too many people let their dogs run loose as they jog. Even though the fine is $65 per dog, you never see anyone around early in the morning to enforce it. The average number of loose dogs per day is about two, and my person record observation is nine loose dogs. It is a miracle that we have any wildlife at all along the Bosque.

The key thing to notice is the "Very High" Fire Danger warning. Last summer there was a lot of rain, which made the grass grow like mad. Over the winter it died and dried. Now with the strong spring winds a little spark could easily ignite a huge wildfire. Already the Lincoln National Forest is closing on May 1st as the summer season lightening strikes will inevitably ignite Forest Fires. Right now there are three big fires raging in New Mexico.

If conditions continue as they are, then the Gila National Forest may close too. If that is the case, then we will have to ride the paved "outer loop" (western loop) to NM 12, and then rejoin the the GDMBR just west of Horse Springs.

The irony is that once we get north of El Rito, New Mexico we may very well be dealing with mud and snow. Certainly by the time we get to northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, damper conditions will become the norm. The remaining challenge nobo in the first 800 miles of the GDMBR is to get over Indiana Pass at almost 12,000 feet, which may still be snow packed and unplowed when we arrive. There is never a dull moment on the GDMBR.

Canadian Topos Loaded

The Garmin MapSource Topo discs arrived yesterday. I did not waste any time getting them loaded onto my eTrek Vista HCx GPS. I am not particularly expert at using it, but I know how handy the GPS navigational information was during my last shakedown.

The ACA maps are fantastic as long as everything goes according to plan. If conditions force a detour, then the ACA maps are not adequate to navigate by. Thus, the need for the Topos of the whole route. With 2 gigs of memory available on the microSD card I fit 561 topo maps into 225.2 MB. That leaves over 1.75 gigs for storing track logs.

Unfortunately the Garmin is actually not very user friendly for epic journeys such as the GDMBR. Although you might have the impression that you can save a tremendous amount of waypoints, tracks, and routes, it is either not possible, or else it is very challenging to figure out how to do it. I have the strong impression that it is the former. Nevertheless, it is still worth the weight and battery penalty: to find water and to navigate off-route due to weather/road conditions and fires.

A Pheasant Surprise!

On my morning commute I stopped for a pheasant crossing the Bosque trail.

Across the Rio Grande along the Bosque there were a pair of hot air balloons looking for a place to land.

As opposed to commuting by motor vehicle in the morning rush hour traffic, I have this tranquil setting at the start of my work day.

On the way home along the Bosque I stopped to watch this family of geese sunning themselves.

Gosh, just another terrible commute!

Bingo!

Despite my best efforts my drivetrain was just a little bit off. I checked and rechecked the installation and adjustments, and even though it shifts well on the stand, there is still some noise in the higher gears under load. I called to make an appointment with my LBS, but it will be Friday or Saturday until they can help me. With only a month and a day until the trip every training day is precious.



So I called my friend Rick. About an hour into the conversation (which is actually a short time for us) he asked me if my rear wheel was fully seated in the dropouts? Bingo! The last time I put the rear wheel on it was on the bike stand. Even though I thought I had pushed the wheel in place all the way, a couple of silly millimeters was all it took throw my new Shimano XTR derailleur out of alignment.

I also decided to change out the derailleur hanger. The alignment looked good, but if a couple of silly millimeters from the rear wheel not being perfectly seated in the dropouts could make such a huge difference in the shifting performance, then a slight bend or twist in the derailleur hanger might also be contributing too. Due to the shape of the rear derailleur hanger it was very difficult to tell whether it was slightly twisted, but I just changed it out anyway. Bingo! The new rear derailleur hanger also helped!





In our "brief" conversation Rick told me that he heard that Shimano has been improving the tolerances with the new derailleurs, which means they are getting a lot fussier; especially the XTRs and XTs. Apparently the old gears and derailleurs tolerated more slop, but as the number of gears has increased and the gearing tolerances improved, then the derailleur tolerances had to follow suit. In other words, get the wheel seated in the drop outs properly, replace or straighten bent or twisted derailleur hangers, make sure the cables are tight, say a prayer, grin, and go ride.

As I mentioned last winter, Rick has taught me an incredible amount about bikes and about ultralite camping gear. A year ago he and I were going to ride the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route together. Unfortunately old injuries came back to haunt him combining with some new injuries to steal the deal. In short, he became physically unable to tolerate riding the Great Divide. The good news is that he is recovering well enough to road bike tour the Santa Fe Trail in June. I am really glad that things are looking up for him.

As I was sharing my equipment and gear choices with him today, he reminded me that most of the gear decisions I have settled on are similar to suggestions that he made at least a year ago. I know that, but I am stubborn. On a road tour I could get away with the heavier, bigger stuff, but on the GDMBR there just is not any slack for extra weight and volume.

An Early Bird Start

I got an early start on continuing the shock rebuild/service today. It was so early that even flat washers were casting a shadow!



Look at the length of the shadow from the motion control damper (the red thing). Now consider that it is only about an inch in diameter.



The top of the headset looked so good that I was going to skip disassembling the bottom. When I finally got it apart I was sure glad that I persisted. Check out that dirt and grime and it is not even clean yet!



When it was time to pour shock oil into the bottom legs the Old Man Mountain rack turned out to be the perfect workstand.



Despite my best efforts to get the drivetrain adjusted, it still sounds noisy. It shifts briskly and solidly, but it does not feel smooth in the higher gears. On the rack it is quiet and smooth, but weighted it does not seem right to me. So, rather than ride it much I am going to make an appointment to have it checked out at my LBS. It may be that the XTR rear derailleur does not like the Wipperman chain. I hope not, because I really like Wipperman chains.

