The Montague Navigator Folding Bicycle, Amtrak, and a Burley Travoy Trailer: more information

In January I bought a Burley Travoy trailer for commuting and bicycle touring, detailed in my Jan. 15 blog post. (Addendum: just found out the trailer now comes in yellow.)

In February I bought a Montague Navigator full-size folding bike to use on Amtrak, detailed in my Feb. 5 blog post.

Travel luggage on Amtrak will be three carry-on bags: the black bag shown which will hold the Travoy and can be stuffed with tent and other items; the black Montague canvas bike bag (not shown) that will hold the bike and more gear (I will probably make a simple cover for the chain to keep the inside of the case cleaner); and the green knapsack above the black bag in the photo. This will include travel items and food to use on the train. Burley sells attachments to use to clip bags to the trailer. I may buy those to easily attach the bag, or I may make my own fasteners for much cheaper. Easy, expensive ($15 for 4 clips; $15 shipping) or some Velcro. I'll probably go with cheap, but the cool-looking, durable clips from Burley are pretty snazzy!
  
Now it's time to talk about the changes to the basic plan.

1. Amtrak service extends, using there connecting bus service, to my parents' hometown of Oroville, California, so I can get on Amtrak in Ottumwa, Iowa, and travel straight to Oroville. This will save me motel money that I had originally planned for disembarking at Roseville, California.I won't be riding 60 miles to my parents' home but rather 7 miles from the Oroville bus stop.
2. I've included a Velcro strap-on mirror for the Navigator--easy to remove for folded transport.
3. I've changed seats from the basic seat included with the Navigator (not an unusual move for bike purchases). I'm trying the Terry Cite-Y Gel. My next choice would have been the Liberator, but I felt I'd be spending more time in an upright riding position.
4. I don't believe I'll be taking the Navigator's back rack because I have to remove the seatpost rack when I use the Travoy's seatpost trailer hitch. I can use a small knapsack for a few tools, a tire kit, and sundry for day rides. I might think of a small handlebar bag, too.

I used the Montague Navigator/Burley Travoy combo yesterday for a quick trip down the lime-chip bike path to the store. The experience was easy and enjoyable. When the weather warms and dries up a bit, I'll try a practice overnighter to a local campground in order to see how easy it will be to transport the materials I plan to take with me on Amtrak to California.

Copyright 2013 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved

A Mirror for the Foldable Montague Navigator

Those cars are big, fast, and solid. We bicyclists need to see behind to know what's closing in on

us. 

I have a bike mirror on all my bikes. I've bought a helmet mirror but have yet to really like it. Bike mirrors tend to last a while--a season to several years--and then the bike falls over or the mirror gets whacked while entering a doorway, something like that, and the mirror breaks.

The issue is different with a folding bike, though, because the very act of folding the bike and packing it around or storing it beside the desk at the office offers more possibilities to bump the mirror.

One solution I'm trying now (and it seems to work) was found, oddly enough, not at my local bike shop or on some online source but at the local Wal-Mart. Their little nook of generic bike gadgets had a Velcro, strap-on bike mirror, made by Bell.

I actually can't find online the exact equivalent of this mirror; perhaps is a new version put out by Bell. This mirror has a flex handle, which helps with bumping, and the Velcro securing strap is smooth, lacking a buckle for folding over that I saw from an online photo of an earlier model. Other versions of this mirror have rigid attachment shanks (the more easy to snap) and buckled Velcro attachments. Some users, though, in reviews have mentioned that the rigid shanks are better because the flex version of the mirror vibrates or has to be regularly adjusted. I imagine the bumpier the road, the more this might be true.

So far, my procedures for portaging the bike now include unfastening the mirror and sticking it into my pocket when folding the bike. At $7.96, I'm not sure how durable the mirror will be, but even buying one a season is certainly much cheaper and wiser than having a headbutt (or tailbutt) with a recreation vehicle.

I plan to tell my local bike shop owners about the mirror so that they can stock it. That way, the local bike crowd will have a greater chance of seeing this product while browsing bike stuff. For me, the local super-store is not my first stop for bike gear. Funny things happen, though, and I'm glad to have a mirror for my Montague Navigator folding bike that works.

Check out the photos I've taken of the mirror I use. I think the articulated neck and the smooth grip are key details that led me to try this particular version of the strap-on mirror.

