I just got a mountain bike that I found in the trash up and running. It's in perfect condition. Even with the old cables, it's still shifting right.
Today, I want to write about "multi-mode hiking." It pertains to solo and multiple hikers with only one car. If their intent is to eventually complete a distance hiking trail, using only one car, the hiker would have to either hike out and back, or loop on an off agency trails and roads.
The bicycle has a drive train. And here in Ohio, it's more efficient by 3 or 4 times. Off-road trails can have some prohibitions, so bicycles aren't always permitted. But you can drop one off at the end of a route and chain it to a tree. But with those prohibitions, just make sure that the wheels never come in contact with that trail (pick it up to lock it somewhere off that trail).
When I mentioned three or four times, it's as if the hike to bike has a ratio. Here in Ohio, it's generally 1:3 or 1:4 in stamina. I don't pedal up some hills to conserve it. Here's how that works for me... Based on those ratios, if I was hiking the Buckeye Trail in NE Ohio, it would be a 1:4 area. That means that if I was 20 mile per day hiker, in most circumstances, I could hike 16 miles down trail. The route back on road would probably only be about 12 miles. By this ratio, 12 miles on bike equals 3 miles hiking. 3 + 16 = 19, so it's within the 20. If the loop back's mileage ends up being more, then the distance down trail hiking would need to be shortened.
With the out and back, that 10 miles out and 10 miles back. Here on the Buckeye Trail, the Circuit Hike Patch is somewhat based on it's total mileage. That means that the 10 miles back doesn't can't count towards that because that portion of the trail was already covered. And looping mileage isn't covered anyways, but the multi-mode mitigates that by having a faster, less strenuous mode of travel.
A 16 mile hike in Ohio would take about 5 - 6 hours. With a bicycle, the loop back would only take about one. Another way to put it is that it enables the hiker to put 75% of their stamina down trail and 25% on the loop.
Here's the way that lesser loop mileage works. Roads are better engineered than trails. The trails have more grades and turns. Therefore, the road is usually tends to have more level surfaces. Federal Highways are usually better engineered than state highways. State highways are better engineered than county roads. County Roads are usually better engineered than township roads. And township roads are often better than forest roads. So, there's a hierarchy to it.
On one route that I did in a more remote part of Ohio, the loop back was longer than the distance of that day's hike. But the state highway that it was routed on was more efficient, so this was exceptional. And I don't have any experience in any mountainous areas. It might work in some low mountainous ones? But there are some kits that could be bought to convert a bicycle into a motorized one. Otherwise, mopeds, motorcycles, kayaks or a second car. That car could be lightweight vehicle dollied to a truck or some kind of motorhome? Even public transit has several forms. One of those could be "dial-a-ride," "curb-to-curb," and "demand responsive" type transit. Unlike a city bus line, these vehicles pull into certain places, even homes for boarding and disembarking. Those methods might enable the hiker to put 100% of their daily stamina down trail?
Showing posts with label bicycle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bicycle. Show all posts
2017/06/09
2016/02/19
Solo Day Hiking With One Car - How To Get Back
As a solo day+ hiker pursuing a state or agency completion patch, it kind stinks to reserve a certain portion of stamina for the loop, or redundant walk back to a car. Wouldn't you like to put most, or all of in it in one direction progression? I've got a solution.
One is that you could use a bicycle. For me here in Ohio, one mile hiking equals 3 - 4 cycling. It depends on the terrain and personally, I don't ride up hill because it consumes a lot of stamina doing that. So lets say that your a flatland 20 mile per day hiker. That generally means that you need to stop hiking around your 16th mile. With 4 miles hiking left over, you multiply that by 4 and 16 miles of cycling is what you have left. Now if you were just off-road, because the number of curves there are usually greater, you'll usually have something like a 12 mile trip back (4 miles within your 16) because the roads are more direct. They're often better engineered, too. And that will conserve stamina.
The other thing is by putting a motor on the bike. If you hide it somewhere in the forest, you can chain it up just about anywhere and in this example... you can put the full 20 down trail when you hike. However, here in Ohio, a motorized bicycle must be licensed as moped.
Lastly, the other option could be public transit. I'm the webmaster for the Ohio Transit Hiker's Resource (OTHR). But anywhere, transit comes in different forms. There's passenger airlines, international, interstate and regional bus lines with stops and stations. Some of those stops could be at gas stations in places with less than 5,000 residents. There's rail, which has stations in larger cities and platforms in smaller ones. Finally, there's local transit.
It comes in several different forms and I'll start from the most rural. Transit agencies often run county wide zones (some are smaller). The first I'll mention are those running dial-a-ride/ demand responsive/ curb-to-curb/ shared ride services. For the most part, they all mean the same thing. If you search the Internet by county, you might be surprised by what you'll find.
There are three kinds of this type transit, they can be "disabled only," "residents only," or be open to the general public. Here in Ohio, most of the ones that I cataloged on the OTHR are "general public." They all require advanced reservations These services often run on vans, or Ford Econoline cut-a-way buses.
But there's several draw backs. The dispatchers are often not accustomed to hiking locations. That maybe because they don't go up into the parks, or some remote townships enough themselves. And they seldom, or maybe never have got a request for those certain locations before. Also, they may not pick-up/ drop off on a road which may get their vehicle stuck, or damage the chassis. This may be especially true in the winter.
