somewhat piggishJoined: 05 Aug 2005Posts: 5415Location: on porch with shotgun
I've spent the last two days riding from castle to castle along the Rhine getting drunk all the time!
I met some awesome dudes who are just opening a downhill shop in a tiny town here. They saw my Surly and almost pooped. "Shurrly! shurrly!! werry werry cool!"
these keyboards are retarded.
i hope you all die the painful and idiotic deaths you deserve tonight.
henry, could you be useful while you're over there like andre is suggesting and bring back some shiny german bike parts? you should see if there's an ortlieb dumpster.
Alex
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 8:41 am
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 3128Location: Roosevelt
lantius wrote:
you should see if there's an ortlieb dumpster.
The green Ortliebs that I used on my bike last weekend effectively came from the Ortlieb dumpster. The US distributor is just down in Kent. The same guys distribute Tubus (but for some reason don't import the silver painted ones into the US).
alex
Joe
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 9:01 am
Joined: 15 Feb 2007Posts: 430
Alex wrote:
lantius wrote:
you should see if there's an ortlieb dumpster.
The green Ortliebs that I used on my bike last weekend effectively came from the Ortlieb dumpster. The US distributor is just down in Kent. The same guys distribute Tubus (but for some reason don't import the silver painted ones into the US).
alex
Uhhh, I think we have our destination for the evening. Anybody been on the interurban lately? Last time I rode it, there was a lovely hobo camp just S of Renton where we could stop for hot dogs.
mork the delayer
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 9:16 am
Joined: 06 Apr 2006Posts: 548Location: Providence, RI
The Elephant and Castle sounds pretty great, but then the Ortlieb dumpster(kinda) could be a jackpot.
I just picked up a pair of panniers on Tuesday, but I need another pair before next Sunday (the 20th). (Touring with people who haven't toured before.)
_________________ Adam
the dreaded ben
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 10:13 am
Grumpy GreebJoined: 20 Aug 2005Posts: 5329Location: flavor country
mork the delayer wrote:
Ortlieb dumpster(kinda)
gimme maps.
perhaps we could ride the green river trail.
Alex
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 10:21 am
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 3128Location: Roosevelt
I should be clear on the "kinda".
Ortlieb used to sell damaged or mismatched or returned panniers at a huge discount to bike shop employees at the end of the year. I don't know if they actually put anything in the dumpster.
My panniers came from that end of the year sale.
alex
mork the delayer
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 10:28 am
Joined: 06 Apr 2006Posts: 548Location: Providence, RI
Alex wrote:
I should be clear on the "kinda".
Ortlieb used to sell damaged or mismatched or returned panniers at a huge discount to bike shop employees at the end of the year. I don't know if they actually put anything in the dumpster.
My panniers came from that end of the year sale.
alex
There is no dumpster.
_________________ Adam
Joe
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 10:32 am
Joined: 15 Feb 2007Posts: 430
mork the delayer wrote:
Alex wrote:
I should be clear on the "kinda".
Ortlieb used to sell damaged or mismatched or returned panniers at a huge discount to bike shop employees at the end of the year. I don't know if they actually put anything in the dumpster.
Joined: 13 Dec 2005Posts: 1930Location: balls deepx
two and a half!
jeff
Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 9:42 am
SOC pussyJoined: 05 May 2006Posts: 4501
"Hi guys, I really like, like, riding bikes. I was wondering if I could, like, come ride with you sometime?!"
TOTES!
henry
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 12:19 am
somewhat piggishJoined: 05 Aug 2005Posts: 5415Location: on porch with shotgun
They definately have the silver tubus racks. the shop down the street from my brothers apartment had probably 10 of each tubus rack i have ever seen in both silver and black. andre, i can probablz get you the racks but i need to figure out if i wlil have a way to carry them back. i checked prices when i was there in frankfurt and i think they were a little bit pricer than at home. i will be back in frankfurt on monday so i can check then.
i think ill go visit another castle and drink some more reisling.
Wow, those Germans sure know how to build a river.
Aaron
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 9:29 pm
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 4645
henry wrote:
They definately have the silver tubus racks. the shop down the street from my brothers apartment had probably 10 of each tubus rack i have ever seen in both silver and black. andre, i can probablz get you the racks but i need to figure out if i wlil have a way to carry them back. i checked prices when i was there in frankfurt and i think they were a little bit pricer than at home. i will be back in frankfurt on monday so i can check then.
i think ill go visit another castle and drink some more reisling.
oh yeah, i am here
Say hi to Claire!
Aaron
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 9:33 pm
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 4645
cuz you know I think she is hott
btw, who the fuck is Kyle?
Aaron
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 9:34 pm
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 4645
Oh the LOLZ I am having!
Aaron
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 9:35 pm
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 4645
Kyle, er, I mean, Henry, did you loose weight?
Hayduke
Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 7:01 am
Joined: 01 Feb 2006Posts: 677Location: Seattle, WA
Okay, so I haven't checked in since before finals, but this thread is the most topical.
