Winter gear

On 1/11/2021 3:28 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 10:07:45 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/11/2021 12:32 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 8:06:45 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/10/2021 9:20 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 5:38:37 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/10/2021 7:38 PM, jbeattie wrote:

EPILOG: Yesterday was a blue-bird day, but today was mostly rain and 40F to start (coldish but not terrible) and I decided to ride with somewhat fatter gloves and realized that I hate fatter gloves because its so hard getting stuff out of the jersey pocket, like a Cliff Bar.
Ahem: Try a handlebar bag. ;-)

--
- Frank Krygowski

For a Cliff Bar? Seems like overkill, and I would have to unzip it with my fatty gloves, although I supposed it could have Velcro.
The handlebar bag is not just for a Cliff bar. It's also for the jacket
I take off, paper towels for a runny nose, a cable lock, a monocular,
perhaps a camera, and anything else I deem useful for a particular ride.
It enables me to carry home a fast food meal or a half gallon of milk I
remembered to buy near the ride's end. It's versatile, and makes the
bike more practical.

Two commercial handlebar bags on my bikes have zippers, but I almost
never bother to close them. They open toward me and close on their own.
The only time something is likely to fall out is when I lay the bike on
the ground, and they have velcro tabs that are adequate for that.

The two handlebar bags I designed and made myself also open toward me. I
didn't install zippers, and not only because that's probably beyond my
sewing skills. The bags just sort of hook or clip closed. That's all
that's needed. For the very few times those bikes are carried on car
racks, I use a mini-bungee to keep them closed, or I can take them off
if I wish.

Frank, I just wanted a Cliff Bar. It was the only thing in my jersey pocket except a face mask. I forgot my cell-phone with the little license and credit card pockets (great convenient case). No need for monocular, camera, paper towels, cable locks, clothing, Chihuahuas or my knitting. I have a grocery bike with nice waterproof Ortlieb panniers that I use for shopping. A handlebar bag on my fast rain bike would have been wet, rattling deadweight.
Fine. We differ. Your riding style is to equip yourself as closely as
you can to a pro racer, but without a team car for support; and to ride
in a way to make yourself competitive for fast rides next racing season,
even though you won't have a next racing season.

Pfff. My goal is to not have a bunch of rattling **** on my bike as I ride over hill and dale in wind and rain. And hey, I might race next season if I drop my COVID fat -- but that's beside the point. Why carry a bunch of junk getting wet in the bottom of a handlebar bag for no reason? Not having a monocular is O.K. by me. Paper towel? Are you kidding? I'm riding pouring rain. I'd be better off with a sponge.

My riding style is to equip myself like a guy who's ready to support
myself and my riding friends. To maybe stop to view the scenery or watch
a soaring hawk. To maybe drop in at a cafe or library. A couple pounds
on my bike won't bother me. I'm done with suffer-fests and racing dreams.

So what -- would you like a cookie? I see more soaring hawks than I can shake stick at. Just sitting in my office at work, I see dozens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZjE...hannel=KGWNews

While riding around with no handlebar bag and a Cliff Bar in my pocket, I see hawks and deer and squirrels and fuzzy little (hazardous) bunnies -- chickens, cows, llamas. I can even see salmon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo-X...nnel=fekaylius (in Sandy).

I get gorgeous vistas over the Gorge.https://seatosummit.net/wp-content/u...5/lsdfigjv.jpg We were riding a little west of this: https://tinyurl.com/y37jshwq You couldn't see the mountain or anything else because of the rain and clouds. I can snap a picture with my iPhone. I can go to a coffee shop because I have a credit card. In fact, they've given me such a ridiculous credit line, I could buy a Mercedes and drive home. I could support my riding buddies for thousands of miles, even buy them a plane flight with my Alaska miles -- and a hotel room if things got really rough. I could even get off my bike and go drip in a library with my wet jacket. All sans handlebar bag.

And I'm not riding with the f***** Donner Party. If something really bad happened, I'd call my wife or Uber. When I cartwheeled over my son and broke my hand a few years back, my wife graciously picked us up at the Stone Cliff Inn. https://tinyurl.com/y3eplr73 Thank you Stone Cliff Inn for the ice packs. If I'd had a handlebar bag, I could have bought my own ice packs -- and my Joerg approved portable MASH unit. Most of the crazy stuff that has happened to me would not have been remedied with whatever you have in your handlebar bag, unless it is a spare crank arm.

Come to think of it, I'm done with Cliff bars. But if I wanted one, my
method wouldn't have me complaining about how hard it is to get one.

I complained about thick gloves, which also made it hard to grab my pit-zips. I overcame all obstacles by taking off one glove, getting my Cliff Bar and putting my glove back on -- all while riding. No handlebar bag needed. I'm not against handlebar bags, I just don't need one for weekend riding at something greater than a COPD pace.

This will drive you crazy: my rain bike has Di2 and discs.

