Excellent work. Clearly the first of many. Thanks for sharing the shots! On Aug 30, 12:39 pm, Rob Harrison <robha...@gmail.com> wrote: > This past weekend I finally got a chance to try a S24O. What a great > idea! It was a gorgeous weekend in the Seattle area. I rode out to > Vashon Island from our house in the Mt. Baker neighborhood--one way > about 22 miles plus a nice ferry ride. Not epic by any means, but > perfect for my first time bike camping. I rode my 650B Saluki. The > draw was the Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiasts Isle of Vashon TT, a > vintage motorcycle rally I have attended for many years on various > motorcycles. I sold my last bike a couple months ago > (<http://bigbirdcage.blogspot.com/2010/05/selling-my-motorcycle.html > >) but didn't want to let not having a motorcycle get in the way of > hanging out with old friends. For the last six years we've camped at > the Eagles Club, which always proves to be "interesting." A nice big > grassy lawn for tents, very cheap drinks in the evening and a big ol' > breakfast buffet in the morning. Nothin' like camping at the bar....;) > > Here are some pictures: > <http://www.flickr.com/photos/robharrison/sets/72157624837312162/with/... > > > > A few things worked really well: > > • I switched out my 8-speed 12-28 cassette and DA 7800-series rear > derailleur for a Harris Cyclery custom 13-34 cassette and an XTR RD, > along with a new SRAM chain. I was really glad I did! I was able to > shift into the 26T chainring and 34T sprocket and slowly toodle on up > the ~300' elevation gain from the ferry. The XTR RD shifts as well as > the DA. Took a little getting used to the low-normal, since it > reversed the function on the levers on the ErgoPower brifters. This > particular Harris custom cassette number CS837 > (<http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/k7.html#8 > >) has the following sprockets: 13-15-17-19-21-23-26-34. There's a > big jump between the 26T and the 34T, and that is the only problematic > gear change. It does eventually jump up there though. I may try > fiddling with the barrel adjusters, see if that makes any difference. > > • With the rains fast approaching, I decided to switch tires, from my > beloved Pari-Motos to the Schwalbe Marathons I bought from Franklyn. I > put in a set of Schwalbe tubes while I was at it. While they don't > feel as nice as the Pari-Motos, I really appreciate the extra > confidence of knowing I'm unlikely to flat. This ride went through a > fair amount of industrial area with bad pavement, and not having to > worry as much about glass in the road was super nice. > > • I'm liking the Trail Designs Caldera Ti-Tri stove. The whole thing > is super light and compact, and burns alcohol or wood. Nicest thing > about alcohol is it's so quiet! > > A couple things I'll change when I can: > > • The medium Wald basket is a touch small...though I wouldn't > necessarily want to carry a heavier load up front. I'm saving up for a > PlatRack, which I can take off more easily when it's not necessary. I > haven't found the basket as universally useful as I thought it would be. > > • My yellow Ortleib Backroller Classic panniers worked totally fine, > but were a bit of a pain to get in an out of, and clash with the > butterscotch of the Saluki. (Oh NO! ;)) I didn't have a handlebar bag, > and I was using my Panasonic GF-1, which doesn't quite fit in a jersey > pocket. Maybe I'll try Grant's strap technique. Eventually I'd like to > invest in a SaddleSack Large. > > • Definitely would like a lighter shelter. Looking at either making a > RayWay tarp and bug net, or a hammock. I like the Warbonnet Blackbird > hammock. Between cutting down the weight of luggage + rack, and a > lighter shelter I could probably take ~7 lbs off the setup. Which > would probably be made up in food, if I was camping somewhere besides > the lawn outside a bar....:) > > Rob in Seattle
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