Anticipation - Northeast Minnesota 2023 - CycleBlaze

August 1, 2023

Anticipation

Some good, some angst

IT'S THE FIRST OF AUGUST, just five weeks and two days before the start of what's laid out as a 770-mile, 17-day odyssey through northeast Minnesota.  770 miles is 40 more than I've ridden so far this entire year, so there's clearly work to be done.  Fortunately, there's still time to correct that if I can muster the self-discipline to do it.

It's to be a "princess tour": hotels every night, and a chase vehicle to carry the luggage and set up rest stops along the line of each day's route.  That certainly helps mitigate some of the physical demands, but it'll have been 15 months since I last put out that level of sustained effort.

Overview of the route: a clockwise loop starting from and ending in Maple Grove MN. 17 calendar days, 15 riding days.
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The tour's been organized by someone I've never met and involves a dozen souls equally unknown to me and, I presume, mostly to one another as well.  There's always a bit of risk in such a venture but it mostly seems to turn out well enough, so what the heck?

A fellow CycleBlazer invited me last winter, based on their having followed my journal of last summer's ride from Bend, OR to Cody, WY.  We've also never met but based on my journal they thought I'd fit in well with the group.  Sadly, sometime after I committed to the tour the person who invited me had to back out so it feels as if I'm stepping into something of a void.

I'm leaning toward riding Serenity but if push comes to shove I may fall back on my much-lighter road bike ("Mad Max") instead.  There's no severe climbing so the terrain won't pose any insurmountable hurdles.  It comes down to the usual debate: do I want to have an option to carry snacks, rain gear, and other impedimenta while I ride, or do I want to adopt the minimalist approach that comes naturally with a carbon fiber road bike?  Happily that's not a decision I have to make until I'm actually packing the car.

This one?
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Or this one?
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Definitely not this one.
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Bruce LellmanHey, that's a great bike!
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9 months ago
Keith AdamsTo Bruce LellmanThe bloom is off the rose for me in my regard for that one. I'll put it up for sale one of these days.
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9 months ago
Bruce LellmanTo Keith AdamsI love my Bike Friday. It has served me well but the bloom is starting to go off that rose for me as well. On our last trip in Thailand I noticed that the derailleur was awfully close to the tire. And, it turns out it actually did touch the sidewall of my tire wearing into the rubber considerably! That has never happened before. But now I don't see why it won't happen again. I have had bike mechanics look at it and they just shrug their shoulders. It's a sad situation because now I don't trust the bike anymore.
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9 months ago
Keith AdamsTo Bruce LellmanA rear derailleur hitting the tire sidewall sounds like either a bent derailleur hanger, bent derailleur cage, and/or or out-of-adjustment travel limiter screw, or some combination of all three.

I would inspect the derailleur first to be sure that it didn't get bent during some previous pack-and travel (or transport) event. Then I'd check whether the derailleur hanger (where the derailleur screws into the frame) is properly aligned. Since it's a steel piece of a steel frame, there should be *some* degree to which it could be pulled outward without cracking anything.

Mostly mine has served well enough but there have been a few issues.
One of those has to do with tire availability (as in, none to be had "in the wild") and general performance. After trashing three tires in a month last summer, and being unable to find retail replacements (I could have ordered some online but that's not what I want to do in the middle of a tour in sparsely-populated Wyoming and Nebraska), I elected to cut the tour short rather than risk yet another failure that could have left me stranded miles from anywhere.

Also, I felt as if I was working harder to get the same performance as I could have gotten from a diamond frame. I don't know if it's wheel size (the wheels have to spin faster at any given speed than larger ones, increasing the effect of friction in the bearings) or overall frame rigidity / compliance, or what, but it's definitely a slower bike than Serenity.

Finally, although Bike Friday very commendably sent me (under warranty, on a 15-year old bike!) a replacement rear triangle after one of the dropouts at the junction between the top of the rear triangle and the tube that secures the seat mast broke off, I've lost confidence in that aspect of the design. I know of at least one other BF owner who had an identical failure.
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9 months ago
Bruce LellmanThe derailleur hanger doesn't look bent to me or to the service people I took it to. They went over the whole thing and since it had been years of no service whatsoever I had them replace a lot of things. But the derailleur is still too close to the tire for comfort. I'll look at those other possibly causes you mentioned. Thank you.

