The World is Flat Pedaled

When it comes to building a touring bike there are so many things that are taken as fact; steel frame, high range of gears, quick wicking clothing, but some gear parts are debated. It seems that clipless pedals are one of these things that falls on both sides. I have seen a good deal of "ways to improve riding" or "how to prepare for a bike tour" promote clipless pedals, but I'm going to go ahead and say that these are less than ideal for bike touring.

Casual SPDs were becoming the rage when I first began riding, with Chrome exploding everywhere and other companies finally following in their wake (Teva, Five-Ten, and Vans now all have their own casual clipless pedals). I started with rat cages, but after destroying many metal cages I have taken the plunge into full on flat pedals and could not be happier.

Surly Cross Check rocking Wellgo MG-1s

The tides seem to be turning away from clipless toward flat pedals on touring cyclists, with the rise of casual touring promoted by Rivendell and hike and bike bikepacking as promoted by Cass Gilbert. And here is the real reason why flats are more superior than clipless pedals, they are multifunctional. For anyone who has ever packed for an extended bike tour knows that having multi use items is extremely useful as it saves space and weight, yet people still believe in clipless pedals and off the bike shoes/sandals, when one pair of sneakers functions for both. For me, bike touring is about exploration, and exploring off the bike is half the fun, from incredible day hikes, to museum walks, to unplanned games of soccer, not skating everywhere is fantastic.

Another tenant that the flat pedal fulfills is the keep it simple stupid attitude, an attitude I shortly picked up from Surly upon purchase of my Cross-Check. As an example, I remember being a few days north of San Francisco last summer when I met a couple traveling the coast and it was about this point that one of their touring pedal cleats was so torn up from being walked on over rocks, curbs, pavement, what have you, that they could no longer clip in and needed to limp by on a small platform to get to San Francisco to replace their cleats. Another example comes from an old article from Urban Velo magazine that I found, in which these avid cycle tourists cited the tool or piece that they'd never leave without again and it was consistently pedal bolts. When you go flat, that's one less tool and one less headache.

Another shot with the white MTB pedals.

"But what about the power increases!" well, that's mostly a myth. There may be small gains, but nothing extremely major. People are bound to believe that being clipped in allows you to pull up on the upstroke, which is actually wrong. The only benefit may be that you are less fatigued because you don't have to worry as much with foot position but with grippy shoes and grippy pedals this is not an issue whatsoever.

One of the greatest gains that have come from the switch to platform pedals over rat cages is learning better bike ability. I had never known how to bunny hop and was completely dumbfounded by the process, I kept trying to pull up the rear wheel with my feet, which is dead wrong. Flat pedals have taught me better weight balance on the bike and now I'm having a blast throwing my rear wheel wherever I want it, be it mountain biking, hopping curbs, or bike poloing. For performance, flats reign king in my bike.

What do you ride? Flats, clipless, cages? Why? What are the benefits and disadvantages?

Further reading: Riv Bike on clipless v. flats.

Review: On One Midge Bars

In the mid 80's Wilderness Trail Bikes, one of the earlier pioneers of mountain bike design, unleashed the Dirt Drop Bar, a wide flared drop bar intended for off-road use. The bars were wildly popular on cyclocross style with Specialized even throwing in the mix on their Specialized BB-2, unveiled on their Rockhopper Combo, the manufacturing giant's response to the Bridgestone's XO series (as an example of the lack of interest in drop bar mountain bikes, the Rockhopper Combo only lasted one year and had trouble selling stock).

WTB Dirt Drop bars, credit to My Brain Hurts on Flickr

Specialized Rock Combo with Specialized BB-2 drop bars, credit to Russ Teaches on Flickr

Over the years dirt drops never caught on. While the WTB Dirt Drops stayed in production, mountain drops were rare on full build kits, until the Salsa Fargo 2. The Fargo featured their own in house mountain drops, the Woodchippers. They fit what this bike was intended for very well, for an off-road touring bike, because they offered the multiple hand position of a drop bar but also had more horizontal brakes and wide grips for control.

