My mission if I chose to accept it was to drive Lisa's seventy six year old mother (Grandma Lynn) from our home in League City, Texas back to her home in Phoenix, Arizona via a lengthy scenic route.  

Lisa planned out a nice road trip vacation for her mother which consisted of visiting some of her mother's favorite areas including Santa Fe, New Mexico with the arts and crafts scenes that area has to offer while staying a night at nearby Madrid, a very eclectic if funky little town.  From there we would drive to Lisa's mother's cabin in Heber Overgaard, Arizona and then drive her home to Phoenix on our return drive home. 

Sad as it is, Grandma Lynn is experiencing some early stages of dementia which is just one of the reasons I was asked to do most of the driving, that and I'm simply an excellent driver.  : ) Anyhow, knowing how much stuff the gals tend to pack for a vacation (Grandma Lynn, Lisa and a teenage girl) I decided to see how full the car was before I selected a bike and bikepacking kit. Ironically while I assessed which bike to bring Jennifer Campbell asked me to share her informative piece on How to Choose a Bike According to Science, 10 Factors to Consider.  It's a pretty good read although there is no mention at all of folding bikes for travel. 

Four years ago I visited Grandma Lynn's cabin at Overgaard, Arizona (blog post here) and had such a nice time I thought next time I would bring a bikepacking kit for the Tall Timbers Trail Park.  That's what I had in mind and figured it would be alright to squeeze in one overnighter along the way.  Unfortunately, the trunk lid of the little Nissan Versa flexed too much with the bike on the Saris Bike Carrier.  Plan B, which is what I keep the old Dahon Mariner folding bike for and the fact that it doesn't require any precise bike fit consideration for the rider I can always fold it down and throw it in.  (Older post regarding this bike is here.) 

As simple as that seems to be able to do, not having a full sized bikepacking or touring bike frame for packing gear on might imply a bit of a challenge.  For bike commuting and urban touring I used a handlebar basket and a hydration pack with the little folder but packing a tent, poles, sleeping bag, pillow, air mattress, photography kit and some food seemed a bit daunting of a task and of course how would the ride feel once the gear was packed on to the little bike that could?  

Photo at left of my typical kit for bike touring that includes a solar panel for charging camera batteries, a power brick, tablet and phone.  A very small cooking kit mostly for boiling water.  I kinda stood there looking at that mess for awhile before unfolding the bike.  I brought a couple handlebar bag options (nothing fancy) and was glad I brought my hydration pack designed for mountain biking and trails due to the fact that other than the rear rack trunk bag the old Dahon doesn't have a water bottle holder and July in New Mexico requires ample hydration.   

Photo at left and above show how I got everything to fit on the bike without having to use panniers so it is more of a bikepacking kit than what is typically considered a bicycle touring set up.  Keeping in mind that I used a decent sized hydration pack for miscellaneous items that wouldn't fit on the bike.  

That inexpensive handlebar bag has proven to be very versatile and useful as a bikepacking kit item as I was able to stuff my sleeping bag and pillow into the Outdoor Research Dry Bag and used the straps of the handlebar bag to secure it.  I was able to fit my tablet, power brick, assorted cables and a mini tripod in the main compartment while the two pockets on left and right held my phone and Canon G 16 camera.  Behind the seatpost is the Seat to Summit Compression Dry Bag with my Alps Mountaineering Lynx 1 Tent.  Rear Trunk bag has external pockets with assorted snack food items, small cable lock and cinchable water bottle holder.  On top of the trunk bag I secured the solar panel for charging device batteries and power brick while the main compartment of the trunk bag was able to fit my bed mattress.  Seat wedge bag held a spare tube, patch kit and a few tools.  

I'm glad I had an opportunity to experience some new variations on bikepacking and bike touring with a folding bike for travel.  Not only was it the perfect bike in a fun little town like Madrid, New Mexico populated with artsy craftsy folks who appreciate the style and uniqueness of a folding bike I was also able to experience how well it would perform for fun recreational sight seeing rides and as a get around bike for my photography.  While in Phoenix I had an opportunity to visit the Bicycle Nomad Cafe and owner Erick Cedeno after riding the little old Dahon Mariner said "it rides better than it looks, I always wondered about these types of bikes."  