Copyright 2013 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved

The products mentioned were bought by the author, who is--at least at the time of this writing--not a representative of any company mentioned, nor does he wear the blue vest and work at Wal-Mart.

Fairfield, Iowa, to Lacey-Keosauqua State Park on Bicycles

Yes, it was our first overnight trip by bicycles, and we were traveling just twenty-five miles to the second-oldest state park in Iowa. 

It was 2010. We were excited, and we had a successful, enjoyable trip. Now, three years later, mu wife and I are at mid-March, waiting for the weather to change so we can make up for our lapse of three years.

This trip is chronicled on an online site, Crazy Guy on a Bike, that is dedicated to bicycle tours--from day trips to around-the-world odysseys. Our little excursion was for three days with two nights in a tent. Here is the link for the site and the journal narrative:

SE Iowa 3-Day Tour: Fairfield to Lacey-Keosauqua State Park

Created as a state park in 1921, the park has 1,653 acres of varied terrain--hills, bluffs along the Des Moines River, and woods and prairie meadows. We enjoyed hiking the trails, swimming in the lake, and the modern facilities in the campground. We also traveled the two miles to the county seat of Van Buren County, Keosauqua (population a little over 1,000) for lunch.

My wife and I learned a lot from the trip, in addition to having fun. The Crazy Guy on a Bike website is a great source for learning from the experience of others. (That way, you don't have to learn everything the hard way!)

Two overnight bike trip journals were those of Alexandra Greene and of Jackie Sindrich, both bike camping in New York.

Link to Trip Journal

Alexandra and her husband traveled overnight with the two small children. It was a first-time adventure that included fun and some pain from their lack of experience. Their 75-mile trip (37.5 each way) taught them to not take too much, to plan meals more carefully, to understand that Google maps don't include elevation, and to realize more the special needs of traveling with young children.

Link to Journal

Jackie traveled solo there and back a total of 112 miles along Lake Erie. Her experience was different--less baggage and less to worry about. She was also traveling some territory that she was familiar with. What I like is how she didn't worry about equipment so much, using a $30 tent and a pool-floatie "sleeping mattress." She carried the camping equipment on a rear rack, secured by bungees, and all her personals in a small knapsack.

I've enjoyed reading journals of all lengths of trips on Crazy Guy on a Bike, from multi-year around-the-world trips to day biking. However, the first-time journals are interesting because as a novice I can learn from others' experiences. For instance, both of the above journals mention to bring bug spray!

Copyright 2013 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved

Photos from CGONB, copyright of the authors, links provided

Bicycle Touring on a 1977 Huffy One-Speed

Link

Jeff Teel got into bicycle touring by adding some baskets to his 1977 one-speed Huffy (distributed as an Open Road model by Montgomery Ward). The baskets were for transporting veggies.

"During the summers of 2008 and 2009, I used my bike sometimes to make weekly trips to nearby Eureka to pick up vegetables from a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that we were members of. I purchased the rear baskets for that reason. It wasn't until later that I determined they'd work for touring."

He writes about his adventures in three journals at the Crazy Guy on a Bike website, a site that supports many hundreds of trips taken by bike touring folks all over the world. His three documented trips add up to 50 days of travel that include tent camping and 2,458 miles of travel.

• Morton, IL, to Springfield, MO, in nine days (2010)
• Morton, IL, to Laurens, IA, to Mount Zion, WI, to Morton, IL (2011)
• Morton, IL to Northern Indiana and Back (2011)

Neither Jeff's travels nor his equipment are exotic, yet he got on his bike and pedaled down the road--if not a road less traveled then certainly in a manner less used. He's not all low tech either.
He maps his route and uses GPS to maintain his route. He posts to CGOAB via email. He upgrades the gearing on his one-speed, changing the rear sprocket from 19 teeth to 20. (see image below).

Link

Jeff's Montgomery Ward Open Road, manufactured by Huffy in 1977, at an earlier time in American bicycle touring history--say 1900--would be considered a wonder of technological achievement. We don't need much to travel by bike, mostly the incentive. Even with his simple equipment, though, it's evident that Jeff has done his planning. The resulting trips are obviously full of pleasure and achievement.

