Tech Tips
I would like to share a few things I found useful in my preparation for the trip. What follows are my ideas on an equipment choice or perhaps a modification to one or just plain advice.
Tech Tip #1 Cover your spoke holes
Instead of using Velox tape to cover the spoke holes on your rim, use Veloplugs they are a hard plastic that stick into each hole covering them so the spoke doesn't pop the tube. The red ones wont stay in by themselves so add CLEAR TAPE as the rim strip, the yellow ones will stay no tape needed. This will not only hold the Plugs in, but also covering your spoke holes this way allows you to inspect the rim EVERY TIME you get a flat or once a month at a minimum. If the rim is cracking you'll know long before it become a major problem. This system last longer and weighs less than a rim strip. A.L.
HERE is an Exert from a Journal I am reading about this very thing and how the problem alluded him for several hours of trying to find whats wrong!!
***From the Journal. Tokyo to Warsaw ...Marcin also made an attempt to diagnose his rim bulge and- if possible- to fix it. After several sweaty, frustrating hours, nothing had come of his attempts. He was rather displeased that for the first time on this trip, he had encountered a problem he couldn't solve. The breakthrough came the next day- when fixing a flat caused by an old patch peeling off, he happened to remove the rim-tape, and Lo! The entire inner wall was in an advanced state of decomposition. I have not seen rim damage like this before- they seem, usually, to get damaged along the braking surface or the join between the braking surface and the outer wall. This is a DT Swiss TK 7.1 rim, and also the newest of all four of our rims, built before we left Australia when Marcin got hit by a car....
Tech Tip #2 Lock the Zippers on your bags and add no noticeable weight
I Contemplated bringing mini locks with me so I could lock the zippers on My Arkel Bags. But the thought of 8 miniature combo locks was not appealing. I was only needing a deterrent to all the hands that like to get into pockets when you are stopped to get food or just riding a slow uphill surrounded by children. The ease of opening a pocket and taking something seems to be a common problem written about in many Journals I have read, so the locks seemed like the obvious solution. Until I came up with this idea, it works well and adds NO noticeable weight!! Take a medium size Keyring and after you have located a suitable spot you like burn a hole through the fabric and loop the Keyring through, now you can attach the Zipper pull to the loop and "lock" the zipper Shut. You might be wondering if the ring can be pulled out of the material, if your bags are built as well as my Arkels, then it's made of American Cordura and almost impossible to rip, I TRIED!! If they are a lesser brand like Ortlieb, Vaud, Topeak or others I am not sure if I would use this Tip. This will not make a hole in the fabric water can seep into, the key to making the hole is to use a red hot 1mm allen key tip to make the hole that way it's sealed and ready to use. It also wont interfere with the rain covers. The second idea was to just use the Keyring to "lock" 2 zipper pulls together, this works very well, both are super easy to use. A.L.
As a Note: Arkel had nothing to do with this idea! I am not sure if it voids your warranty so do this at your own risk.
Tech Tip #3 Protect your Valuable link to the world
There are a lot of touring cyclist traveling these days with Mini laptops. I chose the Samsung NC10 as the computer for this epic adventure, unfortunately it failed me when it came to running HD video even with the upgraded Ram from 1G to 2G. So I sold that little wonder and bought the FAR Superior Gateway EC1815U it has 4G ram and a 500G hard drive, in reality is only 458G which is no big deal. I Also, and here is were the Tech Tip actually comes in! Bought the Pelican 1080 hardback to keep this little baby safe from the riggers of the road. If you're bringing a mini laptop with you this is an absolute must, sure it weighs 2lb, but it's 2lb of pure environmental protection you would spend over $4000 getting from a computer (Trimble YUMA) built as tough as this case is.
I'm carrying my computer in the case on very padded rails on the front rack of my bike It will be in a yellow cover to keep prying eyes form looking to closely, I also added Aluminum tape to the top to reflect excess heat even though it sits under the H-bar bag. A.L.
Tech Tip #4 Lock your bags to the rack with Arkel cams
This tip I imagine will only be useful to us lucky Arkel bag owners. I was wondering how I was going to lock the bags to the rack with out adding a cable and lock system and a bunch of weight. What I came up with does 2 great things all at the same time. The first thing this system does is adds extra support to the BIG TT-84 bags I have on the rear rack, the second probably the coolest feature is that it allows the bags to be 'locked' onto the rack. While they are not actually Locked on with a lock they are extremely difficult to remove if your not at all familiar with the cams on the bags. Here are couple of pics and a short video to demonstrate this idea in action. This should also work well to "lock" your bags on the bike at night while in your tent, I wouldn't recommend leaving the bike unattended say at a hostel, this is not a sub for an actual lock. A.
