Neil Fein's Blog

Neil Brennen and I have come to realize that we have different touring needs, and we've decided that Shake, Rattle and Roll has been our last tour together.

I'm sorry to see this happen, but I'm glad we rode together for the time that we did. It's been fun, and we learned a lot from each other over touring 700+ miles together, not to mention day rides and organized rides.

Even if not explicitly stated, NOW has always been at least somewhat about learning and improvement. "What can we do better next time?" was a standard conversation after a tour.

• Packing - I tend to overpack, and I still do. I like to think that I've improved since I brought 4 paniers and a huge camp roll for a 2-day trip.
  
• Climbing - the hills of Chester county (where Neil lives) are truly epic. Our tour to Bethlehem highlighted that there are always steeper hills.
  
• Camping - I've now camped 4 times with NOW, the only camping experience I have to date. I'm at the point where I can set up and break down in a reasonable amount of time, and can get a decent night's sleep in a small tent.
  Planning - Mapping appropriate roads, setting the length of the day to something realistic, and planning to ride in an area that's interesting to begin with are all important things to know how to do if a tour is to be successful.

Labels: bicycle, bike, neilsonwheels, touring

Train across from the campsite. Trains on this line kept us up all night. Campers are advised to bring earplugs.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

Neil B had to bow out of the ride after a fall, but he made it pretty damn far, riding 90 miles on a broken rib.

Neil and Judy followed me in a car, in my mad dash to cover the last 100 miles to DC in one day. They made sure I ate properly, didn't overheat, and drank a lot of water.

Thanks again to everyone who sent donations - I exceeded my target of $1000 for epilepsy research. There are a lot of people who made this ride possible, and thank you to everyone involved!

I have many more pics to sort through, and a journal as soon as I can get it all finished. I filled many notebook pages that I have to type up and edit.

Click on the pictures for a larger version and more information.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

So last night I didn't actually talk to Neil until I was about to go to bed, so I wasn't sure if I could keep my eyes open long enough to post. And by the time I got here tonight, Neil had already posted a bit. But let's see if I can fill in some of the back story.

The big issue yesterday is that Neil got a flat. He had spare tubes -- so no problem, right? Well, actually, since this is a new bike, neither Neil had checked to see if the pumps they were bringing on tour with them worked with the valve. After going through two tubes, they called a guy from bike forums to come meet them. Neil had one tube left, but he also had a rip in the tire sidewall. So they planned to go to a bike store to get him a new tire and another tube. (And a pump that actually works with his bike, I assume.)

So during the day, they crossed the Mason-Dixon Line at the same time that they crossed from Pennsylvania into Maryland. And before they did that, they passed Deale, PA, which is the highest elevation on the trail. They went through the Big Savage Tunnel, which is an old railroad tunnel that's been converted for the trail. It's about 7/10 of a mile long, and it also represents the divide between water that drains to the Atlantic and water that drains to the Gulf of Mexico. (Neil called it the continental divide, but that's in the Rockies.)

After that, it's all downhill from there. Literally -- they got past the highest point. They stopped in Frostburg, MD for the night, and stayed in a dorm at Frostburg State University.

I'll post more for Neil once I actually talk to him. (We've been leaving each other messages all day.) You can also see below for more info.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

I'm in the library in Cumberland, so here's an update. Sorry it's brief. I'm keeping a notebook so I'll have more when we get back. Most of this entry is cannibalized form an post I just made on bikeforums.net.

Neil B took a spill, and he's is resting up in the Bruce House, a local B&B. He seems okay so far and may be able to ride tomorrow, but we'll know a lot more in the AM. We've stopped early in Cumberland, which is just as well since there's a thunderstorm coming and there's a tornado warning - the second we've had on this tour. Much contingency planning is occurring, since this puts us 30 miles behind.

Everyone we've met on the road has been great! It's great to finally put faces to the names.