Link

Link

Friedel and Andrew Grant say it well in their free e-book Bike Touring Basics. Their book is also available as an Amazon eBook and has been reviewed by me.

"Above all, don’t be put off by an obsession to figure out every last detail. Like any journey, there’s a lot to think about before you take those first steps but, at its core, bike touring is really quite simple. The most crucial ingredients are a bike and a desire to ride that bike beyond your front doorstep."

 For me, Jeff Teel's bicycling adventures show me two things besides the Grants' encouragement to just start and not worry about too much. One learning lesson is that it's not necessary to obsess on planning, that the basics will do and what more is needed is become evident. The second lesson is that there can be great beauty and enjoyment close to home, that we don't have to travel across the country or around the globe to find a beautiful adventure. For those who seek the far horizons, I applaud your audacity and may well find myself one day joining your ranks.

But for now, a weekend down a local lane and a night spent in a cozy county campground--that's my incentive and my dream.

Link

Copyright 2012 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved

Images are from CGOAB and have been posted with links

Commuting by Bicycle in the Snow--Netherlands Style

As I watch this video of bike commuting in Utrecht, Netherlands, there are several key points to notice.

1. No wind, or very little.
2. No ice, or very little--but the slush could be tricky.
3. Hats, no hats, scarves . . . the temperature must be just below freezing but not by much.
4. Fenders and bikes that look a lot like the old Schwinn style 3-speeds.
5. It ain't no big thing.

Right now as I write, the temperature is about 30 degrees. Wind? "Northwest wind 15 to 25 mph with gusts to around 30 mph increasing to 25 to 35 mph with gusts to around 40 mph."

I wouldn't mind a little snow and no wind. There's something very reassuring, though, about a place that's figured out how to get by--at least in the city--without a car.

Here's one with a little more extreme weather.


I think maybe tomorrow I'll ride my bike--if the wind lets us and I feel strong. Notice my equivocation? Got to stay strong to outlast the flu season. That excuse should last me for a while . . .

Dawn the next morning: 15 degrees Fahrenheit, winds up to 29 MPH, wind chill at -11 degrees . . . ah, well . . .

Copyright 2013 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved

Ride 160 Miles and Earn a New Bike: the Montague Navigator and the Burley Travoy

My plan is to ride my bike more this year, to use the bike as both a commuting and a recreational vehicle.

It galled me to think that I had to throw that resolution out the door in order to visit my parents and brother who live in California 2,000 miles away. My solution is the title of this post, "Ride 160 Miles and Earn a New Bike.

I'll present the plan, but first let me introduce the bike, a Montague Navigator folding bike.

Montague became famous in the bike world by making military folding bikes for paratroopers. They still make their Paratrooper model, but I chose a more standard bike because it has some features that fit my needs better.

For the Christmas season, my wife and I bought a commuter bike trailer, the Burley Travoy, that we plan to use for weekend camping.

Here are the events in the order that led me to buying my "160-mile bike."

1. I buy the Travoy and begin researching on the net and on Google maps local touring routes.
2. I research folding bikes, thinking to the future, but only find bikes in the $2,500 range until I discover Montague bikes.
3. I discover a bike route planned by the Central California Cycling organization from Sacramento to Chico, California. The route passes through Oroville, where my parents live, and the route passes right by Sacramento International Airport.
4. It appears the airlines will accept the folded bike as an extra, checked bag, but I worried about the soft bag ($100 and a smashed bicycle) and the price of the hard case ($400-500 and a smashed bank account).
5. Then I thought about Roseville, a town close to Sacramento that is an Amtrak junction. I could travel from Fairfield to Roseville and ride my bike to Oroville. Two days of riding, stopping halfway in Marysville, and staying at my parents' place, and the bike is about half paid for in one trip.
6. Amtrak ticket, $400; lodging (4 nights, 2 each way), $400 max; trip food, $100 = $900. Since we usually plan between $1,500 and $2,000 for the trip (plane, motel, car), I've just paid for a big hunk of the bike in one trip. Cool.

It looks like over-60 adventure cycling, but 40 miles of riding a day is definitely an attainable goal. The land is essentially flat, and I'll be commuting and riding weekends all spring. I usually stay in a motel to allow my elderly parents to keep their routine, but I'll pitch my tent in their carport so I can slip outside when they need a rest.