What you need to do is try and work with the dispatcher and see if you can agree on a better location. Be willing to travel up to 3 or 4 miles off trail to this location. It's best if you schedule to board/ disembark at a public facility so the vehicle can get off the road. But some agencies might let you board/ disembark on on the roadside. If they do, you should schedule them to pick you up about at least 120ft from an intersection. Be sure to get on the bus, pay your fare and take your seat expediently so the bus can get back underway.
Then there's what's commonly known as "fixed route," which these are the city like buses that most of you commonly know. Depending on the transit agency, they can run on cut-a-way buses, too. They're fixed because the service is regular and doesn't deviate from it's route. I've catalog agencies that have it. But as we're hikers, or prospective hikers, those deviations are usually only 3/4th of a mile. And some are reserved only for the disabled.
They can have two types of stops. Those are that are formally signed on metal and utility poles and then there's "flag" stops. This when the transit agency doesn't use formal stops. Instead, the person wishing to board just stands on the side of the route and when they see the vehicle approaching, they just wave, or hail the bus to signal their intent.
Finally, there's what I coin as a "hybrid fixed route." This is just like a fixed route, but it requires an advanced reservation to ride. On the OTHR, these are rare.
Tips:
1) When seeking to board, always arrive at your boarding location 15 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival of your transit vehicle.
2) You should board with exact change for fare, or be willing to surrender the remainder of your monetary bill denomination.
3) Many agencies are out of service on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, except in most larger cities.
In some of the dial-a-ride type agencies have zones that are less than a county. They might just be one city that the trail gets near. And on occasion, they'll state that they'll go 1, or 3 miles outside of its limits. If you activate the right Layers in Google Earth (left pane, at the bottom), you can see municipal incorporation lines. With the line measure tool (located in the tool bar above the map), you can measure the distance between the incorporation line and the trail at various points to see if it comes into their transit range. I've had to do this with two transit agencies and they were both measured "as the crow flies" from any part of their limits with the line going at any angle from it.
For you folks on, or going to be hikers on the Finger Lakes Trail - Main Line in Southern New York, you are truly blessed the last that I knew. Some of the fixed routes between county agencies don't have great schedules, but the last that I knew, there is an elaborately connected transit system along the North Country concurrent portions of the Main Line.
One is that you could use a bicycle. For me here in Ohio, one mile hiking equals 3 - 4 cycling. It depends on the terrain and personally, I don't ride up hill because it consumes a lot of stamina doing that. So lets say that your a flatland 20 mile per day hiker. That generally means that you need to stop hiking around your 16th mile. With 4 miles hiking left over, you multiply that by 4 and 16 miles of cycling is what you have left. Now if you were just off-road, because the number of curves there are usually greater, you'll usually have something like a 12 mile trip back (4 miles within your 16) because the roads are more direct. They're often better engineered, too. And that will conserve stamina.
The other thing is by putting a motor on the bike. If you hide it somewhere in the forest, you can chain it up just about anywhere and in this example... you can put the full 20 down trail when you hike. However, here in Ohio, a motorized bicycle must be licensed as moped.
Lastly, the other option could be public transit. I'm the webmaster for the Ohio Transit Hiker's Resource (OTHR). But anywhere, transit comes in different forms. There's passenger airlines, international, interstate and regional bus lines with stops and stations. Some of those stops could be at gas stations in places with less than 5,000 residents. There's rail, which has stations in larger cities and platforms in smaller ones. Finally, there's local transit.
It comes in several different forms and I'll start from the most rural. Transit agencies often run county wide zones (some are smaller). The first I'll mention are those running dial-a-ride/ demand responsive/ curb-to-curb/ shared ride services. For the most part, they all mean the same thing. If you search the Internet by county, you might be surprised by what you'll find.
There are three kinds of this type transit, they can be "disabled only," "residents only," or be open to the general public. Here in Ohio, most of the ones that I cataloged on the OTHR are "general public." They all require advanced reservations These services often run on vans, or Ford Econoline cut-a-way buses.
But there's several draw backs. The dispatchers are often not accustomed to hiking locations. That maybe because they don't go up into the parks, or some remote townships enough themselves. And they seldom, or maybe never have got a request for those certain locations before. Also, they may not pick-up/ drop off on a road which may get their vehicle stuck, or damage the chassis. This may be especially true in the winter.
What you need to do is try and work with the dispatcher and see if you can agree on a better location. Be willing to travel up to 3 or 4 miles off trail to this location. It's best if you schedule to board/ disembark at a public facility so the vehicle can get off the road. But some agencies might let you board/ disembark on on the roadside. If they do, you should schedule them to pick you up about at least 120ft from an intersection. Be sure to get on the bus, pay your fare and take your seat expediently so the bus can get back underway.
Then there's what's commonly known as "fixed route," which these are the city like buses that most of you commonly know. Depending on the transit agency, they can run on cut-a-way buses, too. They're fixed because the service is regular and doesn't deviate from it's route. I've catalog agencies that have it. But as we're hikers, or prospective hikers, those deviations are usually only 3/4th of a mile. And some are reserved only for the disabled.
They can have two types of stops. Those are that are formally signed on metal and utility poles and then there's "flag" stops. This when the transit agency doesn't use formal stops. Instead, the person wishing to board just stands on the side of the route and when they see the vehicle approaching, they just wave, or hail the bus to signal their intent.
Finally, there's what I coin as a "hybrid fixed route." This is just like a fixed route, but it requires an advanced reservation to ride. On the OTHR, these are rare.
Tips:
1) When seeking to board, always arrive at your boarding location 15 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival of your transit vehicle.
2) You should board with exact change for fare, or be willing to surrender the remainder of your monetary bill denomination.
3) Many agencies are out of service on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, except in most larger cities.