This folding bike being touted on this post is a '98 Dahon Mariner five speed.  It's mostly all original with stock components with the exception of a new chain and free wheel gears as I wanted to diversify some gear ratios for trails.  Another modification was replacing the 20 x 1.5 street tires for commuting with some better quality 20 x 1.75 tires like these from Schwalbe.  Interesting that the reputable company which has been providing high quality bicycle touring tires made the Marathon Plus available in a size to fit folding bikes like this.  Also, the tread pattern provides just enough grip for some off road excursions which I found to be very useful in areas where I wanted to get some photos with the bike.   So to wrap up, as much as I wanted to bring my sorta fat bike for the trails previously described it turns out that the appropriate bike for our summer vacation proved to offer plenty of fun and a good conversation piece.  If you're reading this post in consideration of getting a folding bike to add to your riding options I definitely recommend it for their sheer versatility and convenience when a full size bike isn't an option under some traveling circumstances.  

While writing this post I received yet another email from the editor at "The Folding Bike Zone" where they consider a folding bike to be the best bicycle for your commuting needs.  Sure their a bit biased : ) everyone has varying commuter needs but their five reasons why they consider it to be the best choice may just help with your purchasing decision if you're someone in the market for this type of bike.  

When it was all said and done and I drove over a thousand miles in one day to get us home on time, Grandma Lynn is home safe and sound, I got some excellent photos for my bike touring stock images collection while putzing around on a silly little bike that made me smile.  Until next time, keep on riding even if you need the convenience of what many consider to be a fuddy duddy folding bike.  

Links Related to this topic
Folding Bike for Travel
Dahon

These EDiscoverpic UK Road Trips [Infographic]
The UK may not have road trips like you see in the movies, but there are many scenic routes throughout the UK that are worthy of the big screen. With more national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty than you could ever visit you can easily discover a route that will become an unforgettable road trip.
Despite being fairly short compared to more famous road trip destinations the UK still has a couple of fairly long road trip opportunities, we won’t spoil the below graphic by mentioning them quite yet, but if you want a whistle stop tour of England or Scotland then a couple of the road trips could be a perfect fit. Or if you’re after something short and snappy then other trips offer exactly that.
So without further introduction here are the 5 UK road trips put together by De Vere Hotels for your driving pleasure:

Working on older bikes can be a bit challenging at times.  Rust and corrosion contribute to a majority of failed projects either by damaging parts and components in an effort to repair or simply giving up on the stubborn old parts that have succomed to neglect or obsolescence.

Having proper tools for bike repair tasks is obvious to anyone who has attempted to work on a bike with a crescent wrench and pliers.  Knowing which tool is most appropriate is when knowledge and experience is most appreciated.    

It's not a common task to remove an old Suntour freewheel so while I observed the initial efforts to remove the freewheel with the appropriate tool I noticed that the tool wasn't being held in place with an axle or quick release skewer.  After several attempts to remove the freewheel and consequently having the tool slip out of the freewheel to be removed I finally grabbed an old bolt on axle to hold the tool in place.  This was a particularly stubborn freewheel to remove so a quick release may not have done the trick.  I have both Suntour freewheel removal tools from Park Tool.  The FR-3 has four splines and the FR-2 (photo above left) has two.  For real stubborn parts the four splined FR-3 works better.  

This basket was installed with four points supporting it.  Obviously the first two Velcro Straps on the handlebars with a third strap wrapped around a steel front reflector bracket which helps to keep the basket from shifting side to side while riding as shown in upper right photo.  Fourth is the steel chrome fender which protects the basket and tire from each other with the basket barely touching the fender.  
We placed a gallon water container in the basket with the basket proving more than able to support and carry the load.  I am confident this basket could safely transport ten pounds efficiently and look good doing it.  I look forward to running some grocery and other errands with it over the weekend.  Will add photos of my fun filled rides, now that I have a basket for it.  Cheers!

Mountain bikes have been a popular choice for lots of bike folks looking to use their recreational bike for commuting or bike camping.  Several reasons contribute to this popular decision a few of which are lugged steel, 4130 cromoly tubing, typically easy to install racks and fenders and very affordable.
Quality is usually without compromise when finding a quality used steel frame set as with the Peugeot Canyon Express, a steel lugged Tange tubed beauty.  Due to the simple fact that I had a spare 26" wheelset in my shop as well as handlebars, stem and other niceties I decided to build up yet another mountain bike as a touring bike or for commuting and bike camping.  

Some patience and searching for a good component group resulted in the Suntour Alpha 3000 set found on ebay for $50 as I greatly appreciate the simple design of old thumb shifters and can be a hard to find quality item.  This particular component group from Suntour offers a nice gear ratio in a five speed freewheel combined with a new Suntour crankset, perfect for pulling some hills with loaded panniers with versatility for recreational trail rides.  All in all building up these old frames for fun, convenience and comfort is a very rewarding experience.  Selecting a stem and handlebar combination allows for freedom of creating a comfortable posture and or multiple hand positions depending on intended use.  