I have had virtually nothing go wrong with my Bike Friday until now. It's been an absolutely great bike so I would be sad to ditch it now. As for tires, there also, I have had no problems. I only use Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires (really hard to get on) and have never once had a flat! And we have been on some really rough roads in SE Asia. Four long trips through Asia and not one flat!! I am not a mechanic nor do I want to deal with fixing flats so I've maybe been lucky.

Thank you for your advice.
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9 months ago
Keith AdamsTo Bruce LellmanI hope my comments help get the derailleur issue sorted out.

As for tires... I was also using Schwalbe Marathons (may or may not have been the "Plus" variant, I can't recall now) but had a ridiculous number of punctures as well as two full-out structural failures (one bead broke, and a pothole impact did in the internal structure of another).

Even before those events I've had mixed results at best: glass, stray wires along the roadside, and other "natural" hazards produced numerous punctures both during my tour and in the months of training rides before it. Of course those same hazards might just as easily have affected any other brand and model and size of tire; I don't hold Schwalbe responsible for all the roadside junk I encounter. But given how hard it is to source and obtain 406x1.5" (or wider) tires I've had enough.

Some day I may even be able to re-grow all the knuckle skin I've lost while unmounting and remounting those dang things a couple dozen times.
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9 months ago

To get from Maryland to Minnesota and back, I've decided to drive rather than fly.  It'll be a leisurely transit: I need to be in Maple Grove in time to join a 5:00 pre-ride meeting on September 6th, so I'll probably leave home on Labor Day (September 4th) or maybe even the 3rd.  Rather than taking the interstates my plan is to use secondary roads for the most part, stopping at roadside attractions and taking in the local flavor where I can.  Eight or nine hours of driving each day should be enough to get me there in time and still leave ample time for stops along the way.

In addition to my bike and tour gear, I'll be taking a folding kayak and my golf clubs, to be used when I visit college friends in northern Wisconsin after the tour's finished.  There'll also be a few days spent with my Twin Cities area cousins, in between the end of the tour and the time I arrive in Wisconsin.

The kayak is an "origami" type; it breaks down and folds into a unit compact enough to fit in the trunk of a small sedan so it shouldn't pose insurmountable problems getting it to fit in my CR-V so long as the back seat is folded down.
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Mike AylingWhat is the skin made of?
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9 months ago
Keith AdamsTo Mike AylingSome type of corrugated plastic. It's naturally buoyant, but I also have a pair of inflatable air bladders that go in the bow and stern just to be sure.

One of the attractive features is that it's only 40 pounds or so- pretty good for a two-seat plastic boat. I've seen molded boats that weigh in at twice that weight.
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9 months ago
Rachael AndersonGreat looking kayak!
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9 months ago
Keith AdamsTo Rachael AndersonThanks Rachel. It's a fun boat and always attracts the attention of other paddlers, who are generally curious about its design, construction, assembly, etc.

In their promotional video, the manufacturer's "Chief Origamist" (a really groovy job title, by the way) presents their lineup of offerings. The video doesn't belabor the point or even mention it, but in fact the guy is demonstrating the inherent strength of the design by doing his spiel while standing atop the gunwales of one of the boats.
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9 months ago
I hope to have lots of this kind of view.
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Rachael AndersonThat looks fun!
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9 months ago
Keith AdamsTo Rachael AndersonIt is!
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9 months ago

It also appears that my homeward-bound trajectory will include a pass through both peninsulas of Michigan, in order to check out a resort my extended family is considering as a host site for our planned 2025 family reunion.  That'll give me a second bite at an apple I missed in 2021: an opportunity to visit a large patch of old growth forest on the shore of Lake Superior, preserved as the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan's upper peninsula.

In all, I'll be gone from home for nearly a month.  I hope the cat remembers me when I finally get back home.

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Comment on this entry Comment 12
Bill ShaneyfeltSounds fun! I also plan to be heading that direction with some friends who invited me to go along driving from Dayton, OH to some unspecified to me BWCAW entry point for a week starting about mid Sep.

