USA and Japan 2012 [PIC HEAVY]

[WestcoastPete]

I'm going here:



To learn how to do this:



With this guy:



The plan is to build something like this:



And then I'll send it home and go riding on my tourer here:



For about 3 months:



And then I'll fly here:



And ride around for a few weeks before my wife joins me and we go:



And then I'll come home...

[WestcoastPete]

Flights booked! Visa Waiver Program application in!

Leaving D-town on the 9th of June...

[WestcoastPete]

Hmmmm....

I've just finished a renovation of my commuting bike - an '83 Nishiki Olympic 12. It now has a new wheelset (700c instead of 27"), bar end shifters, dynohub and lights, Longboard fenders etc. It's a joy to ride. My Rohloff/Belt hardcore tourer on the other hand just doesn't give me that same buzzy feeling riding it, and it's significantly less efficient (read: slower) with it's IHG than the derailleured Nishiki.

I love the expedition bike; don't get me wrong. But I bought it for the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route or the Moroccan Piste or the Mawson Trail, all of which it would chew up, but I'm not going to any of these places for this trip. This trip will be on mostly paved roads.

So I'm thinking of taking the Nishiki. Whoa. I never thought I'd think that. As an old 27" frame, it's got long chain stays and is very stable. It's got caliper brakes which don't pull up as well as the disks on the expedition bike, but they're still pretty strong. It doesn't have any racks at the moment and I've never ridden it with a load, but the geometry/frame stiffness should be fine for it. I lean forward on it a bit too, but I find it to be very comfortable - I lean forward on my Bike Friday too and it was fine for touring.

But what's the point in having a flash expedition bike if I prefer to take an old bike from the tip shop? Should I just get rid of it? And it's so low maintenance and easy to use; with the Nishiki I'd have to worry about lubing chains and managing derailleurs with triple chainrings etc instead of just flicking the wrist on the Rohloff. Yes, this is not really that hard to do, but part of the beauty of the expedition bike is not having to worry about this stuff...

Hmmmm....

[WestcoastPete]

OK, I'm sticking with the original plan and taking the expedition bike. I've changed the saddle and stem and am finding more comfortable.

I've started a journal on CGOAB if you're interested in following the trip.

One week to go!

[Meditator]

I love the idea of beautifying your bike with those metals bits. I take it that's what you are doing, not just learning how to weld a bike together. Please tell me you are going to learn how to make a "beautiful" bike.

[e466wa]

I climbed Mt. Fuji in 2010 in a rain coat (similar to a garbage bag) with poor fitness and no knowledge about the climb. First 6 hours were fine which then turned into hell on Earth when I broke my torchlight due to heavy rain and was stuck in pitch darkness with steep drops around me and no where to go but up.This was followed by a fast long sprint down the mountain with no water which forced me to act like Bear Grylls and lick moisture off tree leaves to survive. PM me if you want any advice regarding the climb or places worth visiting.

[ldrcycles]

The plan is to build something like this:


.

Those lugs around the brake bridge are STUNNING .

[WestcoastPete]

I love the idea of beautifying your bike with those metals bits. I take it that's what you are doing, not just learning how to weld a bike together. Please tell me you are going to learn how to make a "beautiful" bike.

Dave is most well known for his "lug work" - putting a lot of effort into beautifying lugs on a bike. We only have two weeks together in which to build a complete frame and fork though, so I don't think this particular frame will have much ornateness going into it, but I'm sure I'll learn the concept.

[WestcoastPete]

Finishing up at work right about now! Flying out tomorrow morning...

So long suckers! (directed at work mainly...)