On a very positive note, the front shocks came out great! Despite a couple of moments of wondering what I had gotten myself into, I got past those challenges. Overall I am really glad I did it myself, because now I have a much better understanding and greater confidence in the shock. Even though I doubt I could do a significant repair to the front shocks on the trail, I am hoping that this preventative maintenance will preclude that type of situation.

Actually the only time I seriously doubted whether I could complete the job was when I was trying to remove the old oil wiper seals. The bottom one was really difficult to pry out. I had to use so much pressure that I was afraid I would break the lower legs. Then, to add insult to injury, when I was picking up last night I must have accidentally threw away one of the new oil wiper seals.

This morning I hunted all over the garage for it. Finally I resorted to dumpster diving, and luckily I did not come up empty handed. I am not sure if I threw it away or whether one of my granddaughters "helped" me. Under my "supervision" she was putting rocks in the dumpster, and I am not sure whether the new oil wiper seal was on the driveway or on the worktable at that point in time. In any case, I am to blame for not paying attention.

However, I do have to thank her for keeping the ants away from my work area. At one point she had me cut a 6" - 7" piece of black electrical tape that she put down on the driveway. Then she proceeded to tell the ants that they could "run and jump and play" on the other side of the tape, but not where I was working. It worked like a charm! No ants dared cross the line after her admonition.

Shocked

Now that the fury of the spring winds has decreased I am ready to service my front fork shock. So, setting aside a modest portion of apprehension and doubt, I am ready to disassemble and reassemble my front fork shock. With parts, tools, oil, and the service manual in hand, I begin the process.



Earlier today I changed out the front derailleur, the shifters, and retaped the Marsas Audax padding onto the Ergon grips. I also tried out my MSR Pocket Rocket and titanium kettle. I did not get in much riding, which was a shame on such a nice day. Getting the oil seals out of the lower legs was a bear, but I finally succeeded. Tomorrow I will finish servicing the front shock.

GPS Points of Interest, Waypoints, and Tracks

As I have worked towards "certification" as an ultralite gram weenie I have wondered whether I made a mistake buying the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx GPS. It represents a weight penalty of about a half pound and a significant hassle because it uses batteries. However, on the last shakedown it came to my rescue in making navigation decisions as well as for finding water. Finding water in New Mexico is not trivial. Neither is getting lost.

However the key to its usefulness is to have purchased and downloaded the Garmin MapSource Topo maps for the areas that you are traveling through. Although I have not taken the time to take a course on using GPS for navigation, I have played with it quite a bit. In my explorations I discovered that from the Main Menu if I select "Find" and then either select "All POI," which are "Points of Interest" or "Geographic", then it will find all the significant landmarks in the area that I am in. This includes the springs and "tanks." You do not know whether you have this feature without the extra MapSource Topo maps.

Incidentally, I just ordered the Garmin MapSource Canadian Topo disc so that I can have the same benefits when I get to the Canadian section of the GDMBR. If you are using the Garmin MapSource City Navigator maps, then it will find all the urban POIs such as gas stations and movie theaters. That probably will not be much help on the GDMBR in New Mexico, because they are usually too far away.

A word of warning about "Tanks," because they might not be what you are thinking. Tanks are large depressions in the ground where water collects, but there is no guarantee that there is any water. I lucked out at Seco Tank, because a couple of big holes had been scooped out and a fair amount of water was available. When you hear or read the word "tank" think "muddy cow pond." Often they are hidden behind earthen berms, so if you do not know what you are looking for you might not find them at all. One tip for locating water is if there are some good looking trees or robust vegetation growing out in the middle of nowhere. That often means that there is probably water nearby. However, expect to get muddy feet as you get close.

I use a rubberized collapsible bucket and a nylon rope to throw it out into the water. Sometimes I have to put a rock in the bucket to throw it out far enough and to get it to sink into the deeper water away from the edge of the tank (pond).

This may sound pretty disgusting to you, but if you are going to survive in the boonies in New Mexico, you had better be prepared to find the water wherever you can and also to able to make it potable. You will quickly gain a new appreciation of faucets with running water and potable water is a real treat. You may also begin to wonder why people waste so much water as though it is an unlimited resource. You can live for weeks without food, but only for a few short and miserable days without water.

For finding potential water sources the GPS with the Garmin MapSourch Topo maps shine. For picking out the right route when there are unmarked choices the GPS is second to none; especially if you have either downloaded the ACA GPS Waypoints or someone else's Track data. At least for the main route between Cuba and Grants, New Mexico the GPSis going to be worth its weight in gold. So, for the New Mexico section of the GDMBR, the GPS with the Topo Points of Interest (POIs) and Waypoints or Tracks is definitely worth the weight penalty and the battery hassle.

Just Lucky?

"If it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any at all!" Have you ever felt that way? If you have, then get over it. I just called the store manager of the sporting goods store that I stopped at yesterday, because he was going to save me a MSR Pocket Rocket with MSR Titanium Kettle combination at a special deal sale price. That is ... if they came in, but of course they didn't. So, I checked on the Internet and found the same deal only $20 cheaper, no tax, no shipping charge, and it is already being packaged for shipping.

I don't have enough time to hunt around trying to find a Primus EtaPower Express in stock. Everyone is advertising them, but no one has them. In any case, for about half the money ($50 to be exact) and half the weight (7.2 ounces total) I can boil water to my heart's content. My net savings on the fuel cost for the Primus EtaPower Expresss versus the MSR Pocket Rocket for the entire GDMBR trip would only be about $50. That means that financially it is a wash. Otherwise, in every other way it is a gain.