Neil's trailer is pretty wobbly, and the quick release hitch keeps jamming. It was checked out; apparently the quick-release retaining pins were bent, and forcing the hitch onto the skewer was making it worse.

A sharp rock jumped out to bite my tire on a few miles west of Frostburg. I had to get a new tire in Cumberland, and I rode it around town a little bit while under the full load and it seems fine. I have three spare tubes. I may tour with a spare tire next time. Martha is correct that I could be traveling lighter, I've learned a lot from this tour. We're having a great time, despite the setbacks. (More mechanical issues... sigh.)

It's amazing to see everyone commenting here and keeping the thread going over on bikeforums; I feel pretty pumped from seeing y'all following our progress. Keep it coming! I'll check in again when I can.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

Neil called me tonight from his campsite approximately 15 miles from Confluence. (No, I have no idea where these things are. Apparently Confluence is near Cumberland, if that helps anyone. I think they're still in Pennsylvania.)

During the ride today, the Neils met up with Judy (from Bike Forums) and her 14-year-old daughter Libby. Judy and Libby took the Neils in their car from the trail to visit Falling Water, a famous house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Also joining them was a guy they met on the trail who is doing the same trip. (Sorry, but I forgot to write down the name of the other guy.)

After getting back to the trail, Judy and Libby took all the bags from the Neils and drove on, which meant that the Neils could ride unencumbered for a bit (although Neil says that the bike is holding up well with the load). Then all four of them went about 15 miles up in the mountains to a campsite, where they're going to spend the night.

Tomorrow is going to be what Neil thinks will be the toughest day -- 49 miles over hills. But both Neils decided to mail some stuff home (or in my Neil's case, to DC), including the guitar, which was making PA Neil feel unbalanced. That should make it easier.

Neil's been doing laundry about every other day, and he says that seems to work fine. But he also told me that the guy they visited Falling Water with is doing the same trip with just two panniers and a Solitaire tent. So maybe Neil could reduce his load even further for future tours.

As y'all can probably tell, I finally remembered to take notes tonight, which is why I have details about where they are and who they're with. I'll update again tomorrow night.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

Well, the Neils spent last night at an inn that has recently been refurbished. Apparently there's even a Las Vegas room with lots of Elvis memorabilia. They got caught in a downpour about 5 miles out yesterday, so they arrived soaking and muddy. Luckily, today they found a combination bike shop and restaurant that let them use their hose to clean off their bikes.

They rode on the trail today, and made an average of about 10 miles per hour. (12 or so on the flats.) Both Neils are feeling a bit wobbly as they get used to their equipment: NJ Neil has his new REI bike that he's still breaking in, and PA Neil is dealing with a trailer.

Tonight they're camping at a site on the trail that includes a laundromat. They're having fun and haven't had any major arguments so far. My Neil is considering mailing his guitar back, since he hasn't really used it at all, but he'll make the decision later.

More to come as I hear it.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

Well, I've heard from Neil, and the trip is underway.

Neil and Neil drove out to Pittsburgh on Friday, and stayed with a guy from the bike forums. This morning, the Neils left Pittsburgh, and biked what my Neil described as the most harrowing day of the trip. That's because the two of them needed to get out of Pittsburgh in order to get to the beginning of the trail that they'll be following most of the way to DC. They're spending the night in a hotel, and tomorrow should start on the trail.

Unfortunately, Neil hasn't been able to talk for long, so he'll give me more details when he gets the chance.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

The trais were running late last night, but NJ Transit made up the time between Jersey Ave and Princeton Junction. I got into Philly on time and Neil picked me up in the Neilmobile.

I was putting the front rack back on the bike (I had taken it off to get the bike in the Neilmobile) and an allen screw got cross-threaded in one of the front eyelets. In the midst of visions involving 4 panniers and the ability to carry only two of them, Neil's roommate Josh saved the day using a Dremel, a drill,and a screw extractor. The eyelet has no threads to speak of now, but the rack is firmly on that side with a bolt and nut. My joking around about using zip ties to attach the rack had been becoming a bit less of a joke each time...