In some of the dial-a-ride type agencies have zones that are less than a county. They might just be one city that the trail gets near. And on occasion, they'll state that they'll go 1, or 3 miles outside of its limits. If you activate the right Layers in Google Earth (left pane, at the bottom), you can see municipal incorporation lines. With the line measure tool (located in the tool bar above the map), you can measure the distance between the incorporation line and the trail at various points to see if it comes into their transit range. I've had to do this with two transit agencies and they were both measured "as the crow flies" from any part of their limits with the line going at any angle from it.
For you folks on, or going to be hikers on the Finger Lakes Trail - Main Line in Southern New York, you are truly blessed the last that I knew. Some of the fixed routes between county agencies don't have great schedules, but the last that I knew, there is an elaborately connected transit system along the North Country concurrent portions of the Main Line.
2014/11/29
Log 2014112901
This post was in my drafts and was written prior to this date.
I installed No Signal Alert Pro and Voice Recorder by First75 on my Android smartphone this evening. While the only place to test this is down trail at this point, I'm feeling confident that the "signal lost" and "signal regained" with me being the voice of the computer will work and give me auditory notifications of such events, especially when I'm looping to, or back on bicycle. Also, I'll be able to turn the smartphone on just before an anticipated area of coverage to make updates to Facebook and family. The new voice recorder app now lets me record in .amr format, which is needed for the computer to pick them up as notification sounds in the directory: mnt\sdcard\sounds and make them available in the No Signal Alert Pro's properties menu.
There's been problems trying to get this to work right. So far, I tested those sounds and everything seems to work as it should. Also, the signal lost sound with also be simultaneous with the "red alert" klaxon that I have as a part of my ST: Red Alert, or Star Trek wallpaper. This and the app are necessary to facilitate my custom signal alerts.
I went shopping at Century Cycles in Peninsula of Summit County today. That's where I dropped off the 30 year old refurbished road bike that I recently purchased to get a new rear rack and grip tape installed. I managed to purchase a new 750 lumen head lamp with an internal and rechargeable Lithium ion battery. At 750, I'm at a loss for words. I'm not sure that I can properly comprehend how much light that is? The best thing that I have is only about a 140 lumen hand flash light and I think that thing impressive. To use a religious metaphor, a 750 might open a gateway to God.
I installed No Signal Alert Pro and Voice Recorder by First75 on my Android smartphone this evening. While the only place to test this is down trail at this point, I'm feeling confident that the "signal lost" and "signal regained" with me being the voice of the computer will work and give me auditory notifications of such events, especially when I'm looping to, or back on bicycle. Also, I'll be able to turn the smartphone on just before an anticipated area of coverage to make updates to Facebook and family. The new voice recorder app now lets me record in .amr format, which is needed for the computer to pick them up as notification sounds in the directory: mnt\sdcard\sounds and make them available in the No Signal Alert Pro's properties menu.
There's been problems trying to get this to work right. So far, I tested those sounds and everything seems to work as it should. Also, the signal lost sound with also be simultaneous with the "red alert" klaxon that I have as a part of my ST: Red Alert, or Star Trek wallpaper. This and the app are necessary to facilitate my custom signal alerts.
I went shopping at Century Cycles in Peninsula of Summit County today. That's where I dropped off the 30 year old refurbished road bike that I recently purchased to get a new rear rack and grip tape installed. I managed to purchase a new 750 lumen head lamp with an internal and rechargeable Lithium ion battery. At 750, I'm at a loss for words. I'm not sure that I can properly comprehend how much light that is? The best thing that I have is only about a 140 lumen hand flash light and I think that thing impressive. To use a religious metaphor, a 750 might open a gateway to God.
2014/11/12
Log 2014111202
www.usbfever.com sent me a headlamp along with my bicycle rim USB generator. So, I picked it up and pushed its power button on the back side, which seems to made of white rubber. Well, the bad news is that when I went to push the button again, it didn't make any clicking sound.
At that point, I plugged it's USB type A connection into The Robot (my large media center computer) and the headlamp came on. I dismounted the USB and removed the white rubber cap on the switch and didn't see anything that looked like it was broken. At this time, I don't have any use for it anyways, all I wanted was the generator. I don't have any interest in returning the lamp to Hong Kong at this point. And the generator has not been installed yet.
At that point, I plugged it's USB type A connection into The Robot (my large media center computer) and the headlamp came on. I dismounted the USB and removed the white rubber cap on the switch and didn't see anything that looked like it was broken. At this time, I don't have any use for it anyways, all I wanted was the generator. I don't have any interest in returning the lamp to Hong Kong at this point. And the generator has not been installed yet.
Log 2014111201
My bicycle rim driven USB Generator arrived from usbfever.com in Hong Kong via the US Postal Service today, as well as the bicycle GPS mount for my Garmin eTrex 20. That came from Guangzhou, a city in the Guangdong providene in the People's Republic of China, which also arrived via USPS. As noted in this log previously, my former chain driven USB generator also came from Hong Kong.
Before the chain generator started to cease, it would only generate power when the chain was in motion. That was enough to prolong my smartphone's battery, but it wasn't always enough to stabilize it's pre-ride level. Anyways, it only had a 1350mAh generator on it. I also had the cellphone battery and the chain generator connected on a parallel circuit (they were both directly connected to a 4 USB port hub).
