July 6th, 2008
As always, the bikes and trailers are an integral part of our experience. They are our lifeline to our adventures. And just like our adventures, the experience with the bikes is always unfolding.
Bikes
We are getting more and more comfortable with our REI Safari bikes. The best part about them is how much easier it is to ride with them, especially given how truly awful is the condition of most of the roads here in Louisiana. The wider tires and sturdy feel of the bikes, and the shocks in the seat posts, make our riding lives a lot easier and more comfortable. We are finally getting brave enough to jump curbs, head through deeper patches of gravel, ride over grass, and tackle difficult dirt roads – things we would never have done with our Dolces. Our bike handling skills are improving noticeably for this type of environment, which is a good thing, considering how much we will need those skills south of the border. We both really like the disc brakes so far, and Chelsea finds them infinitely easier to adjust and to keep adjusted.
Trailers
Last October we spent some time making changes to the trailers – we added two water bottles on the back of each trailer, and we took off the struts holding the cargo racks in place, replacing them with simple nylon webbing straps with clips. We were very pleased at the time, at least in theory, about the changes we made, but after some months of living with them, we have decided on more changes.
The water bottle cages were at the back of the trailers, and every time we needed to tilt the trailer up (which is frequent), wiggle into narrow spaces (such as doorways, and cars), or take the trailers down, the cages would scrape on the floor or get caught in some way. In addition, they had an irritating tendency to loosen up while riding, requiring us to stop frequently to tighten them up. Even though the original idea was to carry our extra gas bottles in them, we realized that it would be one more thing to have to keep an eye on when we were in stores, or when we may have to leave things unattended for a short while. And the gas bottles made it even harder to get through doorways!
The straps that we put on to keep the cargo racks held down were just as annoying. It wasn’t actually any easier to unstrap them, as the clips were extremely tight, and required a two-handed approach. The bottom halves of the straps were always dangling when they weren’t strapped up, and part of the strap always had to be tucked in when they were strapped and we were riding – totally annoying when you’re adjusting them dozens of times a day! So, we decided to just cut them off. We realized they weren’t providing any useful or integral function for us except keeping the back racks tied down. We always have so much gear that gets strapped on top that the bungie cords do that job. We haven’t ridden too much without the straps yet, so we’ll keep you posted on how it works without them.
Back in New Orleans, after too many times of adjusting and tightening the water bottle cages, we simply took them off and put them on the bikes. We figured that if we need to, we can fit at least one or two bottles of gas on the bikes, which is closer to our reach than the backs of the trailers. We love having them off the trailers – it’s much easier to maneuver now. We like having them on the bikes – they make handy holders for the occasional milkshake to-go cup, and we found out that they are a perfect size for holding a box of Wal-Mart crackers when we go food shopping.
Meanwhile, we’ve had other issues brewing. When we take our hitches off the bikes, we set the trailers down. The way it’s designed now, the front part of the trailers sits down right on the ground, with the trailer frames and material hitting the ground. That’s always either pavement, gravel, or mud/dirt. That has several unpleasant side effects: first, when it’s wet on the ground, the water gets into our trailers or the material gradually soaks up the water; second, it provides a perfect little pathway into our trailers for all the local ants and spiders and other bugs; and our trailer material has gradually been getting cut and ruined by the pavement and gravel. It finally got to the point of my trailer being almost completely sliced through where the trailer hits the ground, and Chelsea’s wasn’t far behind.
So, we wanted two things. We wanted to repair the existing damage to the material, and we wanted to design and make a kickstand for the trailers, so they wouldn’t ever even hit the ground. After tossing over ideas with Lee and Neil Schexnaider for an hour or so one day, we went to Fred Campbell and talked it over with him, already armed with Lee and Neil’s suggestions. Fred took it under consideration, and then Lee talked it over with James Thibodaux. The net result of these creative brains is awesome.
For starters, James suggested we use the ultralight aircraft skins to repair the existing damage. We spent most of one hot Saturday afternoon hanging out with Fred at Thibs (the airfield) while he used a special fabric glue and carefully cut the skins to fit over our trailers. He put on several layers of the skins, and made sure the glue had very even coverage. It’s clear because of the shiny finish on the glue that there have been repairs, but it’s on the bottom side of the trailer, and Fred did a very neat, tidy job, so we’re very happy. We will be interested to see how long it lasts – we expect it may very well last the entire length of our trip – about another 6 years.
The next awesome thing is the kickstand that Fred made – the second version. He took a stainless steel plate and cut it into 4 flat strips, rounding off the edges, making a little crossbar set of feet for the kickstand (for stability). He then bolted them together with a stainless steel bolt, cut to the height we needed to bring our trailers level when the hitches are off. And finally, he trimmed the top piece of the bolt (ground the metal down by hand) to fit into the existing grommet under the front of the trailers. The net result is a very stable little set of feet that tucks into the grommet when we need it, and folds up to tuck in our front bags when we are riding and the trailers are hitched. The downside is that it’s stainless steel and very heavy, so we are still looking for a lighter solution, but we have used these things constantly now for the last 5 weeks and we really like them. Now there’s no more looking for places to put the trailers where they won’t be in mud or water, and there’s no more providing a convenient pathway into our trailers for the bugs. A fun side effect is that it’s much easier to load our trailers and get things in and out of our trailers when they are level like they are with the kickstands. Check out the photos in our blog. It’s the small things like this that make life so much easier and more fun!