Salsa Fargo

Now, mountain drops are coming back into style as bike touring is on the rise and off-road bike touring is no longer seen as a totally insane venture. The choices are still slim, but they are out there (besides hounding ebay for the now discontinued Specialized BB-2 or WTB Dirt Drop bars), some of the choices are the aforementioned Salsa Woodchipper,the Soma Junebug, the Origin-8 Gary bar and the On One Midge Bar. After reading reviews I decided give the Midge Bars a run, being my first mountain bike drops, this is both a review of this style and of these bars themselves.

The first thing I noticed on the Midge bars was how natural the hoods were. My hands rested easily on a 45 degree angle on the hoods, both widening my grip and making my ability to reach the brakes much easier, a joy when descending on dirt. This isn't the only good position for descending though, as I found in the hooks was way better, with immense braking power and a very wide balanced controlled position with my hands in that semi-horizontal position. Ascending was equally better with these bars, as I could grab the drops and mash some leverage on the wide position as well as being low enough to keep my butt in the saddle, keeping traction on my skinnier cross tires. The tops were great for road riding too, expanding the hand positions so my wrists never don't tire, as what often happens on flat bar touring.

The cockpit view.

Shifting on my bar ends was a breeze on the On One bars, as the drops were shallow and when positioned correctly the bar ends sat perfectly near the bottom of the hoods, making that switch easy. I even began to get into the point of on road of finding that shift perfectly in the drops with my pinky. STI shifting is also an option on these bars, but I have never been a fan, as bar ends are far easier to fix on the fly (the ability to switch to friction shifting is even nicer when the cable stretches and you don't feel like playing with it).

Side view on the Cross Check.

The On One Midge Bars make great off road touring bars as they offer the multitude of positions but also allow for more controlled descents and more traction and leverage on the ascents. That plus easy functionality with bar end shifters make these my go to for off-road touring at the moment. How they match up to the Soma Junebugs or Salsa Woodchippers is hard to say, but they definitely work well for me, plus come in at a better price point than the Salsa or Soma bars.

Further reading:

• Guitar Ted on how to setup Mountain Drop Bars on a Mountain Bike not designed for drops.
• 29 Drop on a better history than mine on Mountain Drops.

Who Doesn't Love Packlists?

Packlists are my favorite. If it wasn't for the help of great packlists like Cass Gilber's at While Out Riding or Joe Cruz's at Pedaling in Place, my kit would have gone through some of the errors they went through. Nevertheless here is my packlist from my tour up to Tahoe.

Bags

First let's talk where it all goes. Bags and where to put them is an art that I'm slowly learning to perfect. Last summer's build was a maxamilist approach and built in the wrong places. I upgraded from the bulky pannier rack system on the front to an easier to manage bigger handlebar bag. I also added the tool bag under the seat, which makes getting them convenient on the road and opens up room in my panniers. I was able to manage to pack up food, clothing, and tent all on the rear. It made picking up the bike wonky, which I want to fix in the future, but as of now, I really like the way this is built, it handles very well. All the bags are Detours made. The rear rack is a Tubus Vega (light durable, great). I carry my water in my bottlecages along with hydration bladders buried away, the Klean Kanteen didn't really work as it held coffee flavors that's going to get axed for a lightweight camp mug (or a smaller Klean Kanteen for camp and carrying ice/ice cream to camp!) and put another waterbottle in the cage, that is if I don't have a framebag by then. I also have a Topeak Morph Mini pump pictured here, it broke on tour, but I prefer it to the Planet Bike one I replaced it with. I also carried an REI Flashpack to add some room and take weight off the bags/racks/bike, not ideal on the back, but it was real handy (until a bear tore it in two).

Clothing

Riding clothes.

Camp clothes.