Yep, as I said, we differ. My handlebar bag doesn't rattle, and I don't
worry about an extra pound on my bike. And yes, I have this
self-sufficiency thing. I would consider it something of a failure if I
had to call for help to get home. (It's happened only once in all my
decades of riding.)

More important, all the terribly heavy stuff I carry - a frame pump,
extra tube, patch kit and multi-tool - have been used to help dozens of
other cyclists over the years. The handlebar bag itself was used to help
my best riding friend who showed up at my house with his brand new
custom bike, then soon said to me "Um... Can you carry my jacket?"

The paper towels are real. I started carrying them on our coast-to-coast
ride, through a (near?) record heat wave from around Montana to
Portland. The sweat was overpowering my cycling cap and dripping in my
eyes. Paper towels helped a lot, and I found they're useful in cold
weather as well. We really were saying "It's not about the bike; it's
about the paper towels."

I'm curious what you do when you do stop at a cafe or restaurant, if you
don't carry a cable lock. That's when I'm most likely to use one. And
I'm curious what you did with your too-thick glove during your recent
Cliff Bar emergency. Held it in your teeth, I suppose?

--
- Frank Krygowski

On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 2:16:46 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/11/2021 3:28 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 10:07:45 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/11/2021 12:32 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 8:06:45 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/10/2021 9:20 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 5:38:37 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/10/2021 7:38 PM, jbeattie wrote:

EPILOG: Yesterday was a blue-bird day, but today was mostly rain and 40F to start (coldish but not terrible) and I decided to ride with somewhat fatter gloves and realized that I hate fatter gloves because its so hard getting stuff out of the jersey pocket, like a Cliff Bar.
Ahem: Try a handlebar bag. ;-)

--
- Frank Krygowski

For a Cliff Bar? Seems like overkill, and I would have to unzip it with my fatty gloves, although I supposed it could have Velcro.
The handlebar bag is not just for a Cliff bar. It's also for the jacket
I take off, paper towels for a runny nose, a cable lock, a monocular,
perhaps a camera, and anything else I deem useful for a particular ride.
It enables me to carry home a fast food meal or a half gallon of milk I
remembered to buy near the ride's end. It's versatile, and makes the
bike more practical.

Two commercial handlebar bags on my bikes have zippers, but I almost
never bother to close them. They open toward me and close on their own.
The only time something is likely to fall out is when I lay the bike on
the ground, and they have velcro tabs that are adequate for that.

The two handlebar bags I designed and made myself also open toward me. I
didn't install zippers, and not only because that's probably beyond my
sewing skills. The bags just sort of hook or clip closed. That's all
that's needed. For the very few times those bikes are carried on car
racks, I use a mini-bungee to keep them closed, or I can take them off
if I wish.

Frank, I just wanted a Cliff Bar. It was the only thing in my jersey pocket except a face mask. I forgot my cell-phone with the little license and credit card pockets (great convenient case). No need for monocular, camera, paper towels, cable locks, clothing, Chihuahuas or my knitting. I have a grocery bike with nice waterproof Ortlieb panniers that I use for shopping. A handlebar bag on my fast rain bike would have been wet, rattling deadweight.
Fine. We differ. Your riding style is to equip yourself as closely as
you can to a pro racer, but without a team car for support; and to ride
in a way to make yourself competitive for fast rides next racing season,
even though you won't have a next racing season.

Pfff. My goal is to not have a bunch of rattling **** on my bike as I ride over hill and dale in wind and rain. And hey, I might race next season if I drop my COVID fat -- but that's beside the point. Why carry a bunch of junk getting wet in the bottom of a handlebar bag for no reason? Not having a monocular is O.K. by me. Paper towel? Are you kidding? I'm riding pouring rain. I'd be better off with a sponge.

My riding style is to equip myself like a guy who's ready to support
myself and my riding friends. To maybe stop to view the scenery or watch
a soaring hawk. To maybe drop in at a cafe or library. A couple pounds
on my bike won't bother me. I'm done with suffer-fests and racing dreams.

So what -- would you like a cookie? I see more soaring hawks than I can shake stick at. Just sitting in my office at work, I see dozens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZjE...hannel=KGWNews

While riding around with no handlebar bag and a Cliff Bar in my pocket, I see hawks and deer and squirrels and fuzzy little (hazardous) bunnies -- chickens, cows, llamas. I can even see salmon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo-X...nnel=fekaylius (in Sandy).

I get gorgeous vistas over the Gorge.https://seatosummit.net/wp-content/u...5/lsdfigjv.jpg We were riding a little west of this: https://tinyurl.com/y37jshwq You couldn't see the mountain or anything else because of the rain and clouds. I can snap a picture with my iPhone. I can go to a coffee shop because I have a credit card. In fact, they've given me such a ridiculous credit line, I could buy a Mercedes and drive home. I could support my riding buddies for thousands of miles, even buy them a plane flight with my Alaska miles -- and a hotel room if things got really rough. I could even get off my bike and go drip in a library with my wet jacket. All sans handlebar bag.