Here's what Arkel had to say about my Cam idea:
The
tension on the bolt is removed once the thing shears so it will be
easy to remove. In my 12 years as a mechanic I have never had a bolt
that was properly installed fail to come out.
Did you know that Covering up your arms and legs helps reduce water loss by 25% Yes 25% thats huge. Desoto makes White "Arm coolers" that has SPF 50 protection. I have 3 sets of thses for the trip I plan on using them everyday I ride, along with my KINeSYS of course. A.L.
Tech Tip #8 Do it before you leave
Planning on making a website? My advice is do the most work before you leave. You cant see it but I have over 100 pages on this site, maybe you see 15 if you look through them all, the rest are ready to be used but not activated yet. When I'm traveling all I have to do is add the text and pics to the pages and update my map page and I am done. I wont have to add pages make templates and the like while I am on the road. This is time consuming as it is I cant imagine trying to do it all on the ride. As my ride progresses I am sure I will add a few pages I didn't think about but the majority of them are done just add info. A.L.
Tech Tip # 9 LCD protector that actually works
I was looking all over for a LCD screen protector for my Garmin 60 CSx GPS, Canon 7d SLR and my Canon d10 point and shoot, what I kept finding was a bunch of very thin and not completely clear stick on covers for the LCD. I was not happy with this I tried a few and at $10 for a set of 3 it was getting expensive. So I decided to track down a thicker better sticking LCD cover. The idea I had was to go to a place that does Security window film, it comes in all kinds of thicknesses and is crystal clear.
I went to a local window expert told them what I wanted and was given FOR FREE an 8 x10 piece of this high tech window film. When I got home I cut out a few, messed up the first one was successful on my next cut , the problem is you have to completely remove the backing in one pull or it makes diagonal lines in the glue so it is tricky to lay it flat and then push it down from one end to the other. It is rigid and easy to work with. I pre cut a few replacement pieces for all the LCD screens I have, when they need it I'll be able to swap them out in minutes. A.L.
Since it's clear I couldn't get a good photo
Tech Tip #10 The $5 bike alarm
I was at Lowe's the other day looking for a bolt for this or that, as I was standing inline at the checkout I noticed in the last minute grab items a "Key Chain Alarm" from GE. It was only $4.88 so I bought one not expecting much. I was blown away at how LOAD THIS THING IS it is a120dcb high pitched annoying noise. This item is perfect for attaching your bike to the tent via a string to the pin. It works this way...When the pin is in it is armed if you remove the pin it sets of the alarm SIMPLE!!! , so by pulling in an outward motion the pin comes free the connection is made alarm goes off. I figure tie a string to the bike then to the pin attach the other side of the alarm to the tent and if someone tries to take of with my bike BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP 120dcb alarm. It will work well with Bags too. I also plan to use it to make a armed fence around my food when I am traveling in the Tundra so if a bear does get near I can here it long before it runs off with the food, since there are NO trees on the Tundra. I bought 4 of these units and have tried it out on the dog set up a perimeter and the dog set off the alarm worked great!!! these units weigh about 3/4oz if that, and run on 4 watch batteries said to last a year of moderate use. A.L.
Tech Tip #11 The lightest Brightest Camp light
I am trained as a Medic EMT-I and one of the cool gadgets we use on the Ambulance is a small compact light that fits on any type of clothing, this LED light is made by Pelican so it is light, bright and versatile. The Pelican VB3 is small about 2.5in long and 1in wide, it has an articulating head that allows it to flip up and back 180°, and a gator clip on the bottom so it can be attached to a variety of things. It is bright enough to see with while walking and great for in the tent reading, it runs on 2 CR2032 bicycle computer batteries. I have had this for over 2 years and it hasn't let me down. It also comes in a variety of colors for those who need a bit of style. A.L.
*** This also comes in a Night Vision version , RED LED not as bright and not intended for Biking at night.
Tech Tip #1 Cover your spoke holes
Instead of using Velox tape to cover the spoke holes on your rim, use Veloplugs they are a hard plastic that stick into each hole covering them so the spoke doesn't pop the tube. The red ones wont stay in by themselves so add CLEAR TAPE as the rim strip, the yellow ones will stay no tape needed. This will not only hold the Plugs in, but also covering your spoke holes this way allows you to inspect the rim EVERY TIME you get a flat or once a month at a minimum. If the rim is cracking you'll know long before it become a major problem. This system last longer and weighs less than a rim strip. A.L.
HERE is an Exert from a Journal I am reading about this very thing and how the problem alluded him for several hours of trying to find whats wrong!!