Oh shucks! Tough luck!

Comparing Stoves: Primus EtaPower Express and MSR Pocket Rocket

On my way home from work yesterday I stopped at a local sporting goods store to see if they carried Primus EtaPower Express stoves. The store manager was very enthusiastic about MSR stoves. At 20 ounces (without fuel) the MSR Reactor stove and cookware seemed a bit on the "obese" side, considering that it did not have a frying pan/lid. The construction was impressive, but I guess I am becoming a real gram weenie. He also showed me a MSR Pocket Rocket stove that was only a tad over 3 ounces. Then he showed me a MSR Titanium pot/kettle with lid that was another 4 ounces. At a total weight of about 7 ounces (without fuel) this is half the weight of the Primus EtaPower Express.

However, when I compared the REI data on the number of liters of water boiled per 100 g of fuel burned, the Primus EtaPower Express was more than twice as efficient according to experiments done at REI. On a long trip the total weight and volume (stove plus fuel) makes a big difference. The problem is that when I compare the specs I do not know all the conditions under which REI tested the equipment. For example, wind, altitude, and ambient temperature all factor into how much fuel it will take to boil 1 liter of water. So I remain uncertain regarding my estimate of the total amount of fuel I will need for the trip.

Using the REI data I compared the liters of 70 degree F water brought to a boil for each stove (probably under idea conditions - no wind, at sea level, and 75 degree F ambient temperature) their experiments revealed that 100 g of fuel would boil about 7 liters of water for the MSR Pocket Rocket (with what pot?) and 14 liters for the Primus EtaPower Express.

Then I took a "SWAG" (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) at my fuel consumption. I estimated an average of 4 liters boiled per day or about 28 liters of water brought to a boil per week. Over the course of 10 weeks that would require about twenty 110 g cans of fuel. However, I usually use the medium size 230 g cans. That means, if I am attentive, then one 230 g can should last about a week with the Primus EtaPower Express. If the REI data is fairly accurate, then I would have to carry two 230 g cans of fuel per week for the MSR Pocket Rocket. This means that the 7 ounce weight savings on the MSR Pocket Rocket would in part be chewed up by the extra can of fuel that I would have to carry on the stretches with long distances between resupply. However, those long distances between resupplies are exactly why I need less base weight in order to accommodate more food (and sometimes water) carrying capacity.

On this basis, the choice between the MSR and the Primus stoves is coming down to personal preference and availability. The MSR Pocket Rocket will consume about twice as much fuel. If I use ten more medium size cans of fuel then the extra expense is about $50. However, the Primus EtaPower Express is fairly new and difficult to find. Nevertheless, there are good reasons to go either way on the stove selection. I was hoping that the choice would be clearer, but the competition for the lighter weight and volume segment of the camping stove market is fierce ... and that is a good thing.

"Too Little ... Just Right!"

When I first saw the new Primus EtaPower Express in real life my first impression was: "How cute." The frying pan/pot lid was so small that I thought it was something from my granddaughters' toy kitchen. I put it back in the box, smiled, and walked away. Now, not even a week later, I want to take another look at it. I have owned a Primus backpacking stove since 1972. In fact, I rebuilt my Hunter's version about a year ago. At that time I was thinking that I would use it on my GDMBR trip. However, that is ancient history now.

I also have a fairly new Primus Omnifuel, but by my newly adopted gram weenie standards it is too heavy. It also does not simmer well. Once I get north of Del Norte, Colorado I may want to actually cook once in a while. So that idea tempts me to pack one of my alcohol stoves that use wicks and is great for simmering and also for baking. I know these are "bloated mule" thoughts pushing their way back into my brain, but I expect take 70-80 days to complete the 2700 miles. Also, it takes a little time to change thought patterns.

Right now I am focused on solving my base load weight and volume ("bloated mule") issue. The Primus EtaPower EF performed incredibly well at altitude (8000'), in the high wind (average 15-20mph), and in the cold (lower to mid thirties). But, it weighs at least 28 ounces and it is huge. Despite the raving reviews of the JetBoil, I am not convinced that it would perform as well under similar conditions. By the time you add a frying pan, which I sometimes use for breakfast, the weight and volume becomes about the same as the Primus EtaPower EF.

At 14.7 ounces the Primus EtaPower Express with the 1 liter pot is comparable to the JetBoil in both weight (15 oz) and volume (32 oz). I am a little nervous about the toy kitchen sized frying pan/lid, but the reviews indicated that it is actually quite functional. Since I am an early adopter on this item I will probably have to pay full retail, but time is getting short before I leave on my GDMBR trip.

I am starting feel like Goldilocks on my quest for the right equipment. The only difference is that "Too Little" is "Just Right!"

What Is Left To Do On the Bike?

After installing the Phil Wood bottom bracket bearings into the external cups the only thing left on my original To Do List for the bike before the trip was to service the front shock. However, I found a good deal on a front XTR derailleur and some Deore LX Rapidfire Shifter Pods with the new two-way levers. Along with some Avid Flack Jacket cables that should just about do the trick?

Whoops! It just dawned on me that I have not greased the headset. I should at least take a peek at it while I am installing the new shifters. At that point I think I will have messed with everything on the bike at least once. I have replaced a lot of components and parts, and greased everything that uses grease. Once I service the front shock I will feel like I really know this bike well, and that is exactly the feeling I want going into such a long tour with so few places to get parts or service.