And I'm not riding with the f***** Donner Party. If something really bad happened, I'd call my wife or Uber. When I cartwheeled over my son and broke my hand a few years back, my wife graciously picked us up at the Stone Cliff Inn. https://tinyurl.com/y3eplr73 Thank you Stone Cliff Inn for the ice packs. If I'd had a handlebar bag, I could have bought my own ice packs -- and my Joerg approved portable MASH unit. Most of the crazy stuff that has happened to me would not have been remedied with whatever you have in your handlebar bag, unless it is a spare crank arm.

Come to think of it, I'm done with Cliff bars. But if I wanted one, my
method wouldn't have me complaining about how hard it is to get one.

I complained about thick gloves, which also made it hard to grab my pit-zips. I overcame all obstacles by taking off one glove, getting my Cliff Bar and putting my glove back on -- all while riding. No handlebar bag needed. I'm not against handlebar bags, I just don't need one for weekend riding at something greater than a COPD pace.

This will drive you crazy: my rain bike has Di2 and discs.
Yep, as I said, we differ. My handlebar bag doesn't rattle, and I don't
worry about an extra pound on my bike. And yes, I have this
self-sufficiency thing. I would consider it something of a failure if I
had to call for help to get home. (It's happened only once in all my
decades of riding.)

It's really hard riding with broken bones, although I did it for five miles, and my son called for the ride. I would have clawed my way home.

I broke a crank 16 miles from home and scootered the whole way back -- do you carry crank arms? I broke a seat post saddle clamp on the top of Carson Pass and found a serviceable bolt at tiny marina at a mountain lake. Do you carry spare bolts? I've broken pedals, a half-dozen cranks (or more), handlebars, frames, chains -- you name, and I've gotten home without a ride. I broke a pedals on tour, too -- and rode a fully loaded touring bike with one leg -- up the hill on HWY 101 into Coos Bay -- where I bought another pedal. Do you carry pedals?


More important, all the terribly heavy stuff I carry - a frame pump,
extra tube, patch kit and multi-tool - have been used to help dozens of
other cyclists over the years. The handlebar bag itself was used to help
my best riding friend who showed up at my house with his brand new
custom bike, then soon said to me "Um... Can you carry my jacket?"

I carry all that stuff in a seat pack, and I have a clown pump and CO2. This seat pack: https://ortliebusa.com/product/micro-two/ People can carry their own jackets -- I'm not a Sherpa. I stuff mine into a jersey pocket, assuming I take it off. I've also tied one under my seat, but I prefer not to do that.


The paper towels are real. I started carrying them on our coast-to-coast
ride, through a (near?) record heat wave from around Montana to
Portland. The sweat was overpowering my cycling cap and dripping in my
eyes. Paper towels helped a lot, and I found they're useful in cold
weather as well. We really were saying "It's not about the bike; it's
about the paper towels."

Okey-dokey. More wet junk for me.

I'm curious what you do when you do stop at a cafe or restaurant, if you
don't carry a cable lock. That's when I'm most likely to use one. And
I'm curious what you did with your too-thick glove during your recent
Cliff Bar emergency. Held it in your teeth, I suppose?

I held my glove in my other hand on top of the brake lever, but I did use my other hand and then my teeth to get the glove back on. It is super tight -- another problem, particularly with a wet hand. The last time I stopped a coffee shop was he https://tinyurl.com/y6ljhk4d Hood River. http://www.destination360.com/north-...hood-river.jpg -- as seen from the other side of the river. I rode out there with two Cliff Bars -- on the Old Highway. https://tinyurl.com/rejeoe6 I did stop to zip the sleeves off my jacket, which I placed in the pocket of my (now) vest. The stop was at the falls: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/images/1137_1.jpg I took a selfie with my iPhone and texted it to my wife. I also got some more water.

The time before that was he https://tinyurl.com/yy3l6d4k -- a coffee shop down that street, with the same guys I was riding on Sunday. Both times I leaned my bikes outside and sat outside. I don't usually go to restaurants because I don't like sitting around eating a meal. It's too hard to get going. The last time I stopped for something to eat, I was practically bonking in Government Camp, and I still had to climb up to Timberline Lodge. I got some Mexican food: https://tinyurl.com/y3mgkvtb This place without the snow. I sat outside on a rock wall and watched tourists.

-- Jay Beattie.