I have eyeballed those origami kayaks, but at 77, I probably would not use it enough to be worth having. I'm sure you will enjoy it up there!
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9 months ago
Kelly IniguezI had to look up White Mountain Wilderness, to see if we went there in 2021, and didn't realize it. No. We were very close, at Ontonagon, but then we dropped down and rode the shore of Lake Gogebic.

I look forward to following along.

Not that you asked my opinion, but I vote for the most comfortable bike. If they are both comfortable, then I think you should take the go fast bike, since you have the SAG wagon, take advantage of it!
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9 months ago
Keith AdamsTo Kelly Iniguez"Not that you asked my opinion, but I vote for the most comfortable bike. "

All votes count, or ought to. :)

They're about equally comfortable, and equally enjoyable to ride.

It'll be easier to carry my "good" camera (the faux-SLR LUMIX) in Serenity's handlebar bag, and I hope / plan / expect to take many photos.
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9 months ago
Kelly IniguezTo Keith AdamsAs I rode across some dried mud from flooded roads today, it occurred to me that if you are going to ride dirt paths (?), wider tires would be better for the job.

Give us lots of preamble to your trip, it’s going to be fun!
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9 months ago
Keith AdamsTo Kelly IniguezThere may be some sidewalks and MURPs but no significant unpaved segments, as I understand it.

In the event we get rained on, though, Serenity's fenders ("mudguards" to those of you who hail from the former British Empire) will be an asset although they're very close to the tires ("tyres", to the same subset of readers as above) making any buildup of crud somewhat problematic.
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9 months ago
Bruce LellmanTo Bill ShaneyfeltMy favorite place on earth is Quetico Provincial Park which adjoins the BWCAW in Canada. The BWCAW is a close second favorite place for me. Having moved from Minnesota to Portland, OR 40 years ago it is harder now to just take off and go on a canoe trip up there. I'm envious of you doing it. Have fun.
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9 months ago
Keith AdamsTo Bruce LellmanTo be clear, I won't be in the Boundary Waters area on this trip. I did have that privilege a few lifetimes ago when as an early teenager I joined my father, an uncle, and several cousins close to my age for a week of paddling in the pristine Canadian wilderness.

I was fortunate to have that opportunity, and even more to be able to repeat it a few years later on when my church youth group made a trip up there as well.

This time, I'll be paddling on lakes closer to the Twin Cities, and in northern Wisconsin. That'll be a great experience too and I'm looking forward to it.
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9 months ago
Bill ShaneyfeltTo Bruce LellmanStarting in 1989, I have gone there about 15 times, I think, with various groups of guys from churches I have attended. About 7 or 8 years back, I told the guys it was my last because my knees were about gone. However, this time it is with a guy who was a kid on one of those trips and he is going with his fiance and with another old guy friend of his who lives up there and has the equipment, looking for an excuse to go. I have been assured there are no long portages, so we will see how it goes. Mid Sep can be "iffy" weatherwise up there too.
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9 months ago
Bruce LellmanTo Keith AdamsNorthern Wisconsin lakes are wonderful as well. In fact, paddling on any lake in that region is really fun and beautiful.

My first canoe trip in the BWCAW was with a church group in 1967. After that I made numerous trips in the Boundary Waters area including what is now Voyageurs National Park. Quetico is slightly less visited and is vast which is why it's my favorite place to canoe. I need to return before I get too old.

Have fun!
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9 months ago
Bruce LellmanTo Bill ShaneyfeltI'm glad you have the opportunity to return to that unique and beautiful part of the world. Yes, mid-Sept. can be iffy weather but it can also be absolutely amazingly beautiful which is why it's worth the gamble. I think you will have a great trip.
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9 months ago
Keith AdamsTo Keith AdamsDoh! I just realized Bruce was responding to Bill, not to me... which makes his comment a lot easier to understand, given the context.

Sorry, Bruce! (Reading for detail isn't always one of my strongest suits, apparently.)
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9 months ago
Keith AdamsTo Bruce LellmanWisconsin bills itself as "America's Dairyland" but to a denizen of the Chicago suburbs as I was when growing up, it was also "Illinois' Playland".

I'm really looking forward to returning to the woods and lakes of that area, after way too many decades away.
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9 months ago