Even though the rear cassette looks good, I have a couple of new rear cassettes ready to go, so I guess I will replace it for the trip. While I am doing that I can adjust the lock nut so that I can get it off easier with the JA Stein cassette lock nut tool in case I need to service the wheel, freehub, or replace any spokes. I doubt it, but I'll do it just in case.

I am thinking about taking off the heavy Old Man Mountain front rack. On the other hand, I think I am going to leave it on to carry the SPOT and the Bear spray where I can keep an eye on them. I have not completely decided on that yet. It also depends on how much the handling improves without the front panniers.

I have made a decision about the stove and cookware, but I'll tell you about that in a day or so.

If The Shoe Fits - Wear It

Presenting: "The Bloated Mule"



I was searching the Internet for "GDMBR" hits yesterday when I ran across a forum in which someone was looking for an equipment list that was somewhere between the ultra-ultralight version of a racer and the "camping luxuries" version of a "Bloated Mule." It struck me that that term "Bloated Mule" fit my rig to a T, and once I got passed the emotional impact of "Bloated Mule" it actually struck me as pretty darn funny.



If you have been following my blog for a while, then you have tracked with me during my struggle to test a lot of different equipment and eventually to making choices to lighten and streamline my base load. During this process I have resisted using the term "ultralite" for a long time, because I felt that there was a perculiar brand of arrogance that often goes with it. Yet, at the same time, I hope that the style of arrogance that often accompanies the ultralite crowd actually helps to counterbalance the arrogance that goes with driving (I am not sure anyone ever really owns one) a heavy duty, bad ass pickup truck or a "Subdivision" size SUV.



I think that there are appropriate times and uses for all of the above. It is the judgmental aspect of each point of view that gets a little ridiculous at times. Sadly, I probably have my own form of arrogance that I am too stupid to even recognize. Be that as it may. I am definitely in a pare and trim mode in terms of my base load. I don't ever expect to be called "Greased Lightening." In the meantime, I accept and embrace the label "Bloated Mule."

Bottom Bracket Bearings Finally Installed

After almost two months I finally got the other Phil Wood bottom bracket bearing and dust cover in the mail from Peak Cycles/BikeParts.com. I am thrilled to finally have the Phil Wood bearings installed in my bottom bracket for the GDMBR trip.

Incidentally, I have heard some very good things about the Enduro Max bearings, but I did not know much about them when I ordered the Phil Wood bearings. If you are mechanical and have the tools, then check out the Enduro web site. They have some excellent products and instructions on servicing forks, and bearings on their web site.




Even from a short ride after the installation last night, the adjectives that I would use to describe the Phil Wood bearings include: smoooooth, silllllky, and SWEEEEET. My experience with Phil Wood bearings also include the word Reliable.

On the telephone the folks at Peak Cycles/BikeParts.com could not be nicer, but almost two months is a heck of a long time to wait for a bearing and a dust cover. The first surprise was when only half the order came. Beware that on the web ad they show two bottom bracket bearings as though it is package, it was supposedly only one bearing. They have now clarified that in words, but not with the picture. However, what does not make sense to me is that the exact same bearing on the Phil Wood web site has a suggested retail of $20 and Peak/BikeParts was asking $30. That just does not make sense? Everyone else sells them as pairs for between $34-$39. I suppose that if you work at it, then you can pay more if you prefer. Furthermore, the web page and the receipt showed the dust covers as a "pr," which I believe means "pair." Yet initially I only received one.

Then they were out of stock for two weeks. Then nothing happened for another two or three weeks. Then they send them to another person with the same last name in North Carolina instead of New Mexico. Allegedly he forwarded them to me, but I have never received anything. Maybe he did, but after more than two more weeks I have not received them.

I can cheerfully forget all that nonsense, but the issue that grates me is that I ended up looking like a crook. A note on the invoice said that the company feels like they should reimburse and also reward the guy in North Carolina for forwarding the parts to me. Where the heck are the parts? I hope they arrive eventually, because I am not happy about looking like a bum. I will gladly forward them back to Peak Cyles/BikeParts.com to clear my name. Nevertheless, to Peak Cycles/BikeParts.com's credit they finnnaaaalllllly sent the missing pieces by Priority Mail on Monday and I received them yesterday.

I could not wait to get them installed, but it had been so long since I received the first bearing and dust cover that I did not remember where I put them. Fortunately I am fairly organized, and after a short search I found them. I immediately went to work pulling the cranks and external bottom bracket cups.




You can see from the picture above that you have good access with the Shimano bearings. However, if you ride much in the rain or cross any streams, then the water and debris have good access to them too. So, more than ever, I was glad to swap them out for the Phil Wood bearings.

If You Like To Eat, Then Don't Miss This!

Darren Alff sent me this reminder about his telephone interview with Bernd and Barbie tonight on cooking while touring. I plan to be there. Depending on what twilight zone you are in, you may want to set an alarm to remind you to click on to his link during that hour. It is a one shot deal, so if you miss it ... oh well!

******************************************
Bob,
I just wanted to send a quick reminder about tonight's discussion at BicycleTouringPro.com.

I am going to be talking with Bernd & Barbie (The Authors of a German cookbook) about the various issues bicycle tourists have to deal with when cooking while on tour. We'll be talking about campstoves, food preparation, and a whole lot more!

The interview is free to listen to, so I hope you'll check it out!