On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 12:28:16 PM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 10:07:45 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/11/2021 12:32 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 8:06:45 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/10/2021 9:20 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 5:38:37 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/10/2021 7:38 PM, jbeattie wrote:

EPILOG: Yesterday was a blue-bird day, but today was mostly rain and 40F to start (coldish but not terrible) and I decided to ride with somewhat fatter gloves and realized that I hate fatter gloves because its so hard getting stuff out of the jersey pocket, like a Cliff Bar.
Ahem: Try a handlebar bag. ;-)

--
- Frank Krygowski

For a Cliff Bar? Seems like overkill, and I would have to unzip it with my fatty gloves, although I supposed it could have Velcro.
The handlebar bag is not just for a Cliff bar. It's also for the jacket
I take off, paper towels for a runny nose, a cable lock, a monocular,
perhaps a camera, and anything else I deem useful for a particular ride.
It enables me to carry home a fast food meal or a half gallon of milk I
remembered to buy near the ride's end. It's versatile, and makes the
bike more practical.

Two commercial handlebar bags on my bikes have zippers, but I almost
never bother to close them. They open toward me and close on their own.
The only time something is likely to fall out is when I lay the bike on
the ground, and they have velcro tabs that are adequate for that.

The two handlebar bags I designed and made myself also open toward me. I
didn't install zippers, and not only because that's probably beyond my
sewing skills. The bags just sort of hook or clip closed. That's all
that's needed. For the very few times those bikes are carried on car
racks, I use a mini-bungee to keep them closed, or I can take them off
if I wish.

Frank, I just wanted a Cliff Bar. It was the only thing in my jersey pocket except a face mask. I forgot my cell-phone with the little license and credit card pockets (great convenient case). No need for monocular, camera, paper towels, cable locks, clothing, Chihuahuas or my knitting. I have a grocery bike with nice waterproof Ortlieb panniers that I use for shopping. A handlebar bag on my fast rain bike would have been wet, rattling deadweight.
Fine. We differ. Your riding style is to equip yourself as closely as
you can to a pro racer, but without a team car for support; and to ride
in a way to make yourself competitive for fast rides next racing season,
even though you won't have a next racing season.
Pfff. My goal is to not have a bunch of rattling **** on my bike as I ride over hill and dale in wind and rain. And hey, I might race next season if I drop my COVID fat -- but that's beside the point. Why carry a bunch of junk getting wet in the bottom of a handlebar bag for no reason? Not having a monocular is O.K. by me. Paper towel? Are you kidding? I'm riding pouring rain. I'd be better off with a sponge.
My riding style is to equip myself like a guy who's ready to support
myself and my riding friends. To maybe stop to view the scenery or watch
a soaring hawk. To maybe drop in at a cafe or library. A couple pounds
on my bike won't bother me. I'm done with suffer-fests and racing dreams.
So what -- would you like a cookie? I see more soaring hawks than I can shake stick at. Just sitting in my office at work, I see dozens. https://www..youtube.com/watch?v=sZj...hannel=KGWNews

While riding around with no handlebar bag and a Cliff Bar in my pocket, I see hawks and deer and squirrels and fuzzy little (hazardous) bunnies -- chickens, cows, llamas. I can even see salmon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo-X...nnel=fekaylius (in Sandy).

I get gorgeous vistas over the Gorge.https://seatosummit.net/wp-content/u...5/lsdfigjv.jpg We were riding a little west of this: https://tinyurl.com/y37jshwq You couldn't see the mountain or anything else because of the rain and clouds. I can snap a picture with my iPhone. I can go to a coffee shop because I have a credit card. In fact, they've given me such a ridiculous credit line, I could buy a Mercedes and drive home. I could support my riding buddies for thousands of miles, even buy them a plane flight with my Alaska miles -- and a hotel room if things got really rough. I could even get off my bike and go drip in a library with my wet jacket. All sans handlebar bag.

And I'm not riding with the f***** Donner Party. If something really bad happened, I'd call my wife or Uber. When I cartwheeled over my son and broke my hand a few years back, my wife graciously picked us up at the Stone Cliff Inn. https://tinyurl.com/y3eplr73 Thank you Stone Cliff Inn for the ice packs. If I'd had a handlebar bag, I could have bought my own ice packs -- and my Joerg approved portable MASH unit. Most of the crazy stuff that has happened to me would not have been remedied with whatever you have in your handlebar bag, unless it is a spare crank arm.
Come to think of it, I'm done with Cliff bars. But if I wanted one, my
method wouldn't have me complaining about how hard it is to get one.
I complained about thick gloves, which also made it hard to grab my pit-zips. I overcame all obstacles by taking off one glove, getting my Cliff Bar and putting my glove back on -- all while riding. No handlebar bag needed. I'm not against handlebar bags, I just don't need one for weekend riding at something greater than a COPD pace.

This will drive you crazy: my rain bike has Di2 and discs.