Yo Henry, we seem to be on the same travel schedule, again - sorta. I am in Prague for a few days on my way to Austria for school. It is fucking beautiful here. I couldn't bring my bike, so I rented one - it is a piece of walmart shit, but I am happy because I am riding. I actually went straight to the steepest hill and powered up it and found the coolest little park with a bunch of skateboarders riding on an old Communist monument. On the ride down I thrashed the rear wheel of the wally bike so I had to take it back and traded up to bike two. Here is to .83 worldwide, I wish I could be here for CM Prague, they make a huge deal of it apparently.
henry
Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 11:23 am
somewhat piggishJoined: 05 Aug 2005Posts: 5415Location: on porch with shotgun
I had a bunch of observations about biking in Germany, but i'll save you the long version.
We decided Amsterdam was the wrong place to go so we decided on the Rhine and then the Mosel river valleys.
There is awesome bike infrastructure all over, but particularly along the path we chose. We were basically riding along major rivers the whole time, surrounded by vinyards and castles. We hung out in a town called Cochem for three nights, going on day trips from there.
In Frankfurt the main thing i noticed about the bikes was how practical they were. It was the norm for bikes to have: wide tires, full fenders, racks, generator powered front and rear lights, bells. New bikes i saw in the shops would come with all those things plus brooks saddles, a pump and often hydraulic rim brakes (that part i don't quite get, any insights?).
The trendy bikes are definitely mountain bikes. We did go to the super hipster bike shop (according to my brother). There they all seemed to ride old three speeds (pretty much junkers). On the walls they had hott racing bikes, road and cyclocross.
The infrastructure in the city is amazing. All major streets had bike lanes that were either right on the street (with no parking) or up on the sidewalk. Pedestrians were NOT tolerated in the bike path (which was generally designated by a seperate color of brick).
Bikes had seperate signals from peds and cars.
On smaller roads you just ride on the street, and almost all One-Ways are marked to allow bikes in both directions.
Frankfurt is a small town (about 600k people) and is totally flat. These things help with making bikes primary transport, but also people don't feel the need to haul ass on bikes. Since they're not usually riding around fast cars they go at a very relaxed pace, never breaking a sweat.
There were also rental bikes that you could call up with your cell phone to unlock. That is how my brother commutes to work daily.
Joined: 15 Aug 2006Posts: 2666Location: No Fun Town, USA
henry wrote:
We decided Amsterdam was the wrong place to go so we decided on the Rhine and then the Mosel river valleys.
Back when I was living in Germany (not-very-beautiful Saarbrucken), I decided to take a tour of the Mosel. I think I bummed a bike map off a friend. First leg Saarbrucken -> Metz. Pretty easy. Next leg, Metz -> Trier, picking up the trail along the Mosel. Also pretty easy.
Since I was staying in hostels exclusively, my next choice was either to go to Cochem, or some town whose name I've forgotten that was clearly about halfway there. I eyeballed it on the map. Cochem looked like about 40 miles. The other town about 20. Sure, the path followed the river, and the river was curvy (it had never been channeled), but 20 miles + the curviness was still ridiculously short. I chose to go to Cochem.
By the time I got to Cochem I knew it was way more than 40 miles. I never knew how long until last year, when I gmapped it: somewhere around 86.5 miles. I'd never gone that far before, and don't think I did again until last year when training for STP.
Things I remember about that bike path: it was supposed to be on both sides of the river, but in places it was just theoretical and I took to the street. One of my less-well-planned choices took me through a town carnival; much riding over heavy amusement park ride cables on the ground. Lots of biking through tiered vineyards in the steep slopes next to the river (the Mosel is wine country).
The next day, I was supposed to go Cochem to Koblenz (where the Mosel converges with the Rhine), but it started raining heavily and I gave up and took the train. After I parked my bike, I took the train back to visit Burg Eltz (a famous castle along the Mosel).
_________________ I have always thought in the back of my mind: Cheese and Onions
henry
Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 12:03 pm
somewhat piggishJoined: 05 Aug 2005Posts: 5415Location: on porch with shotgun
yeah i've got a bunch of pictures from burg eltz and the rhine/mosel confluence in there.
we got killed with the headwind going south (upstream) in the mosel. we were bitching about it at our hotel and a guy told us that in cochem they'd had sustained 35-40 mph winds that day. no wonder i was so fucking tired after only 60 miles.
the curviness killed us when we took the train up to Treir and then biked back to cochem. it was about a 30-40 minute train ride and then a 75 mile bike ride. But its hard to get to mad when you're riding your bike through vinyards and castles.
somewhat piggishJoined: 05 Aug 2005Posts: 5415Location: on porch with shotgun
Also fuck the TSA for opening up the bike case and then not closing it up right at all in DC. I doesn't look like anything is damaged, but when it came down the chute at Seatac i could see my tires and my fork through the huge gaps they left.
somewhat piggishJoined: 05 Aug 2005Posts: 5415Location: on porch with shotgun
And of course United lost my checked bag which has all my tools in it so i've got a pedal wrench, a chain tool and some vice grips to put this back together with. I need some shit at REI anyway, i'll just get a little multi tool and return it later.
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