In the past, the bike battery would shut off after about 10 minutes in that configuration when supplying power to both the hand GPS and smartphone. I'm hoping that when I configure them next time to be in a series circuit, that I can generate enough power to feed them both and stay on. But I'll say this for the new rim generator... it did not come shipped with any installation or operational instructions all. But I think that will be alright because there's really not much to it. Just the generator with mounting forks, two holes, two bolts with butterfly nuts and some rubber gaskets.
On new NiMH AA batteries, the eTrex 20 can stay on for 26 - 39 continuous hours without having to recharge. Unfortunately, the device itself can not recharge the batteries. That must take place in a separate AC to DC wall charger. And I don't see myself as needing power from the bike battery, or the rim generator unless the field GPS is out of power and I'm out of charged batteries, or the temperature dips down to less than 37°F.
Before the chain generator started to cease, it would only generate power when the chain was in motion. That was enough to prolong my smartphone's battery, but it wasn't always enough to stabilize it's pre-ride level. Anyways, it only had a 1350mAh generator on it. I also had the cellphone battery and the chain generator connected on a parallel circuit (they were both directly connected to a 4 USB port hub).
In the past, the bike battery would shut off after about 10 minutes in that configuration when supplying power to both the hand GPS and smartphone. I'm hoping that when I configure them next time to be in a series circuit, that I can generate enough power to feed them both and stay on. But I'll say this for the new rim generator... it did not come shipped with any installation or operational instructions all. But I think that will be alright because there's really not much to it. Just the generator with mounting forks, two holes, two bolts with butterfly nuts and some rubber gaskets.
On new NiMH AA batteries, the eTrex 20 can stay on for 26 - 39 continuous hours without having to recharge. Unfortunately, the device itself can not recharge the batteries. That must take place in a separate AC to DC wall charger. And I don't see myself as needing power from the bike battery, or the rim generator unless the field GPS is out of power and I'm out of charged batteries, or the temperature dips down to less than 37°F.
2014/11/03
Log 2014110301
The last time I had this system hooked up on my bicycle, I was using a chain driven USB generator. But the generator's gear started to make noise and cause some resistance. I was on the road at the time, so I had to cut it free and throw it in the trash.
At the moment, I'm waiting for a new rim contact driven USB bicycle generator. Today, I picked up a couple cables at Micro Center in Mayfield Heights of Cuyahoga County. I was getting help finding them from an associate who was informing me that the generator and battery could cause feedback and burn out one of my hubs USB ports. That's when I came to the solution that I'll just hook them up in series instead of making the battery a branch off of the hub.
Since the USB bicycle rim generator is on order at the moment, in this picture it is represented by the cookie (in the package). From the generator, it will go into the external cell phone battery's micro USB port (which is what it would use when charging). The from the battery, the series will connect to the USB hub (that doesn't require additional power (like from a wall plug for instance). I used a spare USB conversion bit and some all weather electrical tape to plug the empty port on top. And from here, power from the generator and battery should feed into the GPS and smartphone.
I have the battery stationed at the top rear corner of my bicycle's frame (under the seat). Either this or one of my other cables that I have lying around should be able to reach the generator. But the battery to the hub will require an extension, which at the moment, I believe that I have. Finally, I'll have to plug the bottom port of the hub considering that I'll no longer be using it for the bike battery.
I found out that the chain generator was only producing about 1300mAH of electricity. My smartphone is a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with a 7" screen. It's power hungry and the battery runs on about 2700mAh. For anyone reading this, your battery's power output will be printed on it (except for some of you folks using Apple).
Prior to this, I drove to the Medina Section, TP 17B - Abbeyville & Fenn Rd on the Ohio Transit Hiker's Resource's map and guide. When I was routing this from the computer, knowing the area, I know that the traffic on Fenn can be aggressive and fast. So, I was driving through at 1830hours and have made the determination to pull the unmarked transit spur and replace its waypoint icon with a warning one. And rewrite the guide to warn all OTHR transit hikers that they shouldn't use Fenn Rd as a spur.
2014/08/30
Trail Angel on Old Man's Cave Section
-I hosted Greg K. at Basecamp D for a few days
We hiked Old Man's Cave Section from Pt. 19 - S to 26 - W, which I've designated as the ST Lawn in the Pretty Run property.
I took a waypoint for Pt. 26. The one that I had was an approximate location.
Afterwards, we met a friend there who is known to many in the BTA. Instead of riding back, I was grateful that he gave me a ride back to Basecamp D.
Correction regarding the name of the campground for Basecamp D. It is the "Old Man's Cave Campground" at Hocking Hills State Park in Benton Twp of Hocking County.
Axles on my mountain bike need to be calibrated again. I have a quick releases on both wheels with disc braking system. The true on the rear wheel has been holding up, but I'm not sure how much longer?
The bicycle's tires have been deflated to 44psi to put more rubber down and handle more aggressive dirt roads. But when i came down hill around a turn at high speed on a paved road, the rear wheel folded over and i almost wiped out.
The USB generator as mounted on the bicycle's right rear fork was moved back about 1". This was done so that it would no longer knock into the right crank in gears 5 - 7 on the high sprocket.
Nonetheless, shifting into gears 5 & 6 high require that I over shift, then down shift into them. 6 high still requires that some torque be applied before it shifts at all. From what I'm told, it's probably a problem with the rear detailer, but it's nothing that needs fixed imeadately. With all that being said, the gear cassette was just recently changed in Zanesville by a mechanic that i trust and have used in the past. And I'm confident that it's my bike and not their work. Frankly, they are some of the only two people who have ever got my bike right. The way i see it, you have to stick to what work.