Amtrak allows for two carry-on bags. "Each passenger can have a total of 2 carry-on bags, each not to exceed 50 lbs. (23 kg), 28 x 22 x 14 inches (700 x 550 x 350 millimeters)."

It also states the following, regarding bicycles: "Folding bicycles under the dimensions of 34" x 15" x 48"/860 x 380 x 1120 mm will be allowed onboard all trains in lieu of a piece of baggage. They must be considered a true folding bicycle."

The Burley Travoy bag, packed with extra traveling items, measures 22" x 18" x 9", within the carry-on luggage strictures. The Montague Navigator, folded and bagged, measures 36" x 28" x 12", which meets the folding bicycle requirements for Amtrak.

Thus, I can carry on these two items, along with an under-the-seat bag with food and a book, and travel green this summer . . . and pay for my bike along the way.

I even found a route from Fairfield to Ottumwa (the eastern junction with Amtrak for me). There are even more possibilities--maybe I'll ride the bike from Ottumwa to Fairfield on the return journey if the train arrives on time at 9:00 A.M. I'll get a ride to Ottumwa when I begin the adventure, though. Two days on a train after having ridden a bike on a mid-June day for around three hours--the conductor would probably kick me off the train for bad hygiene. Can't have that!

Copyright 2013 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved

Bicycle Commuting as a Way of Life: Take Copenhagen, for Instance

What makes commuting by bicycle an enjoyable experience?

• Accepted
• Safe
• Easy

I think these three concepts make riding a bike in town a fun and fulfilling experience. They create an ambiance that allows for the relaxing joy of pushing the pedals to get somewhere.

Accepted

Belonging to a group is a comforting thing--at least it can be if the group is protected and celebrated by the powers that be. In order for the citizens of a community to embrace bicycling, having the government embrace it first is a big plus. And that embrace must be on the social level, the regulatory level, and the structural level. The city must celebrate bike riding as a positive addition to the city's lifestyle, it must pass whatever regulations are needed to promote bicycling, and it must change the physical structure of the city to make folks on bikes feel included. Copenhagen, for instance, is a city that has made riding and parking a bicycle just as normal and natural as driving a car--more so, perhaps. Bicycles own the town!

Safe  

Creating a city environment that provides safety for the cyclist is essential in order for people to choose riding a bike rather than driving a car. Some of these environmental changes must affect the emotions of the bicyclists. They must not only be safe but also feel safe. One means of providing this sense of safety is through the city's legislative decisions; the city must walk the talk so that others can . . . ride with pride? The biggest way of providing safety is to change the structural organization of the city, to adopt those street and traffic alterations and modifications that other cities have found to be effective means of making a city bicycle safe. One intersection in Copenhagen had ten serious bicycle accidents a year; with some changes to the environment, that dropped to one. Now, that's a measurable commitment to bicycling safety!

Easy

In my little Midwest town of Fairfield, Iowa, the streets are set up for cars. It's easy to get to where you want to go in a car, to park, and then to do your business. My town also has a wonderful system of lime chip bike trails. Some can be used a bit for commuting, but most of the trails are for recreational riding, not commuting. Therefore, the sense of commuting being easy and inviting can still be improved. Increasing the structural changes for riding in the city area and providing easier parking opportunities for bikes-giving them a higher profile--will allow those who would ride bikes and who don't to see and believe how easy commuting by bike would be. In Copenhagen, the city even has plastic cars which fill a street-side parking slot. The plastic can be raised in four sections to safely and securely harbor cargo bikes, which are bigger and more expensive than regular commuter bikes.

Below is a video where Americans who were attending an international conference on bicycling in cities speak out their reactions to how Copenhagen has made its environment a bicycle-friendly reality.

I think you'll like the comments and the visuals.


It is impossible to make Fairfield a year-round biking city, of course, because the winters are too harsh. Oh, yes, some hardy souls do bike year round, but ice and snow and blizzard conditions just don't make it feasible for everyone. There are some times when the conditions make riding a bike an extreme sport.

Still, for six months a year, bicyclers can give it a go in my hometown. For two to three months more, it is possible to bike, and for about three months, put biking up there wilth climbing Mt. Everest. The city should concentrate on promoting those easy months. Let's get Grandpa and Grandma out their on their bikes, along with everyone else.

Copyright 2013 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved