tips_bicycle

Tips that can make your trip more fun ...

... Everybody had to find out by him or herself, but we stumbled upon some things, places, ideas that can be something for you as well! Like Pie town, coming from the south you hit pie town after 4 days in the bush, you die for a shower and a PIE! See Nita in the house with the toasters, were you can stay and enjoy a good meal after a hot shower.

It is heaven. The next day, before leaving a an other go at the different pies at one of the cafe's before you go all the way down to Grants. Enjoy it, because Grants has nothing real special to offer accept the big road restaurant for truckers, Pedros,where you can eat your tummy round for little money. They have a different menu every day.

Tool that you have to take with you, it is heavy stuff, but there is no way out

An adjustable spanner | Pliers | Multi-tool | Spare allen keys, try and fit your bike with only a single size allen bolts (holding on water bottle cage, pannier frames, etc.) and take 2 spare keys in addition to the multi-tool | Chain links and chain link tool, and a few links when you fit a new chain.

4 x Spokes and spoke key | Tyre patch, this is for the tyre, not the tube, and is usually made from 3" x 1" rigid material. For when the tube splits | Heavy duty thread and a needle just to be safe | Heavy duty tubes (at least 2)

Spare tyre (folding one)| Cable ties, take a good number of small and large ones | Spare brake and derailleur cables | Selection of spare bolts and nuts for when things rattle off | Puncture kit

You should be able to do some repairs yourself.

In the event of a crash it's not unusual for a wheel to end up looking like a potato crisp. The rim is so bent that it will not turn in the frame. How to fix a bend |

Brakes and cables, check the toeing-in of your brake blocks. Install them so that the front edge of the brake pad is 1/32mm closer to the rim than the back edge, be careful to never over tighten the cable bolt. This will cause it to fray and break. How to adjust the brakes|

Chains wear over time. As a chain wears the spaces inside each link (into which the teeth of your chain wheels or cogs fit) get longer and therefore cease to fit the teeth snugly. How to fix a chain|

the bike shops you encounter on the continental divide, from south to north.
Click on the links for more information.

New Mexico: Silvercity (2)

Colorado: Del Norte (1), Salida (2), Breckenridge (3), Frisco (1), Steamboat (3)

Wyoming: Rawlins (1), Pinedale (1), West Yellowstone (1)

Montana: Butte(2), Helena(2), Columbia Falls(1), Whitefish(1), Eureka(1)

All bikeshops on the divide: Click here

Saddles, hard or soft ones, ask your butt! The pain in your butt will never go totally away, not even after two months, It is an unusual way of sitting and there is nothing you can do about it.

More bike shops should offer test saddles, but at the moment few do. The next best thing is to swap saddles with your friends.The more saddles you spend time with, the closer you will come to finding the saddle that is best for you. Don't neglect to make adjustments during a ride. More about saddles|

There is a big difference between the female and men autonomy and that's why you need a different kind of saddle. Read more about the female autonomy|

Woman saddle reviews|

The question is and has always been: Panniers or a BOB (Beast of Burden) Trailer, (or...both??)

BOB: It all depends on the fact if you can live with a bike that pulls to the left and the right, that get double clocked up on wet roads and is a drag to push up a good steep mountain. Basically, do not ride dirt roads with a BOB. If you can put all your stuff in panniers, do so. Take your BOB instead for a spin on paved roads!

Good panniers are from Ortlieb and Vaude. We have Vaude's for the past three years and they are still going strong. It is a problem to buy good front racks in the USA. Ask your bike shop about this issue.

The argument continues |

Front suspension, that feels good downhill

With front suspension, your arms doesn't have to catch all the bumps by themselves, the wheel stays longer in contact with the ground and required maintenance is still limited.

Make sure you don't need any special tools in the case that you want to adjust the compression.

Watercontainers

The normal waterbottles we use are just 1.5l softdrink bottles - gives you more water at hand.

Minimum drink water per person is 4l a day, plus any water for cooking and cleaning. To cover this in New Mexico, two MSR waterbags are employed - 4l respectively 6l. The MSR water-filter fits, and can also be used as a field shower.

Wheel & Tyres

The standard MTB wheels are often built more for light-weight than for the heavy loads of camping gear and water bottles.

Use tyres with knobs on the side only when going on asphalt. With trajects of more than a day on tracks with soft sand, mud or rock, choose a full profile.

Foldable tyres with strong sidewall-long life & easy packing

Perform basic maintenance daily. Clean front and back derailleurs, sand is awful everybody knows. When you clean the frame and components look for cracks and road damage.

Maintenance every week: Adjust tire pressure (use a pressure gauge). Lubricate chain (important after riding in the rain). Check front wheel bearing adjustment. Check front brake pads. Check bottom bracket adjustment. Check spokes, especially with panniers there is a lot of weight on your back wheel. If you can adjust them and they will not brake on crucial moments, like downhill...