If you're planning a bicycle tour and have ever wondered to yourself...
- Do I need to bring a stove with me?
- What is the difference between base camp cooking and ultralite cooking?
- What kind of cooking gear and utensils will I need?
- What foods and recipes work best for traveling cyclists?
- What type of stove should I use?
- How many pots should I bring with me?
- Which types of fuels are best for my situation?
- How can I fly with a camp stove and avoid being arrested?
- And what are some easy meals I can make while I'm traveling?
...then you're gonna want to be listening to this call!

It's taking place tonight (Saturday, April 12) at 6:00 PM Pacific /9:00 Eastern time.

At that time, go to:
http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/audio/cookingwithberndandbarbie/index.htm
...click the play button... and listen to the interview.
It's important that you show up on time, because the interview will only be available for one hour. If you don't show up on time,you'll miss this incredibly useful information.

That's all for now. I hope you'll join me for tonight's interview...and please have a fantastic weekend!

Darren Alff
contact@bicycletouringpro.comhttp://www.bicycletouringpro.com/

PS - Here is the information one more time: The interview is taking place tonight at 6 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern.
At that time, go to this page:
http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/audio/cookingwithberndandbarbie/index.htm
...and click the play button. You will be able to listen to this interview at that time. It's free! So I hope you'll join me!

If you have any questions, please send me an email(contact@bicycletouringpro.com).

Thanks! And I hope to see you there!
http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/audio/cookingwithberndandbarbie/index.htm

*******************************************
I suspect we will have a chance to buy their cookbook too. I am going to leave my solar powered credit card out in the sun today so that it will be all charged up and ready to spend.

Resupply

Even as I struggle to reduce my base load weight and volume I am also thinking about my food and equipment resupply. Once we reach Del Norte, Colorado the distances between small towns decreases dramatically compared with the logistics in New Mexico. On that basis it should be easier to find food, but equipment like tires, tubes, and fuel may still be problematical.

Short of finding a store with what we need as we travel, we will have to ship whatever we need to ourselves along the way. One of the group members has been working on making up address labels of the post offices along the route. Sometimes we may have to travel a short ways off route, but as opposed to going hungry I do not think anyone will mind a little traveling for food.

Cooking and Stoves

"Hey boss! Are you really going to haul all of this stuff? Why don't you just catch some mice and birds along the way? I don't know about you humans."




The decision to cook or not cook weighs on my mind as I write this post. Right now my most efficient stove/cookware is my Primus Eta. It performed like a champ during the Ignacio Chavez Grant shakedown a couple of weeks ago. Most of the time I was at about 8000 feet, the wind hardly ever stopped blowing day or night, and temperatures ranged from the low 30s to the mid 50s. My problem is the weight and volume burden that this stove, cookware, and butane fuel present. Together the combination hoovers just under 4 lbs or 20% of 20 lbs!

Many other GDMBR riders have decided against cooking in order to spare themselves of this weight and volume burden. Instead, they choose to eat whatever they can find at gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, and restaurants as the opportunities present themselves. That is okay, except that type of food is very heavy and you cannot carry too many days worth of it.

Apparently this stoveless strategy works fairly well for some, but by traveling northbound (nobo) the uninformed quickly discover to their dismay that there are very, very, very few gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, or grocery stores along or near the GDMBR in New Mexico.

Some good news is that we think that we have been successful in getting our food load down to 5-6 days. This is much better than the 9-10 food load of our first estimates. Very soon we will know whether we were resourceful and lucky enough to resupply in a more reasonable time frame. However, I am far less certain that we have solved the 10-day food load problem from Grants, New Mexico to Del Norte, Colorado. I think we can get that one down to 6-7 days.

Although I have tested several lighter stove/cookware options, the extreme fire hazard conditions this spring in southern New Mexico are almost certainly going to dictate that we use butane type stoves if we are allowed to use anything at all.

Unfortunately, the significantly lighter alcohol stoves do not burn efficiently in the wind, nor do they work particularly well at higher altitudes or in the cold. Nevertheless, the biggest problem is the fire hazzard from the nearly invisible flame combined with the tinderbox conditions which are predominant this spring in southern New Mexico.

Perhaps once we get to Del Norte, Colorado we might be able to shift to lighter equipment, but through much of New Mexico I do not foresee much opportunity to use anything except a butane type of stove this summer for the southern most 400-500 miles of the GDMBR. On the other hand, northern New Mexico and southern Colorado got plenty of snow this winter. In fact, we will be lucky to get over Indiana Pass much before mid-June.

Slooow Speed Front End Stability

I wrote a short article on some of the differences between road bike touring and mountain bike-camping touring for Darren Alff's excellent web site. I have already discussed many aspects of my preparations for this epic ride on the GDMBR in this blog, and I there are many key issues to expand on for future posts.

Closely related to these differences is establishing slow speed (under 4-5 mph) front end stability. It has been a top priority goal since my latest shakedown. That is not to say that it was not a concern during the other two shakedowns, but I dealt with a lot more ruts, rocks, and roots in the last shakedown. In fact, I had miles and miles where I had to bushwhack slightly off the road or track due to snow and mud. However, sand has always been a speed killer and front end destabilizer, so this slow speed steering problem has been on my mind for about a year.

I have always used front panniers during touring, but during the three shakedown mini-tours that I have done to prepare for the GDMBR I have discovered times when that front end load caused more problems than it solved. The initial idea was that the front end load would help hold the front of the bike down during hill climbing. However, I have discovered that with my bike, which I intentionally bought too big for me specifically for bike-camping touring on the GDMBR, not for technical riding, that the front end stays down just fine without that load.