Clothing is usually the bulkiest, but not the heaviest, but it is easy to go overboard on clothing. What I have here might actually be too much. The top is my riding gear, the bottom is camp gear. My riding gear consists of Novarra cycle shorts ($10 at Used Gear Sale!), cheap falling apart Nashbar rain jacket, Canari jersey (looks good, works), cycle shorts (probably cut these next), Ex-Officio boxers (GREAT purchase, dry quickly, hold no smell), gloves, Smart Wool hat, Goodwill merino sweater (5 bucks, why pay more?), Novarra leg warmers, and my North Coast Brewery cycle cap.

My camp clothes consist of a casual t (might get axed for another jersey instead), Smart Wool baselayer (comfortable and can be used when it gets real cold), Smart Wool leggings (pack small retain heat, also good for riding, might go with this or the legwarmers next time, not both), and gym shorts (want to replace with quicker drying active shorts). I wore Salomon water shoes on this tour, I liked them for their quick drying, ability to be worn without socks, and breathability, but I'm not 100 percent sold on them as the go to touring sneaker yet.

Camp Gear

Sleeping

Eating

Camp gear is where weight can really be saved. Sleepwise I've upgraded to a 45 degree LaFuma bag, good for summer, but even on some nights I found myself chilly, probably need another bag to compensate when I'm not doing hot parts of the world. Sierra Designs LightYear One tent, works, but can be tight and the front entrance is awkward, still looking at a Tarptent or Six Moon Design solution possibly. Nemo Zor sleeping pad, comfortable, warm, works.

Cook kit consists of; Trangia alcohol stove, I'm still unhappy with flame control, but alcohol is the way to go (the stove is the one included with it and the alcohol is obvious). Sea to Summit collapsible bowl, great for cutting board and easy to clean, like it. GSI Ultralight cofffee maker, bought this one because I lost the bigger plastic version of this, but I'm glad I did, no filters needed, easy to clean, and makes delicious coffee (downside to it is only one at a time, while the other could make three or four cups). Sea to Summit Ti spork, easy to store, easy to clean, useful. I also have a handkerchief and a gross looking cleaning pad in the shot. I also carried a Platypus 2+ L hydration pack, which gave me plenty of water over the night and into the morning, I even had a cheap free one I got in a giveaway, but if I go to one water bottle next tour I'll get a second Platypus I think.

Tools and Toiletries

I put these in the same shot, mostly because they were small and both fit in the same pockets on opposite sides of the bike. The tools consist of the basic Crank Brothers multitool, spare tube, tire levers, patchkit, and spare chain (with spare quicklinks). The things that aren't standards that I really like is my Leatherman Skeletool, great camp tool and easy to have on my belt loop. Anti theft skewer tool on my keychain, it's probably unnecessary, but zero weight for added security? Sounds good to me. Hypercracker, that's a great tool, I can pull off my Shimano cassette to change rear spokes on my bike (spokes not shown because I brought the wrong size spokes with me, d'oh!). Electrical tape, duct tape (wrapped around a pencil), handkerchief, chain lube, and zipties finish off the tool list.

Toiletries are easy to cut, but sometimes are just needed. Sunscreen, Dr. Brommers, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss (good for sewing too, if I remembered my needles!), moist towellettes (my tentmate on the Inca Trail had this great tip for feeling clean on the trail), ibuprofen helped me cure a hangover, and the Band-Aids were to solve my busted thumb. Also in this pic is an emergency blanket, just in case.