Handlebars and stems are quite inexpensive particularly for older one inch threaded forks where quill stems in 22.2 mm diameter are very affordable.

Coming in at just under $200 made this build a no brainer with both investment and labor, not to mention the sheer pleasure of building up another high quality commuter bike with a steel lugged frame, beautiful! 
Here's a link to a nice article at Bike Touring 101 converting mountain bike as a touring bike.

One of the joys of bike repair is finding older bikes worthy of refurbishing.  When I heard about this classic steel lugged '93 Bridgestone MB 1 mountain bike I had to check it out.

I got the bike for a very reasonable price and immediately went about converting the riding position to a more relaxed style for touring and commuting. Bridgestone bikes from that era built with Ritchey Logic tubing are very desirable to many Bridgestone aficionados as the thin strong steel makes for a very lightweight frame and when combined with the original rigid Ritchey fork it's one of the most lightweight steel mountain bikes ever produced.

The suspension fork that came with the bike had to be replaced when I discovered the one inch threaded steer tube was so stripped that the headset could not be removed to service the bearings.  After having to cut the steel tube to remove the fork I was able to salvage the original aluminum headset parts that were obviously damaged from some previous owners efforts to work on it.

I was looking for a one inch threaded fork and received two models for consideration.  First fork I installed is a nice commuter bike model from Breezer.  A nice, lightweight rigid one inch threaded fork at 1040 g.  The Breezer fork has threaded eyelets for rack and or fenders with a nice rake to it. While replacing the fork I decided to swap out the original eight inch long Ritchey stem and flat bar with a 95mm stem and some Touring Trekking bars in a 25 degree sweep. Add some inexpensive foam grips and felt good about the project thus far.  Didn't like the red so much and when I noticed the double eyelets of the Sunlite fork I decided to install that one as both forks use a 27 mm crown race it was convenient and easy to do.  Sunlite's fork has a longer steer tube of approximately 3/4 inches which meant cutting the threaded fork to fit, an easy task with proper cutting guide tools.  

After installing the Sunlite Fork and taking it for a test ride with the Trekking bars and UNO stem I felt like riding it further to get a feel for the bike's overall performance.  With the XT Thumbshifters and no sign of wear on the chain the bike is quick, light weight and not as twitchy as it was with the longer stem and flat bars.  Here's a combination of components I used for this project and has proven to work out very nicely in providing a quality, comfortable commuter bike in keeping with performance and handling.  

For bike folks needing a one inch threaded fork or wanting to replace a worn out suspension fork check out these forks from Breezer and Sunlite, respectively.  Here's a link for the 27 mm crown race as it can sometimes be hard to get as that size is frequently out of stock.

Grant Petersen's very popular book "Just Ride" basically describes the difference between what we have come to know as a "cyclist" and someone who simply rides a bike.  Differences being mostly about bicycle race marketing cliches and riding on'e bike in a more comfortable appreciative mode of identifying one's own ride whatever that might mean to you.  

"Ride your own ride" I have enjoyed saying from time to time, knowing there are no absolutes and there are exceptions to every rule. If you have spent any time at all commuting where bike lanes are not prevalent or bicycle commuting just hasn't had its place in the area you live then you probably realized at some point that some rules are made to be broken anyway.  That may contribute to the popularity of converting a mountain bike for bike commuting.  Converting can be as simple as replacing heavy knobby tires with tires which provide less rolling resistance or something in between.  Other additional changes to a mountain bike might be replacing the stem or handlebars to provide a more comfortable riding position or adding fenders and or racks.

Whereas a traditional touring bike is based on a fairly standard idea of frame geometry for comfort for extended time on the saddle, a commuter bike is mostly defined by the rider's commuting needs depending mostly upon road conditions and cargo needs.  Some bike commuter folks may not find it necessary to install a front rack for panniers, while some find it convenient for their bike camping or other touring bike needs.

Found this beautifully crafted bike from Razesa complete with steel lugged frame, Campagnolo crank set, Nitto bars and stem at our local thrift store for $65.  