Because there are so few places left in business in California here, going more than 40 miles from home is not a good idea. So, rather than 50 and 60 or 70 mile rides I am 25 to 40 miles. If you have aluminum rims, rim brakes are so much better than carbon rims that you hardly notice any degradation in braking in rain. And I've found disks to be FAR too sensitive and have the scars to prove it. But that might be a basic problem with larger size bikes being so rare in Carbon Fiber that I am forced to ride 58 cm bikes when a proper size would be a 61. My Emonda is a 60 and works well and although the Colnago is a 58 it feels like a 60. But the Look KG585 which has almost identical measurements to the Colnago is not in the least comfortable even though it rides a very great deal softer. In the end I intend to sell off all of the carbon fiber bikes and buy a Waterford "Racing" model and just have the Lemond as a back up bike to the Waterford. I have written to Shimano suggesting that they allow their 2021 wireless 12 speed to be programmed to a 8-9-10 speed spacing and speeds. I absolutely cannot see the reason for 11 speeds let alone 12 unless you're a pro-racer. I really like the idea of wireless electronic shifting but you couldn't give me SRAM. I was buyinng SRAM cassettes because they were fairly cheap, but they would NOT shift smoothly.

On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 3:44:51 PM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 2:16:46 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/11/2021 3:28 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 10:07:45 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/11/2021 12:32 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 8:06:45 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/10/2021 9:20 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 5:38:37 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/10/2021 7:38 PM, jbeattie wrote:

EPILOG: Yesterday was a blue-bird day, but today was mostly rain and 40F to start (coldish but not terrible) and I decided to ride with somewhat fatter gloves and realized that I hate fatter gloves because its so hard getting stuff out of the jersey pocket, like a Cliff Bar.
Ahem: Try a handlebar bag. ;-)

--
- Frank Krygowski

For a Cliff Bar? Seems like overkill, and I would have to unzip it with my fatty gloves, although I supposed it could have Velcro.
The handlebar bag is not just for a Cliff bar. It's also for the jacket
I take off, paper towels for a runny nose, a cable lock, a monocular,
perhaps a camera, and anything else I deem useful for a particular ride.
It enables me to carry home a fast food meal or a half gallon of milk I
remembered to buy near the ride's end. It's versatile, and makes the
bike more practical.

Two commercial handlebar bags on my bikes have zippers, but I almost
never bother to close them. They open toward me and close on their own.
The only time something is likely to fall out is when I lay the bike on
the ground, and they have velcro tabs that are adequate for that.

The two handlebar bags I designed and made myself also open toward me. I
didn't install zippers, and not only because that's probably beyond my
sewing skills. The bags just sort of hook or clip closed. That's all
that's needed. For the very few times those bikes are carried on car
racks, I use a mini-bungee to keep them closed, or I can take them off
if I wish.

Frank, I just wanted a Cliff Bar. It was the only thing in my jersey pocket except a face mask. I forgot my cell-phone with the little license and credit card pockets (great convenient case). No need for monocular, camera, paper towels, cable locks, clothing, Chihuahuas or my knitting. I have a grocery bike with nice waterproof Ortlieb panniers that I use for shopping. A handlebar bag on my fast rain bike would have been wet, rattling deadweight.
Fine. We differ. Your riding style is to equip yourself as closely as
you can to a pro racer, but without a team car for support; and to ride
in a way to make yourself competitive for fast rides next racing season,
even though you won't have a next racing season.

Pfff. My goal is to not have a bunch of rattling **** on my bike as I ride over hill and dale in wind and rain. And hey, I might race next season if I drop my COVID fat -- but that's beside the point. Why carry a bunch of junk getting wet in the bottom of a handlebar bag for no reason? Not having a monocular is O.K. by me. Paper towel? Are you kidding? I'm riding pouring rain. I'd be better off with a sponge.

My riding style is to equip myself like a guy who's ready to support
myself and my riding friends. To maybe stop to view the scenery or watch
a soaring hawk. To maybe drop in at a cafe or library. A couple pounds
on my bike won't bother me. I'm done with suffer-fests and racing dreams.

So what -- would you like a cookie? I see more soaring hawks than I can shake stick at. Just sitting in my office at work, I see dozens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZjE...hannel=KGWNews

While riding around with no handlebar bag and a Cliff Bar in my pocket, I see hawks and deer and squirrels and fuzzy little (hazardous) bunnies -- chickens, cows, llamas. I can even see salmon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo-X...nnel=fekaylius (in Sandy).

I get gorgeous vistas over the Gorge.https://seatosummit.net/wp-content/u...5/lsdfigjv.jpg We were riding a little west of this: https://tinyurl.com/y37jshwq You couldn't see the mountain or anything else because of the rain and clouds. I can snap a picture with my iPhone. I can go to a coffee shop because I have a credit card. In fact, they've given me such a ridiculous credit line, I could buy a Mercedes and drive home. I could support my riding buddies for thousands of miles, even buy them a plane flight with my Alaska miles -- and a hotel room if things got really rough. I could even get off my bike and go drip in a library with my wet jacket. All sans handlebar bag.