My Minora truing stand lost a piece that secures a bicycle axle when the spokes are being serviced. I'm convinced that i might be able to use the other parts of the stand which might bend and reach up to the rim if i attempt to true it as still mounted to the bike using my double kickstand? It could work on both wheels if I place a load on the rear rack to bring up the front tire.
The accuracy of my Garmin eTrex 20 seems to be very good for a hand held GPS.
Some of my NiMH battery cells are bad. They'll have to be charged up one, or two at a time to weed out the bad ones.
The Cramper's awning is showing signs of stress. During a hard rain, water will pelt through. This piece of canvas was waterproofed in July.
2014/08/09
Log 2014080901
I finally made it into Basecamp C at Burr Oak State Park and got to sleep in the front seat of my car at about 0530hrs this morning. Burr Oak doesn't have any sites where campers can arrive after hours, set up and camp for as long as they need. Instead, they publish a list of vacant campsites and the user has to fill out their camper registration and, well... pray that nobody else is scheduled through that time.
I did that. And 0830hrs this morning, I got a knock on my window from one of the park staff, telling me that I had to move. She's so lucky that I awoke then as I was 5hrs from my required 8hrs of sleep. I was in somewhat of a daze when I had to get up and couple the trailer. I'd say it was barely in the relm of being a safe thing to do.
She told me to move about 4 sites over and I did. But when I left, I remembered that she did not tag my new site. So, I tried to contact the campground, but the only phone number that i have is for a collective of 3 state parks. It was automated and I left a message. So far, it's been about a few hours since I did that and nobody there has returned my call. Burr Oak's west campground is popular and I know that there is a staff member there.
Today, I got some much needed shopping done. I purchased some knobby tires because the I don't trust the chubby's on some of the backcountry dirt roads that I believe I'm going to put them on. I want more traction to deal with thick, loose, pasty dirt with flood channels chiseled through them and small boulders embedded in the surface.
Days ago, I found that in the electric camps, I'll want to use the USB powered hub, which is located on the stem of the laptop mount in the front passenger's side of the car. So far, I have a conventional 7ft indoor extention cord and an DC to AC converter. But I forgot to get a universal AC adaptor for it.
- pouch for the external bike/ smartphone battery was procured. When I use the USB generator, it only makes power when I pedal. And the smartphone is so power intensive, that the best thing that I can do these days is slowly drain it, instead of keeping the power level the same, or charging more than I need.
I did that. And 0830hrs this morning, I got a knock on my window from one of the park staff, telling me that I had to move. She's so lucky that I awoke then as I was 5hrs from my required 8hrs of sleep. I was in somewhat of a daze when I had to get up and couple the trailer. I'd say it was barely in the relm of being a safe thing to do.
She told me to move about 4 sites over and I did. But when I left, I remembered that she did not tag my new site. So, I tried to contact the campground, but the only phone number that i have is for a collective of 3 state parks. It was automated and I left a message. So far, it's been about a few hours since I did that and nobody there has returned my call. Burr Oak's west campground is popular and I know that there is a staff member there.
Today, I got some much needed shopping done. I purchased some knobby tires because the I don't trust the chubby's on some of the backcountry dirt roads that I believe I'm going to put them on. I want more traction to deal with thick, loose, pasty dirt with flood channels chiseled through them and small boulders embedded in the surface.
Days ago, I found that in the electric camps, I'll want to use the USB powered hub, which is located on the stem of the laptop mount in the front passenger's side of the car. So far, I have a conventional 7ft indoor extention cord and an DC to AC converter. But I forgot to get a universal AC adaptor for it.
- pouch for the external bike/ smartphone battery was procured. When I use the USB generator, it only makes power when I pedal. And the smartphone is so power intensive, that the best thing that I can do these days is slowly drain it, instead of keeping the power level the same, or charging more than I need.
2014/07/19
Log 2014071901
- At this time, it's difficult to write new log entries because the car and trailer are being prepped for departure for this upcoming recreational trip.
- As far as I can tell, my Nishiki Colorado mountain bike is running at peak efficiency. The 3" wide chubbys are mounted on the rims at the moment. Chubbys are tires that hardly have any tread. So, they're like road (racing) bike tires, but they're as wide as traditional mountain bike all terrain tires. The first three days of cycling on the American Discovery Trail in Ohio will be on improved surfaces.
- I just disposed of the rear tire that came stock with the bicycle about 2 years ago. I damaged the sidewall using a screw driver to dismount the tire & tube. These days, I use two tire levers and they work so quickly and well that I swear by them. Nonetheless, both front and back knobby (all terrain mountain bike) tires need to be replaced because I don't think that the chubbys have the traction to handle the backcountry roads in Southern Ohio.
- The rear left drum brake system in my 2008 Chevy HHR LS was giving me problems. After the tension bar fell out for a 3rd time, I got a new kit and put it back together. The problem is that if you unscrew the brake shoe separator too much, the drum won't fit back on, or it will cease. If you screw it in, the brakes will clear the drum, but a spring that spans from what I like to call the "ear" (which is mounted to the left brake shoe) to a hole on the right shoe. If the hook of the spring merely sits (and is not tautly clipped inside) within the hole, it will eventually fall out. That in turn will cause the ear and brake separator to fall. The system will then rely on the "W" clip to force the brake shoes and caliper back, but it's not good enough. Eventually, the contact on one of the brake shoes will come out of the caliper's groove, causing the "W" clip to bring it back cockeyed. The next time you press the brakes, one of the pistons is going to make contact with the misaligned shoe. And with enough pressure from the master cylinder, it will cause it to come out, bend and break, spewing brake fluid inside the drum and causing the car to loose the ability to brake until the system is entirely out of fluid.