As I am a reasonable person I allowed the bike to sit at their listed price of $90 and felt that I would allow another person who needs a bike more than me (I have several) an opportunity to purchase the bike.  I would routinely pass by and watch folks consider getting the bike and ultimately decide not to.  After a week I went and haggled the price down to $65 as the bike was missing rear brake pads and the original down tube shifter. 
For a bike like the Razesa I wanted to get the original Ultegra shifter and brake pads so the bike would be kept in its' original, standard component class.  After finding the parts for less than twenty bucks on ebay, replacing cables and giving it a tune up this bike is a smooth, fast retro classic that simply feels good on the road. 

It is difficult to find much information about Razesa, a company perhaps best known for providing a bike for Miguel Indurain's first of his five consecutive Tour de France victories.  Other than that the best information was provided by a guy in one of the forums I found while researching this bike.  Information he provided is given in the following quote.

"Hi, i have a razesa, from the 80´s and like razesas, i am from Spain. Razesa is a small company from the north of Spain, from Navarra. Navarra is near Pais Vasco, also in Spain, with a great tradition in cycling and steel making. From Pais Vasco are also the brands BH, Orbea y Zeus. BH is the most important, everybody here had a BH when we were kids :) Now Orbea is as important as BH. Zeus made bicycles and components, but its now closed.

In the 80´s with the great demand of road bikes, all brands colaborated, because they sell more bikes than they can make. So Zeus made components that were used by BH and Razesa, Razesa made frames for Zeus and i think also for BH because my Razesa is exactly as some BH i see.

In the 90´s with the mountain bike explosion, these brands were specialized in road bikes, so, it were bad times. BH and Orbea began to make mountain bikes and continue production, but Zeus and Razesa were in trouble. Zeus close and Razesa was almost in bankrupt. The owners sell the company to the workers and they continue making steel frames for track, and distribute carbon frames ( i think they imported them ) they also made taylor made steel frames".

Razesa won a tour de france with Banesto team and Miguel Indurain, so is part of the history of cycling. My razesa, from the late eigties is a fine bike, cromed and painted, with lugwork. Campagnolo, huret, cinelli and zeus components. Weight about 10 kgs.

This bike is a dream to ride with classic steel lugged Columbus tubing, Nitto handlebars and stem it's a very nice piece of cycling's history and I'm honored to have had the opportunity to repair such a quality bike as this Razesa.  

For more information visit Cycle Exif's blog article regarding the Razesa bike company and to view some very nice photos of Zeus components.

Bike discussed here is a 59cm frame with Mavic 27 x 1 1/4 wheels with Ultegra components and Campagnolo crank set.  

One of the most difficult bike restoration projects is clear coating a steel frame as there are so many options on how to accomplish the task and of course not all of them work very well.

Last year when I found an old Puch Bergmeister in the back of a pickup truck headed for the scrap metal yard I looked it over to see if it was worth doing anything with as the rust had all but destroyed the frame. With chain rusted solid, paint deterioration and surface rust it looked as though the frame may had gotten too pitted to be salvaged.

For ten bucks, which is what the scrap metal yard was shelling out for scrap I decided to get the bike to the shop and take it from there.  

There are several methods for removing paint from a frame but due to the paint deterioration and rust I employed the most commonly used wire brushes, wire wheels on a drill, sand paper and Boshield Rust Free rust remover.  After removing the worst of the corrosion I decided to strip off the rest of the paint with Easy Off oven cleaner.  That worked very well and is much less labor intensive than the other methods.  After spraying the cleaner on and watching the effortlessly drip the paint off the frame I repeated three or four times to get all the paint and residual corrosion removed. Then came the hard work of wire bushing, sanding and polishing working the surface and prepping it for a clear coat.

After I felt the prep work of the exterior surface was complete and after initial inspection of interior of frame which determined the possibility of this bike restoration project, it was necessary to treat the interior of this bike frame to prevent future rust or corrosion.  There are two choices of product for this application eitherJ.P. Weigels Bicycle Frame Saver Rust Inhibitor or the newer less heard of Pro Gold Steel Frame Protector.  Pro Gold has been well reviewed as it is reported to be able treat several frames with one can but I haven't worked with that product.  

The biggest question is what type of clear coating works best for applying to bare steel and cost relative to over all value of the bike.  Powder coating with a clear coat was not necessary and other bike restoration guys were not entirely pleased with the results when compared to how much it cost.  After much research and bouncing some ideas around we narrowed it down to two choices.  Everbrite Protectaclear or the newer Glisten PC available from the trusted and highly reputable Por 15 Paint Poducts which are used for automotive restoration and painting projects.  

