Pam Emerson – Page 5 – PM Cycle Touring

Solar Panels and Bicycle Touring: Bushnell Mini Wrap Review

My husband and I were on a short 4 day training ride last summer. As with most bicycle tours, we found ourselves becoming friends with a fellow tourist and the obligatory checking out the different things he brought with him on his tour. We took particular interest in his solar panel for charging his phone and other electronics. This got me to thinking: maybe we should get a solar panel for our next tour. We checked out the various options and found that portable solar panel technology has come a long way.

We wanted a solar panel that was: lightweight, durable, and had a battery capable of holding a decent amount of charge. We ended up going with the Bushnell Mini Wrap solar charger for our 2,500 mile trek across the Southern Tier. The Mini Wrap met almost all of our needs and we were satisfied with the purchase. Here are our takeaways:

Product: Bushnell Mini Wrap

Weight: At just 96 grams, this solar panel is very lightweight. As a luxury item, I didn’t feel like it was too much extra weight to bring along. It also rolls up and takes up very little space.

Durability: Made of a flexible material, I didn’t feel like we were going to break this solar panel. We used Velcro to attach it to the top of our Bearikade can while riding. It laid around the can perfectly. The Bear Grylls version claims to be waterproof as well. We used it for one tour and haven’t really given it any more use since.

Functionality: This solar charger has a battery that charges up in about 10 hours of direct sunlight. It charges even on a cloudy day, it just takes longer. The battery also comes with a mini-usb in port so you can charge it using a wall outlet. The USB output means you can charge up your phone, camera, e-reader, or anything else that has a USB cord.

Cost: At around $60, this is a great addition to your cycle touring tool bag.

Recommendation: Highly recommended for sunny tours.

Disclaimer:
All opinions about any products mentioned in this article are my own. I have not been compensated in any way by anyone. I will, however, receive a small commission if you choose to purchase the item from Amazon after clicking the link I provide. Use your own discretion.

Using Cell Phones While Bicycle Touring: How to get the most out of your battery

Bicycle touring is a great time to unplug from technology, to immerse yourself in the natural world. However, those tiny, handheld computers we call smartphones are so darn handy! Camera, GPS, journaling device, googler, calculator, you name it. They seem to be too useful to leave behind. Although I remove myself from Facebook as much as possible while I’m touring, I bring along my phone for all those other useful purposes.

Initially when I started touring I would get so frustrated with my cell phone. Even using it only to make journal entries in camp, I would only get two or three days of journaling on a single charge. This was a newish phone, and I wasn’t using it all day, every day. In fact, I was turning it off when I wasn’t using it. Why was the battery not lasting longer? My husband, on the other hand, seemed to have unlimited battery on his phone. We had the same phone. What was the deal?

Well, turns out I was doing it wrong. Once I changed two simple things, my battery lasted longer and my frustration level lowered.

Airplane mode: I thought that turning the phone off when I wasn’t using it would make the battery last longer. Boy was I wrong. Powering down and powering up takes a decent amount of battery power. Who knew? Well, once I started putting my phone into airplane mode, it lasted for longer. Sometimes a whole week.

If you’ve never put your phone into airplane mode, it is simple. Most cell phones have this mode and you can usually access it in the same menu as the power down menu. It should be as simple as selecting “airplane mode”. This keeps the phone on and lets you use the phone, but turns off the part of the phone that searches for a cellular signals. Without doing this your phone will constantly search for a signal unless you tell it not to. Silly phone! Be aware this will prevent you from accessing the internet or making phone calls, but it is pretty quick to turn airplane mode off if you need more from your phone.

Display brightness: Another battery eater is the display. Most phones have a way to turn down the brightness of your display. Once I turned this down to the lowest setting, even though it was now difficult to see what was on the screen, it saved precious battery power.

Essentially, by changing these two settings, you turn your high powered phone into a low power phone. But the camera and non-internet apps will still work if you need them. If you need to make a phone call or check where you are on the map, simply turn airplane off for a couple minutes then turn it back on. So, save your battery. And perhaps your sanity.