What I did this time was got one of the forks on the separator unscrewed as much as as the drum could handle with out ceasing. Afterwards, I used the teeth that the tensioner uses with my fingers to expand the separater out more until the the hook in its hole pulled tight. The drum mounted afterwards, but the car failed it's next braking test on Seeley Road in LeRoy Township of Lake County while pumping them coming down a hill. For those of you who don't know, Seeley Road has the steepest hill on a dirt road that also includes two 90° hairpin turns on it, plus a road surface that closely resembles that which the Chevy will be driving on in Southern Ohio in the upcoming weeks.
I was caused to remove the rear left wheel and remount the spring on the shoes in a trailhead before I turned and came back home. The next day, I went back there to repeat the test, but this time, I didn't pump them. The spring maintained its mount in the brake shoe hole. But I think I might have a potential problem with the tensioner while pumping the brakes. Basically, take your left hand and cause your fingers to make the first two bends, but not the third. Rest your thumb flat on top, but extend your pinky finger completely out. This is what the tensioner looks like, but it's smaller. The part that is your pinky finger is what makes contact with the gear teeth that affection the tension of the brake separator. And the other end of this spring is connected to this "ear" piece somewhere above there.
- Electrical conduit has been installed on my Harbor Freight Tools 4' x 8' Utility Hauling Trailer around as many wires as was feasible.
- A new hole was drilled in the hull of the doughnut/ battery compartment. I fed the wires for the new trailer lighting harness through them, wired them up and siliconed the remainder of the hole shut.
- A new mount was installed on the bar of my trailer hitch to keep my new outdoor trailer harness in place while I plug, unplug it and tow.
- And in the midst of everything else being done, I've been packing my own personal belonging here at Home Port, transporting them to Storage B and helping my family put my grandparents condo on the market and making runs to the landfill.
- As far as I can tell, my Nishiki Colorado mountain bike is running at peak efficiency. The 3" wide chubbys are mounted on the rims at the moment. Chubbys are tires that hardly have any tread. So, they're like road (racing) bike tires, but they're as wide as traditional mountain bike all terrain tires. The first three days of cycling on the American Discovery Trail in Ohio will be on improved surfaces.
- I just disposed of the rear tire that came stock with the bicycle about 2 years ago. I damaged the sidewall using a screw driver to dismount the tire & tube. These days, I use two tire levers and they work so quickly and well that I swear by them. Nonetheless, both front and back knobby (all terrain mountain bike) tires need to be replaced because I don't think that the chubbys have the traction to handle the backcountry roads in Southern Ohio.
- The rear left drum brake system in my 2008 Chevy HHR LS was giving me problems. After the tension bar fell out for a 3rd time, I got a new kit and put it back together. The problem is that if you unscrew the brake shoe separator too much, the drum won't fit back on, or it will cease. If you screw it in, the brakes will clear the drum, but a spring that spans from what I like to call the "ear" (which is mounted to the left brake shoe) to a hole on the right shoe. If the hook of the spring merely sits (and is not tautly clipped inside) within the hole, it will eventually fall out. That in turn will cause the ear and brake separator to fall. The system will then rely on the "W" clip to force the brake shoes and caliper back, but it's not good enough. Eventually, the contact on one of the brake shoes will come out of the caliper's groove, causing the "W" clip to bring it back cockeyed. The next time you press the brakes, one of the pistons is going to make contact with the misaligned shoe. And with enough pressure from the master cylinder, it will cause it to come out, bend and break, spewing brake fluid inside the drum and causing the car to loose the ability to brake until the system is entirely out of fluid.
What I did this time was got one of the forks on the separator unscrewed as much as as the drum could handle with out ceasing. Afterwards, I used the teeth that the tensioner uses with my fingers to expand the separater out more until the the hook in its hole pulled tight. The drum mounted afterwards, but the car failed it's next braking test on Seeley Road in LeRoy Township of Lake County while pumping them coming down a hill. For those of you who don't know, Seeley Road has the steepest hill on a dirt road that also includes two 90° hairpin turns on it, plus a road surface that closely resembles that which the Chevy will be driving on in Southern Ohio in the upcoming weeks.
I was caused to remove the rear left wheel and remount the spring on the shoes in a trailhead before I turned and came back home. The next day, I went back there to repeat the test, but this time, I didn't pump them. The spring maintained its mount in the brake shoe hole. But I think I might have a potential problem with the tensioner while pumping the brakes. Basically, take your left hand and cause your fingers to make the first two bends, but not the third. Rest your thumb flat on top, but extend your pinky finger completely out. This is what the tensioner looks like, but it's smaller. The part that is your pinky finger is what makes contact with the gear teeth that affection the tension of the brake separator. And the other end of this spring is connected to this "ear" piece somewhere above there.
- Electrical conduit has been installed on my Harbor Freight Tools 4' x 8' Utility Hauling Trailer around as many wires as was feasible.
- A new hole was drilled in the hull of the doughnut/ battery compartment. I fed the wires for the new trailer lighting harness through them, wired them up and siliconed the remainder of the hole shut.
- A new mount was installed on the bar of my trailer hitch to keep my new outdoor trailer harness in place while I plug, unplug it and tow.
- And in the midst of everything else being done, I've been packing my own personal belonging here at Home Port, transporting them to Storage B and helping my family put my grandparents condo on the market and making runs to the landfill.
2014/07/07
Log 2014070701
My guess is that about 5 different bike mechanics missed this rear brake cable routing and I found that it was loose just now. They shouldn't have done that. For the brakes and shifters to function at their peak, every cable should be securely fastened to every loop.