Because the Everbrite Product was a mere $19.95 I thought I would try that first and requires a specific surface preparation method as do all paint products but if you're going to use Protectaclear you have must use Maas Metal Polish to clean and buff out the surface for proper adhesion.

Photo at right and at top of page shows the nice look and finish after Maas Polish and Everbrite Protectaclear were applied.  At the time we were completing this project the newer product mentioned earlier Glisten PC was not available. Although we like how the frame looks with the Everbrite product we have decided to consider a can of Glisten PC for $34.95 and see if it provides better protection from mild rusting.  Here along the Texas Gulf Coast humidity and salt air are factors that contribute to rusting. 

Our results after a year of storing the bike outside allowing rain and weather to test the Everbrite Coating we are relatively pleased with the results.
For average daily bike commuter use this product would be sufficient in maintaining a rust free frame with the bike being stored in doors when not being ridden.  However, for a more durable coating and perhaps a more aesthetically pleasing look we are considering the new steel clear coat product Glisten PC.

This has been a popular topic in forums with folks asking lots of questions about clear coating a bare steel frame so thought I'd give it a "blog about".  Visit the links listed below for more information regarding this topic.

Forum Discussion
Blog Article Opposed to Clear Coating Steel Frames
Lovely Bicycle Blog Article 
Sheldon Brown Article for Steel Frame Prep and Paint
Italian Frame Builder Who Clear Coats Frames

In pursuit of the ultimate multiple surface, multiple terrain touring and commuting bicycle?  With the ever expanding market of fat tire and touring expedition bikes, popularity in that style of bike is here to stay.

As I was perusing fat tire mountain bike reviews, forums and the like I read the following statement;  "to me $1,500 is not a lot to spend on a bike".   That quote relates to the low end price of a quality "fat tire bike" as compared to Surly Pugsley, Moonlander, and others. It's a national trend and bike shops are selling them like hot cakes.  Really, in this so called "awful economy" folks are going out to spend well over a thousand dollars on a bicycle.  

As good as that is to hear, I set about to build a bike the way I ride, middle way.  I'm referring to cost as well as tire size.  So far my "like new build" or "new to me build" has cost something around $442. 93.  Yep and I have two rear wheels as I found a WTB Dual Duty 24" disc rear wheel with tube and Kenda Kinetics 2.6" tire all intact at a thrift store for $2.93.  I later found a Mavic Disc Wheelset for $40 that I can select tires for as a more practical commuter bike.
I prefer my brakes and shifters to be separate rather than the popular integrated models.  I also prefer that the inner working mechanics of the shifters not be made of plastic as I have observed them wear out and are expensive to replace, particularly the integrated models.  One of the reasons bar end shifters on drop bars are so popular with today's touring bikes like Surly's Long Haul Trucker.

I found the precise component group I was looking for on a '91 Diamond Back Ascent EX that had hardly been ridden by evidence of no wear on original chain and original tires still had "whiskers".  I considered sticking with that frame but it was too small at 17.5" and I was looking to build a bike for touring with disc brakes..  Deore thumb shifters with index and friction options are still sought after and get a pretty penny in good condition on ebay.  Paul Thumbies were over priced for this build.  So, for $50 I purchased the entire bike, pulled the components which were all of the Shimano LX line including cassette, chain, crankset and rear derailleur.  Of course I kept the DB frame for another build as the frame design is very interesting meeting some of the standards of a touring bike.  Such as three bottle cage mounts with one under the downtube, longer top tube and chainstays.  

 I also wanted to be able to add a rear rack with disc brake without too much hassle. Read Blog Post Here. 

Photo shows compatibility of Kenda Nevegal 26" x 2.1 on front with Kenda Kinetics 24" x 2.6" on rear.  Due to the size of the rear tire it doesn't effect riding position enough to be noticeable and sure makes for a fun trail bike with aggressive tread pattern on rear.

For commuting the Kenda Small Block Eight is used in place of the Kinetics for low rolling resistance on pavement and dry trail surfaces.  Nevegal on front maintains sure handling.

A bicycle that rolls fast for commuting with lots of starts and stops,  ability to take on pot holes, ride across grass, etc.
Oversized 31.8mm Mountain Riser Comfort Bars provide sure handling with loaded commuter panniers and handles changes in riding surface.

Just wanted to update this post regarding the Diamond Back Ascent EX as I recently installed a set Origin8 Gary2 Bars for multiple hand positions.  I really like how the bike looks and feels and the bar end shifters are a nice touch. More information regarding the project is available at highlighted link provided.