Do you have tips for saving your cell phone battery? Tell us in the comments below!

How to Stay Clean (without a proper shower) While on Bicycle Tour

At the end of a long day of hard bicycle touring, you ride into a primitive camp gritty and grimy from the day’s ride. The sunscreen you slathered on in the morning and then reapplied has now mixed with sweat and dirt and chain grease to give you a nice film on your skin. If you’re lucky, you have a shower waiting for you in that camp. Sometimes, though, you have to make do with what is available. Here’s a few things I’ve done when I have to improvise.

1. The towel rinse: If there’s water available at your campsite, just not a shower, you can still freshen up. I’ve been known to strip down to my sport’s bra and shorts, or even put on a bathing suit, to stand under a spigot. I also wouldn’t shy away from wetting down my towel really well and giving myself a “sponge bath”. It does the trick of getting the grime off and making you feel better.

2. Baby wipes: I’ve used baby wipes in the past. However, these are made for wiping, um, babies, and aren’t particularly durable. I find I need to use a LOT of them to get the job done. On the other hand, I love having baby wipes on hand to clean my hands after changing a flat tire or putting a chain back on. (Yeah, you could just wipe them on your shorts, but who wants to do that?)

3. Bathing wipes: These things are awesome. They’re thicker than baby wipes, and more durable. They don’t fall apart on the first go. The ones I’ve been using lately come with directions on the proper way to wipe (hint, you clean your face first, not last!). Some varieties are biodegradable, too, which is a plus. Although, that doesn’t mean you can just throw them on the ground. (Pack it in, Pack it out!) I bring along a special ziplock bag just to store them until I can find a trash can.

I tend to really enjoy a nice shower at the end of the day so it’s not my favorite thing to do when I have to skip one, but once in a while there will be no other option. And hey, it’s not going to kill you to go without a shower every once in a while. Trust me!

Lessons Learned from my First Bicycle Tour

September 20, 2011
Ferndale, WA to Deception Pass State Park, WA
52 Miles

Woke up early this morning to a beautiful sunrise at Aunt Robin’s house. She made us a delicious breakfast (bison with eggs and hashbrown casserole). Finished up the bike prep, and away we left! We departed at 9am or so, and headed to Bellingham. We got to the bike shop in Bellingham around 11, and picked up two wireless bike computers. The guy at the shop was nice enough to help us install them. Then it was back on the road. We should have eaten in Bellingham then, since it was another 3 hours until we made it to a café for lunch. It was a hard fought 3 hours of riding, too. By then, we had gone 17 miles from Bellingham, only 29 miles for the day, and I was already so tired. That ride through the mountains was beautiful, and we even picked some blackberries, but I wasn’t sure I could keep going. But we did keep going. And going. Past Padillo Bay and Anacortes, up over Deception Pass to Deception Pass State Park. We had trouble finding the campsite, and then had to pay $21, but I’m so glad to be done. Tomorrow will be better! It is 730pm, getting dark, and after a baby wipe refresh, I’m ready for bed!

This was my very first journal entry from my very first bicycle tour. I did pretty well conveying the mood of the day. But there were some details I left out. I didn’t really describe how miserable and tired I was. How I almost broke down and cried 5 miles from camp because I didn’t think I could keep going. We took a wrong turn trying to find the campground and ended up climbing up a steep hill, and I was so dejected and disheartened. If this was bicycle touring, I wanted to quit. But here’s the good news. As I said in the journal entry, it WAS better the next day. And the next. It just kept getting better. I got stronger, and it became easier to enjoy the little moments. There are definite moments bicycle touring when you will want to quit. But there are many more when you’ll just be amazed. At the scenery, at your strength, at how far you’ve come. I’d like to share with you a few of the lessons I learned (from that very first day of touring) that can benefit all of us.

