Category: Gear

  • Wetter than necessary

    20 km around Repentigny Despite the fact we stayed in Repentigny today, we probably got as wet or wetter than we would have riding. We went out shortly before noon to check out the bike shops and get some more groceries, and ended up riding through some of the heaviest rainfall all day. According to…

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  • Mirrors

    Way back on June 3, my mother asked if we had mirrors. Both Scott and I ride with mirrors. I have a bike mounted mirror and Scott has a helmet mount. When I see him with helmet and mirror he reminds me of the borg! Here is a view of Scott from my mirror: Scott…

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  • Using a GPS for bicycle touring

    This is our first trip with a mapping GPS (Becky has had a Garmin Edge 305 fitness GPS for a while, but it doesn’t have maps) and it is proving to be quite useful. For our ride to Kingston, I have been trying to follow the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour route, as best as I…

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  • Photo Shoot

    On Sunday, Scott and I went up to visit our friends Mike and Sasha and asked them to take some action shots of us on the bikes. They did a great job! Here are some of the highlights:

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  • Bikes

    Our bikes have arrived home safely. We have not yet figured out which panniers we will bring with us on our grand adventure. For our shakedown cruise we have purchased one set of: Ortlieb Front Roller Plus, Orlieb Back Packer Plus, and Arkel RT-40. We will also choose a set from our older front and…

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  • Buying a bicycle as a spiritual journey

    I pedal quickly, practicing my spinning. The road has a gentle decline and the trees are a dingy orange-brown, typical of the early spring after the snow is gone but before the green buds begin to take over the landscape. I remind myself to take a deep breath, smell the fresh air, and experience the…

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  • And the winner is …

    After lots of analysis we’ve decided the HP Velotechnik Streetmachine Gte is the best bike for our needs. Peter worked hard to not influence our decision, but in the end he did tell us he agreed with us given our plans. The HP Velotechnik Streetmachine Gte won for us because: It fit Becky better (seat…

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  • What bicycle? Propulsion

    Our other major debate was Shimano XT groupo vs Rohloff Speedhub for the gear train. In one corner we had Keith (go with a derailleur!), Bryan in the other corner (the Rohloff is really nice, and virtually maintenance free!), and Peter somewhere in the middle. It wasn’t quite that black and white, with Keith enthusing…

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