And I'm not riding with the f***** Donner Party. If something really bad happened, I'd call my wife or Uber. When I cartwheeled over my son and broke my hand a few years back, my wife graciously picked us up at the Stone Cliff Inn. https://tinyurl.com/y3eplr73 Thank you Stone Cliff Inn for the ice packs. If I'd had a handlebar bag, I could have bought my own ice packs -- and my Joerg approved portable MASH unit. Most of the crazy stuff that has happened to me would not have been remedied with whatever you have in your handlebar bag, unless it is a spare crank arm.

Come to think of it, I'm done with Cliff bars. But if I wanted one, my
method wouldn't have me complaining about how hard it is to get one.

I complained about thick gloves, which also made it hard to grab my pit-zips. I overcame all obstacles by taking off one glove, getting my Cliff Bar and putting my glove back on -- all while riding. No handlebar bag needed. I'm not against handlebar bags, I just don't need one for weekend riding at something greater than a COPD pace.

This will drive you crazy: my rain bike has Di2 and discs.
Yep, as I said, we differ. My handlebar bag doesn't rattle, and I don't
worry about an extra pound on my bike. And yes, I have this
self-sufficiency thing. I would consider it something of a failure if I
had to call for help to get home. (It's happened only once in all my
decades of riding.)
It's really hard riding with broken bones, although I did it for five miles, and my son called for the ride. I would have clawed my way home.

I broke a crank 16 miles from home and scootered the whole way back -- do you carry crank arms? I broke a seat post saddle clamp on the top of Carson Pass and found a serviceable bolt at tiny marina at a mountain lake. Do you carry spare bolts? I've broken pedals, a half-dozen cranks (or more), handlebars, frames, chains -- you name, and I've gotten home without a ride. I broke a pedals on tour, too -- and rode a fully loaded touring bike with one leg -- up the hill on HWY 101 into Coos Bay -- where I bought another pedal. Do you carry pedals?

More important, all the terribly heavy stuff I carry - a frame pump,
extra tube, patch kit and multi-tool - have been used to help dozens of
other cyclists over the years. The handlebar bag itself was used to help
my best riding friend who showed up at my house with his brand new
custom bike, then soon said to me "Um... Can you carry my jacket?"
I carry all that stuff in a seat pack, and I have a clown pump and CO2. This seat pack: https://ortliebusa.com/product/micro-two/ People can carry their own jackets -- I'm not a Sherpa. I stuff mine into a jersey pocket, assuming I take it off. I've also tied one under my seat, but I prefer not to do that.

The paper towels are real. I started carrying them on our coast-to-coast
ride, through a (near?) record heat wave from around Montana to
Portland. The sweat was overpowering my cycling cap and dripping in my
eyes. Paper towels helped a lot, and I found they're useful in cold
weather as well. We really were saying "It's not about the bike; it's
about the paper towels."
Okey-dokey. More wet junk for me.
I'm curious what you do when you do stop at a cafe or restaurant, if you
don't carry a cable lock. That's when I'm most likely to use one. And
I'm curious what you did with your too-thick glove during your recent
Cliff Bar emergency. Held it in your teeth, I suppose?
I held my glove in my other hand on top of the brake lever, but I did use my other hand and then my teeth to get the glove back on. It is super tight -- another problem, particularly with a wet hand. The last time I stopped a coffee shop was he https://tinyurl.com/y6ljhk4d Hood River. http://www.destination360.com/north-...hood-river.jpg -- as seen from the other side of the river. I rode out there with two Cliff Bars -- on the Old Highway. https://tinyurl.com/rejeoe6 I did stop to zip the sleeves off my jacket, which I placed in the pocket of my (now) vest. The stop was at the falls: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/images/1137_1.jpg I took a selfie with my iPhone and texted it to my wife. I also got some more water.

The time before that was he https://tinyurl.com/yy3l6d4k -- a coffee shop down that street, with the same guys I was riding on Sunday. Both times I leaned my bikes outside and sat outside. I don't usually go to restaurants because I don't like sitting around eating a meal. It's too hard to get going. The last time I stopped for something to eat, I was practically bonking in Government Camp, and I still had to climb up to Timberline Lodge. I got some Mexican food: https://tinyurl.com/y3mgkvtb This place without the snow. I sat outside on a rock wall and watched tourists.
If I have to eat a heavy meal on a ride I usually don't get back to riding normally until I get home.

On 1/11/2021 6:44 PM, jbeattie wrote:

It's really hard riding with broken bones, although I did it for five miles, and my son called for the ride. I would have clawed my way home.

I've had only two moving on-road crashes. One caused only a scratched
knee. The other hurt my shoulder pretty badly, but I'd have been able to
ride the bike back home if only the front fork blades were still
attached to it.

I broke a crank 16 miles from home and scootered the whole way back -- do you carry crank arms? I broke a seat post saddle clamp on the top of Carson Pass and found a serviceable bolt at tiny marina at a mountain lake. Do you carry spare bolts? I've broken pedals, a half-dozen cranks (or more), handlebars, frames, chains -- you name, and I've gotten home without a ride. I broke a pedals on tour, too -- and rode a fully loaded touring bike with one leg -- up the hill on HWY 101 into Coos Bay -- where I bought another pedal. Do you carry pedals?