Must shower and get dressed. when Neil and Josh get back with the rental car, we'll pack up stuff and bikes and head out.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

I'm going to be biking the Great Allegheny Passage and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath trails starting this weekend. That's over 300 miles of riding, mostly on crushed limestone and gravel.



Many generous people have donated to the Epilepsy Foundation for this ride, and I've raised just over $1000. Thanks again to everybody who donated! If you've been meaning to send money but haven't, it's not too late. (Here's the donation page.)

Needless to say, I'll be pretty out of touch next week. I'll probably leave my cell phone off for most of the time as well.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

...for an hour or so. I just finished a new tour journal, and it's chock full of cool stuff, including:

• Dead animals!
  
• Tension!
  
• Camping in the freezing cold!
  
• Fighting between the Neils!
  
• An awesome vanilla malted!

The whole thing is here. Please read it and let me know if you enjoyed it, I'd love to hear from you.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/greenlane

Green Lane campground just before sunrise, Green Lane Park, PA

a quickr pickr post

Labels: bicycle, bike, camping, touring

I'm back from the latest bike tour. There was some good, some bad. I finished the Crazyguy tour journal.

Festive cyclist in Philadelphia, the Art Museum in the background.

Light show at Macy's department store in Philadelphia, PA

a quickr pickr post

Click on the pictures for a larger version and more information.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

I'm almost ready for this Saturday morning, that is, assuming neither myself or Neil have a rough time while riding because we haven't ridden all that much lately... assuming my bike doesn't explode (I had to replace a rim today, surprise!)... and so on. Oh, yeah, and assuming I don't get sick again (I'm mostly over my the cough I had last week).

That's enough whining. Here's the plan, the links are maps with cue sheets:

• Day 1: The Neils meet in Philadelphia, we ride around the city, see stuff, do stuff, crash in the hotel. (All the nights are hotels.) Maybe 20 miles for the day? Not sure. (Neil will be riding there from Kimberton to meet me, I'll take the train.)
  
• Day 2: Philly to Doylestown, 33 miles
  I have no idea what's to do in Doylestown, but I'm sure there'll be something interesting.
  Philly art museum to Doylestown
  
• Day 3, Doylestown to Bethlehem, 34 miles
  We'll be arriving in Pennsylvania's "Christmas City" on December 24th. I'm Jewish, but still looking forward to seeing the spectacle.
  Doylestown to Bethlehem
  
• Day 4: Bethlehem to Kimberton, ~50 miles
  
  • Part 1
    
  • Part 2
    
  • Part 3: Green Lane to Kimberton (Neil knows this part).

Last I checked, the weather looked decent, but we'll be prepared if it rains or snows.

Unless I get sick or have more mechanical problems or... naaaah. Never happen. What could possibly go wrong? Um, I never said that.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

I've finished transcribing and making the journal I dictated on tour generally enjoyable to read. Enjoy! (There are more pics on the photosite that didn't fit into the narrartive.)

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/nov2007tour

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

I had a great time, 188.7 miles over 5 days. I'm typing up the tour journal. Me on the first day, in Philadelphia:



...and here I am at my second-night warm showers host. (Photo by WS host Rick.)



More to follow very soon.

Click on the pictures for a larger version and more information.

Labels: bicycle, touring

Despite all the planning in the world, there's nothing like experience. Here's what I learned on my first bike tour:

• Mud puddles, dead ends, and heavy gravel are great fun - on a mountain bike with the right tires, not so much fun with 30 pounds of stuff hanging from the rack. this was clear in Cheesequake State Park, of which we had no trail maps. Possibly because you really can't call them proper trails when they're overgrown and blocked by bogs. In the future, I'll avoid planning routes through large parks without knowimg more details. touring is a blut seeing stuff and exploring, but stuff like this slows you down too much.
  