If you shipped your bike to your starting location, make sure you know how to put it back together again.
Train (with distance and weight) before you leave.
If you don’t train, plan for shorter distance days in the beginning until you get stronger.
Make sure you know how many miles you are traveling the first day. Nothing is worse than thinking you’ve already finished the ride for the day, only to find out you have to go 12 miles further.
You WILL get stronger and it WILL get easier.
Eat, eat, eat!
Always have an extra meal, just in case you need it. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are perfect for this.
Bring fuel for your stove. Sterno cans just don’t cut it!
You don’t need a pasta strainer! And it’s ok to ship back unneeded things you thought you would need on the trip, but really ended up just being extra weight.
It will be harder than you think, but much more rewarding than you can imagine.

I thought I had prepared myself for that first tour. Boy was I in for a surprise. But the thing is, even though I collapsed onto my sleeping pad that first night and passed out from exhaustion, and even though my whole body was sore in the morning from all the hard work I had done the day before, I never gave up. And everything eventually came together. When I think of that first tour, the difficulties of the first day (or week) are a dim memory compared to the rest of the tour. I’m so glad I was able to push past those speedbumps and keep going. And I’m a better person for it.

Gradients and Categories: How Steep is that Hill?

For me, there is nothing better in this world than the accomplishment of reaching the top of a mountain, looking back on the road behind, and eagerly awaiting the descent ahead. I’m fairly new to cycling, and as I’ve learned how to be a better cyclist, I’ve thought of hills in terms of how difficult they were to climb. But I’ve also noticed those signs, you know, the ones with the %. I’ve also heard other cyclists refer to a category system for hills. It was all confusing to me, but now that I’ve been riding for a bit, I figure it’s about time to understand what those signs mean.

The % grade signs that the highway department installs are put in place for vehicles. Some trucks have a hard time with steep hills, going up or coming down. That percent grade is usually accompanied by a distance, as well. For example: 6% downgrade next 4 miles. Percent grade is simply a numerical value given to the average gradient of the hill. The gradient is a fraction, rise divided by run. In simpler terms, it is (the number of feet traveled vertically) divided by (the number of feet traveled horizontally). To turn this into a percent, times the number by 100. For example, if you travel up a hill 9 vertical feet over 100 feet, then the percent grade would be (9/100)x100=9%. Since the road sign gradients are averages, this could mean sections of the hill are steeper or less steep, depending.

You could actually calculate the grade of the road by carrying a level and a ruler (and a calculator). (I don’t know anyone who carries around either on their bicycle, but I suppose if you were curious, you could do it.) Lay the level down on the ground with the ruler at one end. Raise the end of the level by the ruler until it reads level. Your run will be the length of your level (for example 24”) and the rise will be the reading on the ruler. This will tell you the grade at that exact point on the hill, but not the average grade of the hill. (If you want a more high tech way of determining the grade, try a cycling computer with the function built in, such as the one Matt used on our recent tour, the CatEye Adventure cycling computer. This computer uses altitude to calculate the % grade and feet climbed, as well as many other features.)

But what does a percent grade feel like? Well, here’s how I look at them personally:

0%- Flat road. You’re actually not going to find many of these anywhere. Except maybe Holland.
1-3%-This is sometimes known as “false flat”, especially the low grades. You’ll find yourself working to maintain your speed, and might even push it a little too hard. You won’t necessarily feel like you’re traveling uphill, but trust me, you’re working.
4-6%-With good low gears, a strong rider can easily maintain this grade for many miles. It does take work, but you’ll know you’re going uphill. Slow and steady is always my mantra!
7-9%-Most strong riders will do well for short distances, as long as you have low enough gears. In northern Washington I found myself pushing my bike up many 9% hills.
10-15%-Difficult. If it’s for very long, you might have to walk a bit.
Above 15%-Extremely difficult. Even experienced riders will find grades this steep to be challenging. Without low enough gears, you’re definitely going to be walking this one!