Unfortunately the opposite is true. With the front end load my steering gets more sketchy not only on the uphill sections, but also any time my speed is under 4-5 mph. I believe the reason this is true is partly because at these slow motion speeds you lose the stabilizing gyroscopic effects of the turning wheels. A friend of mine claims that spinning the cranks helps maintain the stability. That is true for upright bike stability, but not true for slow speed steering control with panniers up front.

Maybe because I am training in New Mexico where the "roads" are reported to be among the worst on the GDMBR, or because I have intentionally pushed myself and my bike to the limits of our collective load carrying capacity during my shakedowns, but for whatever reason I have negotiated many miles of ruts, roots, rocks, sand, and hills at slow speeds. Of course this issue is compounded if the slow motion conditions occur later in the riding day, because my spinning velocity has decreased too.

So my decision to have Eric Parsons of Epic Designs make a custom frame triangle bag was not a fashion statement. It was not to be different or cool. I could give a hoot about that attitude. Nevertheless, regardless what other people think, I think they look pretty cool. Furthermore, it is pretty easy to get into the frame bag and Gas Tank bag; whereas the front panniers are not as convenient to get into during the day. I have even gotten stuff in and out of the Gas Tank and the frame bag while I was riding. Try that with front panniers!

My decision to spend some serious bucks to move the load away from the front end and towards the side-t0-side mid-line of the bike was a serious attempt to gain some slow speed steering stability. I want to pick the line of travel rather than have my load dictate it to me. I do not mind being tired from a long hard day in the saddle, but I do not want to be prematurely tired from constantly wrestling with the steering. It is bad enough that the slow speed conditions make for a longer day for the same mileage as during easier stretches, without being forced to rest more often and longer to recover from the extra upper body workout.

So, about equal in importance to reducing the weight/volume of my base load has been the goal to redistribute the load off the front and move it towards the mid-line of the bike. That is the decision I have come to on this issue.

There are other solutions such as going bare bones and traveling much faster and longer each day. Everyone has to decide about cooking food, and how they are going to handle the water filtering or purification for drinking. But the main issue I wanted to address in this post was the slow speed steering stability.

Sealing the Sil Nylon Poncho/Tarp

My new Integral Designs sil nylon Poncho/Tarp (5' x 8') arrived at REI yesterday and I picked it up today after work. It is necessary to seal the seams with silicone. So, I did that process tonight. There are three remarkable things about sil nylon (silicone coated ripstop nylon) items. First is that they are usually less than half the weight of a similar item in another material. Second is that they compress to about a fourth of the size. Third is that they are 2 - 3 times more expensive.

However, I priced material to see if I could wiggle my wife's ear enough to get her make a little tarp for me out of this stuff, but frankly, even if I bought "seconds" the material itself is too expensive to make it worthwhile to put her through that much trouble. If you figure in the time then it was cheaper to buy it on sale, than to have her make one for me.

XTR Rear Derailleur Installed

I stopped by my LBS and ordered the service kit, wipers, seals, and shock oil for the front shock. I decided that I want to take a crack at it myself. It is not cheaper, but I will feel more comfortable knowing how it is built and that I could take it apart if I had to do it. Although it is almost ludicrous that I would do it on the road, because it takes a slightly modified 24 mm socket and some snap ring pliers. Nevertheless, if I limped into someplace where I could procure these tools then I could do the job in a pinch.

I installed the new Shimano XTR rear derailleur along with new cables/sheaths tonight. It is very, very smooth! I already like the reverse shifting pattern. It makes more sense to me to have both shifters working the same way. The reverse shifting is suppose to be more reliable and easier to perform late shifts. I also installed a new Wipperman Connex stainless steel chain. The only two things I have left to do before the trip is to service the front shocks and to change out the bottom bracket bearings for some Phil Woods. I have been waiting for almost seven weeks for an unnamed company to send the parts

I am going to ride my mountain bike to work tomorrow. Hopefully it will not act up at o'dark thirty, because I only have minimal lighting for it. I really hate when they change the doggone time and make it so dark early in the morning again. It was just starting to get halfway decent before the time change.

One of my group members just called and he has established a contact in Pie Town and also found a gas station not too far off route about a day south of Pie Town. That is very helpful so that we do not have to carry quite so much food. It is getting late and I need to get up very early if I am going to ride my mountain bike to work. So ... good night.

Adding up the ounces ... Hmmm!

As I initiate my base load weight/volume reduction program my wallet is significantly lighter and less crammed already! Some inspiration for continuing to spend money to lighten and decrease the volume of the equipment load comes from reading Scott Morris's account of ascending Fleecer Ridge. If you scroll down to the 7/22/04 entry in his journal, then you may find some reasons to lighten your equipment load too. He was one of the first to journal about riding northbound (nobo) on the GDMBR.

As an aside, he is also partly responsible for clarifying the GPS data for the U.S.A. version of the GDMBR. His http://www.topofusion.com/ web site is a wonderful source of navigational information. I have a license for his software and use it quite a lot for planning. I have downloaded his GDMBR gpx tracks into my Garmin eTrek Vista HCx (7 oz of 320 oz), but the Garmin GPS will only use maps from MapSource (Garmin).

As a quick math class review: There are 16 ounces per pound and 320 ounces in a 20 pound base load. That means there are only 240 ounces in a 15 pound base load. It does not take long to realize that every single ounce of gear makes a difference. So when it is a snively difference of 4.5 ounces for one mini tripod versus 2 ounces for the other does it really matter? Unfortunately, every ounce counts; especially on difficult terrain, in the mud, sand, snow, hail, dessert, or whatever. Over the hundreds of miles and thousands of feet of vertical gain every ounce exponentially compounds to make a significant difference in the enjoyment of the trip. Worst of all, is the fact that they add up too quickly.