I experimented with inflating the tires using an air compressor today. Folks online stated that the tool pressure regulator needs to be set at the bike's desired pressure. And that pressure from gas station air machines are unregulated and are not recommended to fill bicycle tires.
2014/07/05
Log 2014070501
All four new tires installed and an alignment done today at Firestone in Mentor of Lake County on my 2008 Chevy HHR LS. The odometer reads 137,154. One of the Tire Pressure Sensors on the left side was manually reset and the clerk told me that my dashboard warning should clear in a couple days.
But they did find a hair line crack in one of my rear springs. That's bad news. The rear springs were the upgrades that I planned to forego.
Otherwise, I purchased a new intertube to replace my spare.
2014/04/27
Log 2014042701
The voice commands for Android Music work when I'm in motion riding my bicycle. The winds today are intermittant and soft from the E to W at about 5 - 7MPH.
I used a 19mm damaged nut socket on the connector bar between the suspension and stabilizer bar. With the breaker bar, the bolt snapped. So, I took the bicycle to O'Reilly Auto Parts in Painesville Township of Lake County and purchased replacements for both sides.
2014/04/25
Log 2014042201
I took the bicycle out for a two mile round trip to the convenience store and back. The truing on the rear wheel and the USB generator worked. It's like I'm 2 for 2 today and I'm surprised that they didn't give me any trouble. As per how much drag the generator has on the bike, it's hard to say right now and it needs to be tested on a longer route.
So far, it didn't interfere with shifting. With it attached to my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with a 7.5" screen and having it jammed on, the generator produced enough power to keep the battery at the same level it began with. However, the smartphone alerted me that it was only getting a slow charge. That usually happens when it's connected to a USB 2.0 port. The Note 3 is a 3.0 phone. Oh well, sustaining the level is good enough for me.
The new kickstand is a bit tall, but I haven't tested it with a full load in the rear carrier, yet.
2014/04/21
Log 2014042101
I finally learned how to true my own bicycle rim. With it in the truing stand as shown, I learned from YouTube that you turn the spoke nipple counter clockwise then turn the next one up opposite using 1/4th and 1/2 turns. I'm thinking about using 2 strips of metal that would be bolted to my kickstand's mounting bolt so I could true my rear rim on the fly.
2014/01/15
Log 2014010801
dark blue- This is what's been done on the Buckeye circuit and North Country Trails in Ohio since 28 October 2009. I don't know for sure what my total mileage is in state so far, but I'd estimate that I'm at 1,290 miles, with an additional 625 more miles done out of state.
red- These are the independent stems of the multipurpose, cross country American Discovery Trail, which I have yet to traverse and plan on doing them on my mountain bike. I'm estimating that they'll take about 2 days to complete.
LIGHT BLUE- This is what I have remaining of the Buckeye Trail
All together, I estimate my remaining trail distance to be about 470 accredited miles, with 129 of it on bicycle. By accredited, I mean mileage that I can claim towards a patch, or completion, and does not include loops that I must take to get back to my car, or bicycle... those are additional.
Usually, I schedule for 20 mile days. But my 56 mile hike and bike last October (I guess) reveled my true talents and I should be able to push my daily limit up towards 30 miles per day with up to an additional 20 miles on bicycle. I still have to get up in the next morning and perform. In other words, I might be able to hike 30 and bike 20, but it might not get me back to The Cramper in time to get enough sleep?
Independent of the Buckeye Trail, the American Discovery in Ohio takes place on improved surfaces, most of those are roads, except in Hueston Woods State Park. In the southeast, the ride from Parkersburg, WV to Chesterhill of Morgan County travels through Appalachia. I'm anticipating that it will be a difficult day. Anytime you start at the flats on the Ohio River and head inland always is. And the elevation profile states that if I did the trip in reverse, that it wouldn't make much difference.
2013/11/05
Log 2013110501
The bicycle's water bottles have been upgraded from 1300ml to 1892ml. This is as close to 2L as I can get at retail. I found them at Target in Mentor of Lake County. Also, I purchased a new Schwin Pillow Top weather proof bicycle seat, item#: SW74163.
2013/10/18
Log 2013101801
The bicycle was put into the shop in Cambridge this afternoon, but it won't be out until tomorrow. In the meantime, the rear rack securing tab will be broken as the technician will have to remove the rack to install the conventional seat post and mounting gear. The tab was bent and weakened when I installed the noseless bicycle seat. Since that seat has a lesser profile in the rear, I moved the rear rack up the post so that I could use the entire bed. Before, I was getting 3/4ths at best because of the rear profile of my seats and the slant of the post.
This unfortunately delays my progress, hiking the Buckeye/ North Country Trail in Southeast Ohio. Right now, I'm not sure what to do about it? The shop opens at 11am and I'm not too keen on pulling all nighters much anymore. But, I may be able to get a shave a few miles off of the trip from Belle Valley to the AEP ReCreation Lands - Campground H.
The bicycle ride is about 15 miles itself, mostly on OH-78 which has a lot of turns and hills. Having been there on bike the last time I was at Basecamp Alpha, I know that I need that bike in top condition or it won't survive in SEO.
Work to perform at home port continues to mount. But for reasons I won't elaborate on, the way I see it... I'll have plenty of time to make those repairs. On 4 November, I'm scheduled to have doctor's appointments in Cleveland. Right now, I believe that I will probably remain at home port until towards the end of winter. I have 24 days remaining on the Buckeye Trail. The object of what I'm doing now is get as much of that done as possible before the 3rd. Which raises the question... should I forgo some sleep and hike tomorrow?