***From the Journal. Tokyo to Warsaw ...Marcin also made an attempt to diagnose his rim bulge and- if possible- to fix it. After several sweaty, frustrating hours, nothing had come of his attempts. He was rather displeased that for the first time on this trip, he had encountered a problem he couldn't solve. The breakthrough came the next day- when fixing a flat caused by an old patch peeling off, he happened to remove the rim-tape, and Lo! The entire inner wall was in an advanced state of decomposition. I have not seen rim damage like this before- they seem, usually, to get damaged along the braking surface or the join between the braking surface and the outer wall. This is a DT Swiss TK 7.1 rim, and also the newest of all four of our rims, built before we left Australia when Marcin got hit by a car....
Tech Tip #2 Lock the Zippers on your bags and add no noticeable weight
I Contemplated bringing mini locks with me so I could lock the zippers on My Arkel Bags. But the thought of 8 miniature combo locks was not appealing. I was only needing a deterrent to all the hands that like to get into pockets when you are stopped to get food or just riding a slow uphill surrounded by children. The ease of opening a pocket and taking something seems to be a common problem written about in many Journals I have read, so the locks seemed like the obvious solution. Until I came up with this idea, it works well and adds NO noticeable weight!! Take a medium size Keyring and after you have located a suitable spot you like burn a hole through the fabric and loop the Keyring through, now you can attach the Zipper pull to the loop and "lock" the zipper Shut. You might be wondering if the ring can be pulled out of the material, if your bags are built as well as my Arkels, then it's made of American Cordura and almost impossible to rip, I TRIED!! If they are a lesser brand like Ortlieb, Vaud, Topeak or others I am not sure if I would use this Tip. This will not make a hole in the fabric water can seep into, the key to making the hole is to use a red hot 1mm allen key tip to make the hole that way it's sealed and ready to use. It also wont interfere with the rain covers. The second idea was to just use the Keyring to "lock" 2 zipper pulls together, this works very well, both are super easy to use. A.L.
As a Note: Arkel had nothing to do with this idea! I am not sure if it voids your warranty so do this at your own risk.
Tech Tip #3 Protect your Valuable link to the world
There are a lot of touring cyclist traveling these days with Mini laptops. I chose the Samsung NC10 as the computer for this epic adventure, unfortunately it failed me when it came to running HD video even with the upgraded Ram from 1G to 2G. So I sold that little wonder and bought the FAR Superior Gateway EC1815U it has 4G ram and a 500G hard drive, in reality is only 458G which is no big deal. I Also, and here is were the Tech Tip actually comes in! Bought the Pelican 1080 hardback to keep this little baby safe from the riggers of the road. If you're bringing a mini laptop with you this is an absolute must, sure it weighs 2lb, but it's 2lb of pure environmental protection you would spend over $4000 getting from a computer (Trimble YUMA) built as tough as this case is.
I'm carrying my computer in the case on very padded rails on the front rack of my bike It will be in a yellow cover to keep prying eyes form looking to closely, I also added Aluminum tape to the top to reflect excess heat even though it sits under the H-bar bag. A.L.
Tech Tip #4 Lock your bags to the rack with Arkel cams
This tip I imagine will only be useful to us lucky Arkel bag owners. I was wondering how I was going to lock the bags to the rack with out adding a cable and lock system and a bunch of weight. What I came up with does 2 great things all at the same time. The first thing this system does is adds extra support to the BIG TT-84 bags I have on the rear rack, the second probably the coolest feature is that it allows the bags to be 'locked' onto the rack. While they are not actually Locked on with a lock they are extremely difficult to remove if your not at all familiar with the cams on the bags. Here are couple of pics and a short video to demonstrate this idea in action. This should also work well to "lock" your bags on the bike at night while in your tent, I wouldn't recommend leaving the bike unattended say at a hostel, this is not a sub for an actual lock. A.
My "lock" for Large Arkel Panniers from Aaron Lisco on Vimeo.
Here's what Arkel had to say about my Cam idea:
"Wow!!!
Superbly done – Kudos from all of us and the Cam between the cams is brilliant!!!
Here’s some of our production and shipping staff wishing you all the best!
The
tension on the bolt is removed once the thing shears so it will be
easy to remove. In my 12 years as a mechanic I have never had a bolt
that was properly installed fail to come out.
"Athletes have a lower incident of most diseases except for one: skin cancer, because of their prolonged exposure to the elements while training or competing. When asked why they don’t use sunscreen the athlete’s responses were fairly predictable: it’s greasy, it’s oily, it takes too long to apply, I can’t get it off my hands, it blocks my pores, basically it’s just a lot of trouble.