• I could have left the extra cycling outfit, book, and iPod at home, but I wish I had taken a rain jacket.
  
• Even in warm weather, it gets cold in the early morning. Arm and leg warmers are invaluable, even if they do make you look like a jazzercise refugee.
  
• Rain can be a good thing. We had one burst of rain for 20 minutes or so, and I found it very refreshing.
  
• Utility roads are evil. Water Works Road in Old Bridge, NJ, looks like a perfectly respectable road on maps and satellite photos. Water Works Road is a dirt and gravel road blocked by scrub and a downed telephone pole.
  
• Compasses and non-intertubes Hagstrom maps rule. Where bikely cue sheets failed us, "real" maps saved the day, and where Hagstrom county maps were (infrequently) misleading, the compass saved our lycra-clad sore asses. Bike-mounted compasses suck if you have a steel frame; I took along a small hiking compass I picked up for $10.

So... what's next? Neil and I have been kicking around a few ideas. I'd like to do a week-long tour of 200+ miles, but the next time I'll have a week off will probably be December. You can tour in the snow, but I'm still new at this. I really don't want to be changing a flat or fixing a brake cable on a county highway in a snowstorm.

Labels: bike, touring

Neil and Neil on the bridge over the Navesink river in Red Bank, NJ

I think that bike touring is my favorite kind of biking, and I've only done one proper tour. (It becomes a tour when you ride for a bit, stay overnight somewhere away form home, rinse, repeat.) Just you, a bike, a friend, and 30 pounds of stuff in side bags, is somehow very cool. Neil and I rode from Edison to Red Bank yesterday, and in the morning continued on to Monmouth Beach to see the shore, then returned.

Over the 100 mile ride, Cheesequake State Park was our first real stumbling block. Hagstrom County maps and Google Maps-generated cue sheets are great tools, and both have incorrect and unclear information. In the park, we didn't even have that; we used luck and a compass to get across the park, doing our best to avoid unbikeable trails and deep mud puddles. That compass saved us several times, and it takes a lot of the guesswork out of map reading.

We took the Henry Hudson bike path for 7.5 miles, from Matawan to Belford. It was a nice break from road riding, but there were a lot of bugs. I had to scrub insect corpses off my skin when we got to the hotel room later that day.

When we were heading into Red Bank, we decided that we wouldn't continue on to the shore that day. The hotel was kind enough to let us bring out bikes up to the room. Martha, Grazina, and Asad drove down to Red Bank and we all went for dinner at a very good Italian restaurant.

At 6am, we woke up and got ready for the road. When I was packing and loading the bike, the front tire looked like it had when I pulled the bike out of the basement this past spring, after two years of no riding. I inspected the tire and tube carefully, and I found no nails or glass. There were no errant spokes that could have poked a hole in the tube. There was, in fact, no hole in the tube that I could see. (It might have been a pinch flat, which can happen from a pothole or jumping down a curb. I'm glad I was able to change the tube with a minimum of fuss.

I packed carefully to avoid taking stuff I didn't need, since the more you have the slower you will go. I learned this lesson on my first bicycle commute home from work. Once you're down to the bare minimum, it's quite satisfying to be able to keep a good pace with full panniers and trunk bag.

We rode to Monmouth Beach in about 45 minutes and had breakfast in Amy's, an omelette/pancake place on the main drag that MArtha and I found while we were scouting road conditions for this tour. We rode over to the beach After fueling up so we could touch the Atlantic Ocean. I graffitied the ephemeral "Neils on Wheels" in the sand.


Seen on a front lawn near route 35.

The trip back went a lot more quickly. We replotted the route when having breakfast, spreading the county maps over the table, trying not to knock the drinks over. We missed a couple of turns (two major streets weren't marked or didn't exist) but we kept a decent pace and didn't make too many side trips. We also avoided the dirt road Water Works Road in Old Bridge, along with the downed telephone pole blocking the road.

Click on the pictures for a larger version and more information.

Labels: bike, touring