I'm sure I buy heavier equipment than you do. The only thing I remember
breaking on a bike are spokes (just a few) and twice, my rear derailleur
cable. Since my bar end shifters run cables under the tape, that
requires an unusually long cable. Yes, I do carry that spare. Maybe I
should measure the exact length and cut off the extra weight at the end? ;-)

More important, all the terribly heavy stuff I carry - a frame pump,
extra tube, patch kit and multi-tool - have been used to help dozens of
other cyclists over the years. The handlebar bag itself was used to help
my best riding friend who showed up at my house with his brand new
custom bike, then soon said to me "Um... Can you carry my jacket?"

I carry all that stuff in a seat pack, and I have a clown pump and CO2.

Yeah, so did the guys and girls on the ride a couple years ago. When one
guy flatted, they burned through tubes and CO2 until they finally asked
to borrow my Zefal pump.

I'm curious what you do when you do stop at a cafe or restaurant, if you
don't carry a cable lock. That's when I'm most likely to use one. And
I'm curious what you did with your too-thick glove during your recent
Cliff Bar emergency. Held it in your teeth, I suppose?

I held my glove in my other hand on top of the brake lever, but I did use my other hand and then my teeth to get the glove back on. It is super tight -- another problem, particularly with a wet hand. ... I don't usually go to restaurants because I don't like sitting around eating a meal.

You're a lot more Spartan than I am.

"FOOD?? WHO NEEDS FOOD?? I'M RIDING, DAMMIT!! GIVE ME SOME ENERGY GEL!
GRRRRR!"


--
- Frank Krygowski

On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 4:35:42 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/11/2021 6:44 PM, jbeattie wrote:

It's really hard riding with broken bones, although I did it for five miles, and my son called for the ride. I would have clawed my way home.
I've had only two moving on-road crashes. One caused only a scratched
knee. The other hurt my shoulder pretty badly, but I'd have been able to
ride the bike back home if only the front fork blades were still
attached to it.
I broke a crank 16 miles from home and scootered the whole way back -- do you carry crank arms? I broke a seat post saddle clamp on the top of Carson Pass and found a serviceable bolt at tiny marina at a mountain lake. Do you carry spare bolts? I've broken pedals, a half-dozen cranks (or more), handlebars, frames, chains -- you name, and I've gotten home without a ride.. I broke a pedals on tour, too -- and rode a fully loaded touring bike with one leg -- up the hill on HWY 101 into Coos Bay -- where I bought another pedal. Do you carry pedals?
I'm sure I buy heavier equipment than you do. The only thing I remember
breaking on a bike are spokes (just a few) and twice, my rear derailleur
cable. Since my bar end shifters run cables under the tape, that
requires an unusually long cable. Yes, I do carry that spare. Maybe I
should measure the exact length and cut off the extra weight at the end? ;-)
More important, all the terribly heavy stuff I carry - a frame pump,
extra tube, patch kit and multi-tool - have been used to help dozens of
other cyclists over the years. The handlebar bag itself was used to help
my best riding friend who showed up at my house with his brand new
custom bike, then soon said to me "Um... Can you carry my jacket?"

I carry all that stuff in a seat pack, and I have a clown pump and CO2.
Yeah, so did the guys and girls on the ride a couple years ago. When one
guy flatted, they burned through tubes and CO2 until they finally asked
to borrow my Zefal pump.
I'm curious what you do when you do stop at a cafe or restaurant, if you
don't carry a cable lock. That's when I'm most likely to use one. And
I'm curious what you did with your too-thick glove during your recent
Cliff Bar emergency. Held it in your teeth, I suppose?

I held my glove in my other hand on top of the brake lever, but I did use my other hand and then my teeth to get the glove back on. It is super tight -- another problem, particularly with a wet hand. ... I don't usually go to restaurants because I don't like sitting around eating a meal.

You're a lot more Spartan than I am.

"FOOD?? WHO NEEDS FOOD?? I'M RIDING, DAMMIT!! GIVE ME SOME ENERGY GEL!
GRRRRR!"

Well, I don't live a life of deprivation. I also don't growl much, although I've been known to whine at the bottom of climbs. If I need more food, I'll stop at a store and pick it up, but I don't want to wait around for a restaurant meal -- and like Tom mentioned, its hard getting going after a serious meal. And if I'm wet, and its cold, forget it. I don't want to sit around with swamp feet, getting diaper rash in wet shorts/tights and then have to go back out and freeze. I'll only do that if I'm on tour or close to home. For the rides I'm doing right now -- which are under 50 miles so far this year, a Cliff Bar and some magic potion in my water bottle is more than enough, and I'm not particularly inclined to stop anywhere. The two guys I ride with most frequently will stop at a coffee shop now and then, but its mostly about moving and not stopping. Our version of stopping is riding at talking speed and solving the problems of the world -- which we have.