Another way that cyclists use to categorize hills is the category system. There are 5 categories: Category 1-4 and Above Category (or HC). These categories are based on the difficulty of the climb, with Category 4 being the easiest, Category 1 the most difficult, and HC off the charts. This method originated with the Tour de France(TdF). Maybe that’s why it is counter intuitive that the most difficult is Category 1, but there’s an even more difficult. For the TdF, both steepness and length are considered. Other groups use the category method, but simplify the criteria. For example, the Tour of California only considers the elevation gain of the climb. Category 4 climbs are of 250 to 500 feet in elevation gain. Category 3 are of 500 to 1,000 feet. And so on until HC which are climbs above 5000 feet in elevation gain.

Some riders get hung up on the idea of what hills are coming up. They stress and fret over big Category 2 hills, or steep 7% grades. What I’ve found is that it is irrelevant. If there’s a hill, I have to climb it. While climbing, I try to enjoy it. That slow steady burn, that’s where I get most of my thinking done. And the view from the top, well, that’s the icing on the cake. After an especially tough climb, I like to stop, take in the view, and give myself credit for what I’ve just accomplished. And then I grin all the way down the other side.

Choosing a Bicycle Route

Why can it be so difficult to decide where to ride on a tour? We’ve been on two long bicycle tours (and countless small ones) and we are always pleased with the experience. However, in the early planning stages we tend to waffle on the details. Things like: where are we going? When are we going? How long do we plan to go? Answers to these questions continuously change as the planning continues.

Our latest tour took us across the southern tier of the United States through autumn. However, the trip was originally planned as a northern crossing in the spring. Why the drastic change?

As with many things in life, timing is everything. To complete a successful northern tier tour, without suffering through intense heat or deep snow, the timing needs to be perfect. If you travel west to east, you want to leave late enough to avoid snow in the mountain passes, but early enough to avoid hot, humid weather once you reach the plains. For us, this proved too uncertain. The southern route has similar issues, but we found that it worked for our schedule. We could leave late enough in the season to avoid horrendously high temperatures, but early enough to avoid snow in the mountains.

The main consideration when we plan a tour is flexibility. We give ourselves plenty of time to account for illness and injury, since these are two things generally out of our control. We plan for rest days. We’ve found that a rest day every 5 or 6 days is usually sufficient, and we account for this in our mileage estimates. We also try to plan for several different “early outs”. If something goes wrong on the tour, we think about where we could end it prematurely. Is there an airport along the way we could shoot for? What about the railroad? A large town with a rental car? Several friends and family members have offered to save us if we need it, as well. We’ve never had to call in that favor (yet), but it’s sure nice to know it’s there.

What’s that old saying? “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I think it’s applicable to planning a bicycle tour. You can’t, and shouldn’t try to plan for everything on a bicycle tour. But thinking about the route before you leave can help you have an enjoyable, safe ride. We have found most of our least favorite days touring are when you lock ourselves in to being at a certain place at a certain time and have to push too hard to get there. In the end, it’s about the journey, not the destination. No matter where your tour takes you, you will learn things about yourself that you never knew before. And that’s what really matters!

Adventure Cycling Association has many preplanned routes, and their maps are top notch. Check them out!

You Don’t Need a Hammer on Your Bicycle Tour: Life Lessons

On a recent tour I encountered a particular cyclist who stands out in my memory. Like all tourists, we happily regaled each other with stories and wisdom, swapping tales over a snacks. We talked about gear, and tours, and the weather. And then I noticed something strapped to the back of her pannier: a hammer. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had to ask. She said that she doesn’t go anywhere without it.
I couldn’t help but think about the wasted energy that this tourist had to expend carrying that hammer thousands of miles. In all of my tours, I’ve never set up my tent in a place that didn’t have some sort of substitute for a hammer. Usually a big rock nearby does the trick. In a pinch I’ve asked fellow campers, and have never been turned down. Even after I told her that, she insisted that the hammer was an essential part of her tool box, and we left it at that.
After we parted ways, I thought about that hammer. Do we all have something like that that we don’t want to let go of? Something we’re hanging onto even though we don’t need to? Is it so obvious to others even though it’s difficult for us to see it ourselves?
I made a resolution that day to let go of some of the stuff I’ve been holding onto. The past is the past, and the only thing that matters is the present. I’ve realized that bicycle touring can be a metaphor for life. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Solve problems as they come. Focus on the road ahead. Don’t worry about that storm that has already passed, enjoy the weather right now. Keep going. Don’t give up. The climb might be steep, but the ride down the other side makes up for it. Life is like this. It’s full of grit, and pain, and joy, and wonder, and agonizingly beautiful things. It can even be a little scary at times. Live each day proud of yourself for all that you’ve done. But don’t bring a hammer on a bike tour. It’ll only make you tired.