Electronics/Misc

Electronics is definitely the things that I carry for comfort. Starting in the top right is my MP3 player that my good friend Eric loaded up for me last summer with some great Americana tunes for riding across the country, it's attached to an X-Mini capsule speaker, good sound for small weight. GPS Etrex 20 was the greatest addition to my kit, it helped me get off the highways and really found amazing things. Steripen helped me carry less water if I saw I would be traveling next to water (which happened frequently on this trip). Gorilla pod camera stand, with camera case, as of now I just have a cheap Fujifilm Point and Shoot, hope to upgrade this winter. The headlamp was a great addition too, don't know why I didn't think to have that last summer, but it makes camp life easier and can be used for nightriding when necessary. The top bag is my chargers, next to it is a AA battery charger for my headlamp and GPS. I carried my laptop this time, but it's really what's going to hold me back from going lighter in the future, it helped a ton, but I'm thinking of going with a tablet next to also replace what's under my laptop, my Kindle, which has been great for carrying, but I also like real books, which is why Cadillac Desert is in the shot (great book too). The final bag is my notebook and pens and pencils, I'm trying to write and sketch more and my little Moleskin is great for it. Oh and I do carry a U-lock, because if you know my story from last summer you'd know why I carry it.

That's the gist of it. It's always a work in progress making things better and lighter.

The List (bold are things I really like and recommend, *s are things on their way out)

• Bags
• Detours D2R Handlebar Bag
• Detours D2R Large Panniers
• Detours Wedgie
• OR Stuff Sack
• REI Flashpack (not picture)
• Clothing
• Canari Jersey
• Peral Izumi Cycle Shorts*
• Novarra Casual Cycle Shorts
• Ex Officio Boxers
• Nashbar Rain Jacket*
• Novarra Leg Warmers
• REI pack towel (not picture)
• North Coast Brewery Cycle Hat
• Smart Wool Cap
• Gloves
• Goodwill Merino Wool Sweater
• Casual T (Broken Rim Records for pop punk fans)*
• Smart Wool long sleeve baselayer.
• Smart Wool leggings.
• Casual shorts*
• Salomon Water Shoes (not pictured)
• Camp
• Sierra Lightyear One
• LaFuma 45 bag.
• Nemo Zor Pad
• Cook
• Trangia backpackers cookit
• Sea to Summit collapsible bowl.
• Sea to Summit ti spork.
• GSI Ultralight Coffee Kit
• Platypus bladder
• Tools
• Crank Brothers Multi 17
• Hypercracker (although goodluck finding it)
• Leatherman Skeletool
• Anti-theft skewer tool (on keys)
• Spare tube.
• Patch kit.
• Tire Levers.
• Spare chain with quicklinks.
• Electrical tape.
• Duct tape.
• Zip ties.
• Emergency Blanket
• Kryptonite Mini U-Lock
• Topeak Morph Mini Pump
• Toiletries
• Dr. Brommers
• Moist Towelettes
• Toothbrush/Paste
• Dental Floss
• Sunscreen
• Painkillers
• Bandaids
• Electronics
• Garmin Etrex 20
• Laptop*
• Kindle*(maybe out depending if I get the tablet)
• MP3 player
• X-Mini
• AA Battery Charger
• Steripen
• Headlamp
• Fujifilm Finepix JX520* with Gorillapod
• Misc.
• Book
• Moleskin with good pens!

Review: Detours Sodo Handlebar Bag

Since my last tour, I've been working to downsize my kit. Being that it was my first tour, going out with fully loaded panniers, carrying everything including the kitchen sink, wasn't really all that bad (the guys who helped me out in Medford, OR made fun of how much I had). Now, with that first tour experience under my belt, it's not okay to just have huge bags to throw everything into. The first step in shrinking my touring bike was to find a decent handlebar bag that was bigger than my little Jandd I had for the previous tour (in hopes of losing the front panniers).

In my hunt for the right bag it started to become apparent that bag makers make handlebar bags in two different styles and two different prices; the first being randoneurring bags. Usually made from canvas or a similar materials these bags have class, but that class comes at a price, it was hard to find any of these bags within my price range. The second were utility handlebar bags, big huge waterproof bags made of nylon that looked, well, very unclassy. Then I came across Detours, a Portland based bag company. The first thing I noticed is their lower prices compared to most bag prices. With the Sodo pricing at $78 does this price come at a discount of quality?