Francis Tapon tells us in his book, Hike Your Own Hike, that there is a paradox in that the further you travel, the less you actually "need." That is especially true when you are carrying it on your back or on your bike. This means we have to redefine our understanding of our "necessities." Let's consider the broad categories of gear and equipment first. Based on some experience, but actually still a "SWAG" (Scientific Wild Ass Guess), let's set some arbitrary weight limits on the base load (no food or water):

• First Aide Kit - 1 lb/16 oz
• Clothing (including what I am wearing) - 4 lbs/64 oz
• Personal Hygiene (Toilet Kit and towel) - 1 lb/16 oz
• Electronics (GPS, camera, Solio, batteries, light - 1.5 lbs/24 oz
• Water treatment - 1 lb/ 16 oz
• Kitchen (stove, cookware, etc) - 3 lbs/48 oz (with fuel)
• Camping Equipment - 5 lb/80 oz
• Tools/parts - 1 lb/16 oz
• Bags 2 lbs/32 oz
• Miscellaneous and last minute throw ins - 5 lbs!!!

I will use this for a starting point. Let's see how it ends up ... later.

News from Darren Alff at www.bicycletouringpro.com

I have mentioned Darren's excellent web site a few times in my blog and I have it listed with the "Helpful Links" in the sidebar. This morning while I was waiting for the coffee to brew I was perusing my email, and I received this information from Darren Alff at http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/ .

Hey Bob!

I've visited your blog a few times and I've got 3 quick things I wanted to notify you about...

First of all, I'm going to be interviewing Bernd & Barbie (the authors of a German cookbook for traveling cyclists). We're going to be talking about stoves, fuel, and all sorts of cooking related issues for bicycle travelers.
It's a free call, but it's only going to take place once! And don't worry, the call is in English - not German!

It's happening this coming Saturday (April 12th) at 6:00 Pacific /9:00 Eastern. At that day and time, all you have to do is go to: http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/audio/cookingwithberndandbarbie/index.htm and you will be able to listen to the interview on your computer! But you gotta be there on time, otherwise you'll miss the call. We'll be covering a number of topics having to do with cooking while on tour... so if this sounds like something you might be interested in, please write down the information and I'll see you on Saturday! (The call is scheduled to last about 60 minutes)

Secondly, I wanted to tell you about a few changes that have been made on the website at BicycleTouringPro.com. The biggest change that's taken place is the addition of my own personal bicycle touring blog at: http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/blog.

And finally, a lot of BicycleTouringPro.com readers have been asking me about "stealth camping." I got so many questions about it, I finally wrote a short article on the subject and posted it on the site. If you want more information about this controversial subject...or if you don't even know what "stealth camping" is, you can read my article here:
http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/articles/thesecretsofstealthcamping.htm
That's all for now! Have a great week! Hope to see you on Saturday!

Darren Alff
contact@bicycletouringpro.com
http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/

PS - The call on Saturday is going to be good! If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please don't miss it! It's taking place this Saturday (April 12th, 2008) at 6:00 PM Pacific /9:00 PM Eastern at the following web address:
http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/audio/cookingwithberndandbarbie/index.htm
Just visit the site at that time and you will be able to listen to the interview! It's free... so I hope to see you there!

Thanks for your time... and keep up the good work! Please email me if you have any questions.

The GDMBR Calls from Mt Taylor

As the sun sets directly behind Mt Taylor tonight it continues to remind me that the GDMBR calls in the spring winds. Buoyed by my success at finding the elusive Barrel Springs near Hunters Camp last week I think I will try to get out to scout some more springs and water holes.











My Contrail Tarptent arrived this week, but I still need to seal the seams before I use it. In any case, I will practice packing and repacking at least weekly from now until I start the trip. My goal is to trim the base load (gear without food and water) down to a maximum of 20 lbs. That is going to be a challenge, but one that must be mastered for success on the GDMBR. The other reason for the practice drill of packing and unpacking is to help me memorize where everything is located. If I crash when I am out by myself and fracture my collar bone, my wrist, or some other bone, then I will be forced to minimize my movements. Even with the SPOT it might be hours or days before help arrived. Weather conditions can change very quickly and dramatically on the GDMBR.




I want to try some riding without the front panniers. My Epic Designs bags from Eric Parsons should be more than adequate to shift the lateral weight from the load in the front panniers to the mid-line. This will help me achieve two goals. First, it should increase the front end stability at slow speeds (under 6 mph). Second, it will also lighten the front end so that the bike is not plowing in the sand, soft soil, and mud. The original idea of the panniers up front was to improve the handling during climbing, but that has not been as big an issue as expected. In fact, when the grade gets over 10% I get off and push to decrease wear and tear on my knees and on the drive train.

Please be aware that I am speaking specifically about the geometry of my bike. It may very well be with other bike geometries that the front panniers would be a tremendous asset. I have always used front panniers while touring, but I have never had to maintain bike stability for extended periods of time under 5 mph. It has been a surprise to me that the front panniers increase my upper extremity workload so much, but it is because of the slow speeds and rough conditions.