Breakfast: Starting the day off right

Making good food choices early in the day will help set you up for a successful ride. We often joke when we’re riding about needing not only breakfast, but second-breakfast as well. There’s a reason we eat so much: we’re burning a lot of calories throughout the day, and food gives us the energy we need to help avoid energy crashes.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning your meals for the day.

First, try not to eat anything too heavy or rich. If your body has to work too hard to digest it, you’ll be diverting energy away from your ride. As your exert yourself your body diverts blood from your stomach to your muscles slowing digestion.

Look at foods that are both filling and satisfying. You want the meal to give you energy for as long as possible.

Finally, convenience is a factor. A quick, satisfying breakfast can get you going and on your way.

So what do we eat when we are out touring? We prefer hot cereal grains. We usually rotate between oatmeal and other cereal grains, such as Oat Bran or 5 / 7 / 11 grain mixes from Bob’s Red Mill brand. Bob’s cereals come in conveniently sized packages which last about a week between the two of us and are sold in most grocery stores throughout the United States. You can also check the bulk bins for different cereal grains. Cereal grains are not heavy, are very filling, and take just moments to cook (simply add to boiling water and eat when thickened). We would recommend staying away from packaged, instant oatmeal, it is just not as filling as the real stuff.

Pam likes her breakfast sweet, so here are a couple of methods to make your breakfast cereal even tastier. Honey sweetens nicely, and has the added benefit of tasting great added to a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Additionally, adding peanut butter and jelly to cereal gives it a nutty flavor and adds protein. You can also add dried fruit, or trail mix to your bowl. But our all-time favorite addition to hot cereal is chocolate. Place half (or all) of a chocolate bar into the cereal, which melts, and viola’! Instant chocolate cereal! It is such a treat in the morning to get you going.

A downside of cooking your own breakfast is the cleanup, and washing dishes after breakfast can be a pain. If you’re not into that, there are other options. Scope out restaurants in the area that serve breakfast, or pick up some muffins, fruit, and yogurt the night before. Granola bars can stave off hunger if you need to eat first thing in the morning (like we do) until you can reach a breakfast spot. Just plan ahead. There’s nothing worse than trying to ride hungry.

Calories = energy. You need energy to get you going and to keep you going. Plan ahead, figure out what works best for you. We enjoy a hot, satisfying breakfast to get us started on the right foot. How about you?

Snacking on the Go

The only way to maintain energy levels throughout your bike ride is food. While meals are necessary, probably the most important thing you can do is snack, and snack often. Sometimes while I’m touring with my husband, I find myself getting irritated or overly emotional at small things. The first thing he asks me is, “When is the last time you ate something?” And it’s true! If it’s been a while, I grab something to eat. My handlebar bag is full of goodies to snack on through the day.

I don’t eat while I’m pedaling, so I take a break and snack. Part of touring is enjoying the surroundings, wherever I happen to be. One of the best ways to do this is to pause every 10-15 miles, eat something, and take in your current location.