Beyond just offering protection from the sun’s rays, however, sunscreen can also help prevent overheating. When it is not used or reapplied enough, the resulting sunburn can interfere with the skin’s natural ability to perspire. This compromises the body’s cooling system. The ideal situation for athletes, then, is to use a sunscreen that doesn’t clog the pores but protects against broad spectrum UVA and UVB rays.
There are many sunscreens on the market that say “sport” but most are the same as their other non-sport products. KINeSYS® is truly is a performance sunscreen that was created for the world’s best athletes. It is the only oil free and alcohol free sunscreen spray. It is very water and sweat-resistant, PABA free, preservative-free, paraben-free, hypoallergenic, as well as non-comedogenic (won’t clog your pores). KINeSYS provides photo-stable broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection with topical anti-oxidents. It’s an easy to apply spray that feels like you are not wearing any sunscreen."
Did you know that Covering up your arms and legs helps reduce water loss by 25% Yes 25% thats huge. Desoto makes White "Arm coolers" that has SPF 50 protection. I have 3 sets of thses for the trip I plan on using them everyday I ride, along with my KINeSYS of course. A.L.
Tech Tip #8 Do it before you leave
Planning on making a website? My advice is do the most work before you leave. You cant see it but I have over 100 pages on this site, maybe you see 15 if you look through them all, the rest are ready to be used but not activated yet. When I'm traveling all I have to do is add the text and pics to the pages and update my map page and I am done. I wont have to add pages make templates and the like while I am on the road. This is time consuming as it is I cant imagine trying to do it all on the ride. As my ride progresses I am sure I will add a few pages I didn't think about but the majority of them are done just add info. A.L.
Tech Tip # 9 LCD protector that actually works
I was looking all over for a LCD screen protector for my Garmin 60 CSx GPS, Canon 7d SLR and my Canon d10 point and shoot, what I kept finding was a bunch of very thin and not completely clear stick on covers for the LCD. I was not happy with this I tried a few and at $10 for a set of 3 it was getting expensive. So I decided to track down a thicker better sticking LCD cover. The idea I had was to go to a place that does Security window film, it comes in all kinds of thicknesses and is crystal clear.
I went to a local window expert told them what I wanted and was given FOR FREE an 8 x10 piece of this high tech window film. When I got home I cut out a few, messed up the first one was successful on my next cut , the problem is you have to completely remove the backing in one pull or it makes diagonal lines in the glue so it is tricky to lay it flat and then push it down from one end to the other. It is rigid and easy to work with. I pre cut a few replacement pieces for all the LCD screens I have, when they need it I'll be able to swap them out in minutes. A.L.
Since it's clear I couldn't get a good photo
Tech Tip #10 The $5 bike alarm
I was at Lowe's the other day looking for a bolt for this or that, as I was standing inline at the checkout I noticed in the last minute grab items a "Key Chain Alarm" from GE. It was only $4.88 so I bought one not expecting much. I was blown away at how LOAD THIS THING IS it is a120dcb high pitched annoying noise. This item is perfect for attaching your bike to the tent via a string to the pin. It works this way...When the pin is in it is armed if you remove the pin it sets of the alarm SIMPLE!!! , so by pulling in an outward motion the pin comes free the connection is made alarm goes off. I figure tie a string to the bike then to the pin attach the other side of the alarm to the tent and if someone tries to take of with my bike BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP 120dcb alarm. It will work well with Bags too. I also plan to use it to make a armed fence around my food when I am traveling in the Tundra so if a bear does get near I can here it long before it runs off with the food, since there are NO trees on the Tundra. I bought 4 of these units and have tried it out on the dog set up a perimeter and the dog set off the alarm worked great!!! these units weigh about 3/4oz if that, and run on 4 watch batteries said to last a year of moderate use. A.L.
Tech Tip #11 The lightest Brightest Camp light
I am trained as a Medic EMT-I and one of the cool gadgets we use on the Ambulance is a small compact light that fits on any type of clothing, this LED light is made by Pelican so it is light, bright and versatile. The Pelican VB3 is small about 2.5in long and 1in wide, it has an articulating head that allows it to flip up and back 180°, and a gator clip on the bottom so it can be attached to a variety of things. It is bright enough to see with while walking and great for in the tent reading, it runs on 2 CR2032 bicycle computer batteries. I have had this for over 2 years and it hasn't let me down. It also comes in a variety of colors for those who need a bit of style. A.L.
*** This also comes in a Night Vision version , RED LED not as bright and not intended for Biking at night.