I have not previously mentioned how much I like the Battle Lake BOB bag that I bought from Josh Lipton at http://www.biketrailershop.com/. The first time I used it was during the Ignacio Chavez Grant shakedown last week. Although with the huge (Mary Poppins) capacity it is always tempting to stuff it with more "necessities," the ease of packing and accessibility of the gear during the day was much welcomed. In the previous two shakedowns I did not stop to eat lunch, because it was too big a hassle to pull stuff out of the BOB dry bag. However, with the Battle Lake BOB bag it was no hassle at all to pull out the Primus ETA cook system and heat up some water for a "sit down lunch." With the BOB dry bag it seemed like stuff was always ready to explode out of it whenever you opened it. It is like letting the genie out of the bottle; it is pretty difficult to get him back in. Likewise with the regular yellow BOB dry bag, you needed a big shoe horn and lots of bear grease to jam everything back into it.

Typically I strap the food bag or "bear proof" canister on top of the BOB bag. The BOB dry bag is rounded on top and slick by nature; whereas the Battle Lake BOB bag is flat and has compression straps and also tie down straps integrated into the design. With the regular BOB bag I am always worried that the food bag or canister would pop out from the bungees and that I would not hear it fall off during a bumpy or sandy section. With the Battle Lake BOB bag I was able to relax knowing that the tie down part of the load was well balanced and quite secure. Even when my front wheel washed out in the mud near a ditch and the trailer tipped on to its side the load was fine. It did not shift at all. The problem was that my front end was so loaded, that it washed out in some mud at the top of a ditch.

Revising the Equipment List

Here is an early version of my GDMBR base load list.

Bike Camping Equipment List
Aka: GDMBR Equipment List

BASICS
Bike
Helmet
Shoes
BOB Trailer
Panniers
Tool Bag
2 Bike Tubes
1 BOB Tube
Spare tires - 1 each
Spare BOB QR
BOB Bag
Riding Gloves
Pump
Spare Cables
Tarp
Saddle Cover
Profide
Lock/Cables
Key
Chain tool
Shock Pump
Spare Spokes
Spoke Wrench
Spare chain pieces
Leatherman Micra
4/5 mm Allen

CLOTHING
Hat
2 Sweat Vac
2 Bandannas
2 Underwear
2 Socks
2 Shorts
2 Shirts
1 Convertible Pants
Tevas
Wool and Silk Balaclavas
Silk glove liners
Seal Skin gloves and socks
Rain Gear
Leg Warmers
Arm Warmers
Pant Leg Straps
Handkerchiefs
Laundry bag

TOILET KIT
Toilet Paper
Tooth Brush
Toothpaste
Floss
Hair Brush
Signal/Shaving Mirror
Soap
Face Cloth
Towel
Razor
Shaving Cream

OTHER EQUIPMENT
Compression Sacks
First Aid Kits
Sewing Kit
Duct Tape
Camera/ Batteries
Memory cards
Bear Bell
Horn

NAVIGATION/COMMUNICATION
EDGE 305
eTrex Vista HCx
SPOT
SOLIS w/connectors and cable
ACA MAPS
GDMBR Book
Compass
BLM Maps
FS Maps

KITCHEN KIT
Stoves
Fuels
Matches
Lighter
Cook Kit
Cup
Spoon
Fork
Knife
Spork
Spare Freezer Bags
Cozy
Salt/Pepper
Spices
Ketchup
(Mustard)
Dish Soap
Bleach
Scrubby
Dish Rag
Bear Bag
Swedish Steel
Garbage bags
Laundry Soap
Stove Maintenance Kit

WATER
Water Filter
Pre-Filter
3 Collapsible Buckets
H2O Bottles
10L Dromedary Bag
Hydrapack w/3L Bag
Brushes
Cleaner
Filter Maintenance Kit
Miox Purifier
2 6L Dromedary bags
Drink hose

CAMPING EQUIPMENT
Tent w/bag Contrail Tarptent
Poles w/bag
Stakes w/bag
Footprint
Sleeping Bag w/stuff sack
Silk Liner w/stuff sack
Pillow w/stuff Sack
Exped Downmat /dry bag pillow pump
Light/ Batteries
Parachute Cord
Water lights
Candles
Space Blanket
Scent Remover

MISCELANEOUS
IDs/Passport
License
Neck RoadIDs
ShoeRoadIDs
Money
Credit Cards
Wallet
Car Keys
Glasses/ Case and Cleaner
Prilosec
Business Cards
Radio/Alarm

STAPLES/EMERGENCY RATIONS
Bullion
Ramen
Clif Bars
Gel Packs
Accelerade
Endurox R4

I'm Ready. How About You?

Here are a few moments from my Ignacio Chavez Grant Shakedown. I am just learning how to use the camera and edit the video. It is a bit primitive.

"Butt Clips" - The Penultimate Performance Enhancement Tool

If you think clipping your shoes to your pedals is so great, then why don't you try "clipping"your butt to the saddle too? It just makes good sense. In fact, it is pure genius! Think of the watts of power lost from inefficient movements on the saddle. A multitude of scientific studies have revealed that "clipping in" to the saddle will markedly improve your cycling performance. Fortunately, a brave pioneer has invented a device for "clipping in" to the saddle using Velcro strips sewed onto the seat of your riding britches and on to your saddle. Once you overcome the sound effects, the benefits are almost too numerous to mention.

Saddle sore issues are totally a thing of the past, because there is absolutely no friction between the butt and the saddle. Endos- no problem! Even after several cartwheels you are still securely mounted to the saddle and ready to ride off ahead of the competition. Furthermore, you will master even the trickiest of technical sections in a tenth of the time it would take without this marvelous invention. So, don't delay, order your Butt Clips today before they are all gone!