Additionally I like variety when I eat. I get tired of eating the same thing over and over. Here’s a few types of snacks I’ve tried on my tours:

Fruit: Whether dried or fresh, fruit is an awesome snack. When touring in summer, stop into a fresh fruit stand and enjoy peaches or plums. Bananas are also great. Blackberries growing on the side of the road in the Pacific Northwest are also amazing. Can’t get fresher than that!
Gels or Gu: I find sport gels to be most useful when I need a punch of energy, like right before a big climb. I like the ones with caffeine. Be careful, though, because sometimes these can make your stomach upset and you may need a bathroom; try them before you go.
Granola Bars: In a pinch, we’ll eat those little Quaker granola bars, but these aren’t my favorite. They’re small, and there’s not much to them. I feel like I have to eat 2 or 3 to make a dent in my hunger. An alternative are locally made bars or the Nature’s Own two packs.
Energy Bars: For example, Cliff or Power Bar, or other varieties. My favorite are probably Cliff or Luna bars. While some of them taste like cardboard (Power Bars), the Cliff Bars are rather tasty and pack a good amount of calories. I prefer candy bars, but just because I have such a sweet tooth.
Sweets: A fellow tourist from the UK called candy in general “sweets” and it stuck with me. On my last tour I kept craving sour gummies. Hard candies work, basically anything with some sugar, too. Just a little bit of sugar, which gets converted straight to energy.
Candy Bars: My favorite go-to snack is Snickers. The combination of peanuts and chocolate, along with the sugar of the caramel is pretty much the perfect cycle touring energy bar. I also like to switch it up with other candy bars, but most often return to Snickers. I’ve found Payday bars are also good, with all the peanuts.

Touring is different than everyday living. You have to keep your energy up so you can expend it. This doesn’t mean you can or should just eat anything and everything you want. But it’s important to maintain a certain level so you don’t have an energy crash (or a literal crash, either). So snack, and snack often.

What are your favorite snacks? Share with us in the comments below!

High Visibility Clothing: To wear or not to wear?

High visibility clothing, commonly referred to as “high-vis,” is a matter of contention among bicyclists worldwide. You can be pretty much be assured that every bicyclist has an opinion about whether or not to wear high-vis. Even government is getting involved. At the beginning of this year, officials in New Zealand considered making it mandatory for all bicyclists to wear high-vis. Take some time to consider your visibility before you embark on that cycle tour.

So what is the big deal? Many bicyclists feel that high visibility clothing is uncomfortable, unfashionable, and doesn’t actually help the bicyclist be seen. There also is the feeling that it is not their responsibility to stand out. Unfortunately none of the above matter when someone does not see you and you are hit/injured.

Modern high-vis comes in many shapes and sizes. Matt and I like to wear high-vis vests over our normal cycling clothing that we are wearing at the time. The vests don’t hinder our movement, have vents & mesh to keep us from overheating, and give us peace of mind that we are going to be seen. We even get compliments from drivers about how visible we are.

As far as fashion goes, we feel that this is a non-issue. We cycle not to look good, but for enjoyment and fitness and the ability to enjoy the outdoors. Most importantly we cycle to enjoy being alive. Wearing high-vis helps keep us visible to drivers, thus letting us live longer. These days there are many more fashionable versions of high-vis clothing and jerseys available to keep you visible while still fitting your fashion sense. However if you are looking for something cheap, not much will beat the construction vest.

Many studies have been done on this subject of visibility, mostly on the related subject of motorcyclists, and they come to varying conclusions. The consensus seems to be that contrast is the major factor in being able to see an object. Most cycle/auto interactions occur during rush hours and dawn/dusk/night, times when the number of cars is high and visibility is low. High-visibility clothing can help with that contrast. Good lights also increase your visibility. We’ve tried many different lights, but the most recent that we love are the Dionette LED taillights. There are many brands and styles on the market. Do your homework before you make a purchase.

Of course, just being visible doesn’t mean you can’t be hyper vigilant and aware of the cars around you. After all, they are protected by a metal box, and you have nothing. Don’t take anything for granted, and pay attention to what’s going on around you at all times.

Think about it. Why not do everything in your power to make sure you are as safe as you can be? If this means wearing a high visibility vest, it is such small thing to do, and it may save your life. We’d rather be out there enjoying our bicycles than be injured or worse.