Mounted on the Surly.

First thing I noticed about the Sodo was that it was not as big as I was hoping. I was expecting a huge Ortlieb or Arkel style handlebar bag, but once putting the bag on the handlebars, I was glad it wasn't. The bag looks real good on the handlebars, it's not bulking out beyond the drops. That doesn't mean it's small either. I was able to stuff in several notebooks, some Cliff Bars, my electronics and still had plenty of room. The thing I really like about this bag though is that is that it was designed with organization in mind. My Jandd bag was basically a bag to throw everything in, making it so when I needed something I had to dig through everything to get to it, the Sodo has various pockets, pen holders, and two separate zippable sections, making finding things a breeze. Then add on top of that the top has a waterproof map case (a must in my bag search), the Detours seemed to be made for disorganized people like me. The bag comes with a quick attach system making it easy to take and go (also with a shoulder strap too), perfect for valuables on tour.

Lots of room and organized too!

The bag itself is not waterproof, but underneath the bag is another zippered pocket with a waterproof cover that has it's own convenient carrying case (and clip to help you even more not to lose it). The only strange thing about this is having the waterproof map case, the cover seems to cover the map case when trying to use the waterproof cover. It's possible to make it work, but would involve not clipping closed the map case. The other thing that I was not crazy about, but this could also come from my lack of having a real handlebar bag is how close the bag is to the actual handlebars, making sticking my hands on the top of the bars a little tight, doable, but not ideal.

A tad tight, but workable.

These drawbacks don't take away from the utility of this bag. A touring bag with the class of a rando bag at a competitive price, I think this is a good way to go.

Continental Grand Prix Tire

Okay, so this tire is not new for me. I've had it for a while, but have finally reached the breaking point. But before I get too hard into trashing this tire, I'd like to talk about Continental and their reputation first. Before I even really got into cycling "Gatorskin" was the word I had always heard when it came to "bulletproof" tires (which I hate that word, every tire flats). Not only because of their supposed durability, but their smoothness too. This reputation made me alright with replacing my Schwalbe Marathon with a Continental Grand Prix on tour. I would have preferred a Marathon at the time, but would have had to wait for it (hindsight being 20/20 I wish I spent more time places anyway and Boise seemed surprisingly awesome).

It wasn't long for the Continental Grand Prix to prove itself trouble. In Eastern Oregon, on the day labeled "The Day Everything Broke" (pedal, chain, headphones, rack, fender, everything), my Grand Prix was flat after emerging from a diner where I had went to cool my head. It was an added frustration I didn't need. The culprit? Not some huge nail, or giant piece of glass, but rather a tine shard of metal, so small I could barely see it. Well, so much for bulletproof (the next day in the same desert, I got a second similar flat).

This is common when riding the Grand Prix. 

Over time the flats just kept coming, especially once I got into the city and started bombing curbs and hitting potholes (I'm not going to be gentle, it's a touring/cross frame, it's meant to be beaten). The pinch flats were constant. I realized that the Conti tires need to be filled before every ride; that's frankly inconvenient. Once I figured this out the pinch flats started to slow down a little.

Once again though, as soon as I thought, maybe they'll last the tire wears through. Now every time I brake heavy on a descent, the tube gives way thanks to a nice soft spot the tire decided to reveal, this happened both today and yesterday. Sure I put some miles on this, but my Marathon on the rear right now came from Chicago, and it is still going much stronger than the Conti.

Tire is bust.

The one plus side is that the grip never let go on me. Not once did I lose my front tire hitting a bend, so there's that. But then add the fact that Continental customer service is none to be found, (I emailed them, to no return) I would avoid these tires at all cost. Never again. If I am going to find a lighter tire than the Marathons in the future, I'd probably try some Vittorias, but not Continentals. Luckily, Weds I get my Marathon Mondials, so expect a post of those in the coming future. All this means is tomorrow and Weds will be forced rest days, how sad.