I think another thing that informs our riding style is many years of racing and current employment. Retired people don't have to live their lives mostly on the weekend. I and my riding buddies are out to have a good time, raise our heart rates and then go home and do the five hundred tasks that have accumulated during the week. So its a lot of tempo riding, riding at talking speed and then going home and mowing lawns and tending to family -- or for me, napping on the sofa, depending on the effort level. I must admit that I pay a higher price than my younger cohorts.

-- Jay Beattie

On 1/11/2021 9:17 PM, jbeattie wrote:

I think another thing that informs our riding style is many years of racing and current employment. Retired people don't have to live their lives mostly on the weekend.

I admit, retirement is nice!

--
- Frank Krygowski

On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 4:35:42 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/11/2021 6:44 PM, jbeattie wrote:

It's really hard riding with broken bones, although I did it for five miles, and my son called for the ride. I would have clawed my way home.
I've had only two moving on-road crashes. One caused only a scratched
knee. The other hurt my shoulder pretty badly, but I'd have been able to
ride the bike back home if only the front fork blades were still
attached to it.
I broke a crank 16 miles from home and scootered the whole way back -- do you carry crank arms? I broke a seat post saddle clamp on the top of Carson Pass and found a serviceable bolt at tiny marina at a mountain lake. Do you carry spare bolts? I've broken pedals, a half-dozen cranks (or more), handlebars, frames, chains -- you name, and I've gotten home without a ride.. I broke a pedals on tour, too -- and rode a fully loaded touring bike with one leg -- up the hill on HWY 101 into Coos Bay -- where I bought another pedal. Do you carry pedals?
I'm sure I buy heavier equipment than you do. The only thing I remember
breaking on a bike are spokes (just a few) and twice, my rear derailleur
cable. Since my bar end shifters run cables under the tape, that
requires an unusually long cable. Yes, I do carry that spare. Maybe I
should measure the exact length and cut off the extra weight at the end? ;-)
More important, all the terribly heavy stuff I carry - a frame pump,
extra tube, patch kit and multi-tool - have been used to help dozens of
other cyclists over the years. The handlebar bag itself was used to help
my best riding friend who showed up at my house with his brand new
custom bike, then soon said to me "Um... Can you carry my jacket?"

I carry all that stuff in a seat pack, and I have a clown pump and CO2.
Yeah, so did the guys and girls on the ride a couple years ago. When one
guy flatted, they burned through tubes and CO2 until they finally asked
to borrow my Zefal pump.
I'm curious what you do when you do stop at a cafe or restaurant, if you
don't carry a cable lock. That's when I'm most likely to use one. And
I'm curious what you did with your too-thick glove during your recent
Cliff Bar emergency. Held it in your teeth, I suppose?

I held my glove in my other hand on top of the brake lever, but I did use my other hand and then my teeth to get the glove back on. It is super tight -- another problem, particularly with a wet hand. ... I don't usually go to restaurants because I don't like sitting around eating a meal.

You're a lot more Spartan than I am.

"FOOD?? WHO NEEDS FOOD?? I'M RIDING, DAMMIT!! GIVE ME SOME ENERGY GEL!
GRRRRR!"

Yes, you are correct, carrying a Zefal pump is better than the CO2 cartridges on a longer ride without good puncture proof tires. But shorter rides with good tires means you are just carrying extra weight and even worse, a pump that can bounce off and you have to go back for inly to find it broken.

On Mon, 11 Jan 2021 18:17:36 -0800 (PST), jbeattie
wrote:

-- and like Tom mentioned, its hard getting going after a serious meal.

Which is one reason that I carry baggies everywhere. I have them in
pill pouches in my wallets and notebooks, and I carry some serious
food-storage bags between the layers of my insulated pannier. (In
warm weather, there are always reclosable sandwich bags of ice cubes
in my insulated pannier.)

Sigh. I didn't buy food along the way even once this year. But I did
buy a buffalo burger at a food cart beside the courthouse and carry it
home to share once. By hard pedalling, it was still warm.

Man, I miss stopping at Sweet Dreams when I'm almost home after a
Saturday ride, to buy a sandwich and get out of cooking supper. But
they are open only in tourist season anyway.

I'm even nostalgic for the single-serve pizza I had to settle for at
Freedom Express, because the egg rolls and so forth on their hot-dog
rollers were always either sold out or not cooked yet. I'd eat three
slices on the spot, and eat the fourth after leaving Walmart.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at centurylink dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

On 1/13/2021 12:23 AM, Joy Beeson wrote:

Man, I miss stopping at Sweet Dreams when I'm almost home after a
Saturday ride, to buy a sandwich and get out of cooking supper. But
they are open only in tourist season anyway.

You have tourists? Wow! We don't have tourists.


--
- Frank Krygowski