This unfortunately delays my progress, hiking the Buckeye/ North Country Trail in Southeast Ohio. Right now, I'm not sure what to do about it? The shop opens at 11am and I'm not too keen on pulling all nighters much anymore. But, I may be able to get a shave a few miles off of the trip from Belle Valley to the AEP ReCreation Lands - Campground H.
The bicycle ride is about 15 miles itself, mostly on OH-78 which has a lot of turns and hills. Having been there on bike the last time I was at Basecamp Alpha, I know that I need that bike in top condition or it won't survive in SEO.
Work to perform at home port continues to mount. But for reasons I won't elaborate on, the way I see it... I'll have plenty of time to make those repairs. On 4 November, I'm scheduled to have doctor's appointments in Cleveland. Right now, I believe that I will probably remain at home port until towards the end of winter. I have 24 days remaining on the Buckeye Trail. The object of what I'm doing now is get as much of that done as possible before the 3rd. Which raises the question... should I forgo some sleep and hike tomorrow?
2013/08/30
Log 2013083001
I got the bicycle's rear wheel out of the shop for about $58. When I got it back, I realized that it had low tread and the technician said it has between 100 - 200 miles on it. That won't even survive the next hike. With the way that I switched from this to chubbys, then studdeds in the months prior, I don't think these tires have more than 300mi on them. This is an Innova 14 - 2011 - 5, 26 x 2.10 (56 - 559) rear mountain bike tire.
The bike shop also informed me that tires can go between 1,000 to 5,000 miles. But department store tires can go bad between 200 - 500 miles. In this case, my bike was purcased from Dick's Sporting goods.
The spokes seem to have a wider diameter and I hope they'll be stronger.
The bike shop also informed me that tires can go between 1,000 to 5,000 miles. But department store tires can go bad between 200 - 500 miles. In this case, my bike was purcased from Dick's Sporting goods.
The spokes seem to have a wider diameter and I hope they'll be stronger.
2013/08/27
Log 2013082701
I've been getting to bed late these past two nights. Today the toilet in the camper I'm staying at was leaking. It appears that it likes to run a little longer. Lucky for me, there was a towel in the closet. And there was only a slight trickle of water anyways, but I had to put two rugs outside on the deck. Yesterday, I got $6 in quarters for the laundry. I also went grocery shopping and got some TV dinners and oven pizzas. The driver's side tail light finally blew, so I stopped by the auto parts store and picked up a replacement, while pricing a new power inverter. If I get it by the first, I can have 2000 watts for about $170. Whether the DC to AC inverter will convert into a AC to DC converter with the use a double male outdoor extension cord (male on both ends) and not blow up my car or catch fire is still a question. The thing it does have is leads to my battery, which my deep cycle batteries on the trailer will be hooked to with bullets that separate the line when it's unhitched. It ought to charge the whole system?
I checked the rear wheel of my mountain bike into the shop again. This time it's being serviced at A & B Hobbies & Cycles in Sandusky of Erie County. I'm having every spoke replaced with stainless steel. Apparently, mine were already steel, but their quality might be in question. They say that the spokes were probably going to cost about $36 to replace. And the technician there was telling me that the true on that wheel should last for many months on road. At present, I'm lucky to get 70 miles, which I can put on in a single week. This bike is going back to Southern Ohio in 19 days.
I also looked at CDMA cell phone repeaters "for the car." That's one thing that I did not check into when I purchased my cell phone repeater that is for a 1,000 sq meter building. Apparently, my repeater can boost the cell phone signal over a luxurious house. Oh well, it will be on eBay soon.
I checked the rear wheel of my mountain bike into the shop again. This time it's being serviced at A & B Hobbies & Cycles in Sandusky of Erie County. I'm having every spoke replaced with stainless steel. Apparently, mine were already steel, but their quality might be in question. They say that the spokes were probably going to cost about $36 to replace. And the technician there was telling me that the true on that wheel should last for many months on road. At present, I'm lucky to get 70 miles, which I can put on in a single week. This bike is going back to Southern Ohio in 19 days.
I also looked at CDMA cell phone repeaters "for the car." That's one thing that I did not check into when I purchased my cell phone repeater that is for a 1,000 sq meter building. Apparently, my repeater can boost the cell phone signal over a luxurious house. Oh well, it will be on eBay soon.
2013/08/08
Log 2013080801
The trip that I have remaining on the Buckeye Trail (North Country and American Discovery are concurrent through most of it) is 427.4 miles by the official BTA count. On paper, it's scheduled to take 24 days. Even with my Pennsylvania experiences, riding the bicycle back to basecamp, or to the car will test my abilities to the maximum every day. I've scheduled to hike 15, 18 and 20 mile days hiking. My trip has an average of 17.79mi a day. And I have about 10 BMI to burn if needed.
I should probably get some protein bars for next week and really watch what I eat. I'll need to drink water around the clock, holding the color of my urine stream at just beyond clear consistent during the entire time. And stretch constantly. This is going to be an aggressive hike. I want to have an efficient system to conquer it.
The site seeing trip to the Lake Erie Islands has been canceled this year.
I should probably get some protein bars for next week and really watch what I eat. I'll need to drink water around the clock, holding the color of my urine stream at just beyond clear consistent during the entire time. And stretch constantly. This is going to be an aggressive hike. I want to have an efficient system to conquer it.
The site seeing trip to the Lake Erie Islands has been canceled this year.
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