Getting Ready  June 4, 2014

Today was a great day to work on putting final touches on the preparations for the trip.

I was able to get in touch with good friends in Connecticut and made arrangements to visit with them after conclusion of the bike ride.   We meet a couple of years ago on the Southern route Coast to Coast ride. Since that time we have corresponded but have not had a chance to get together.  This is really great. Making new friends is terrific but catching up with old friends is fabulous.  This enabled me to finalize my flight home which I was able to book at an exceptionally good price.

My theory on bike tires is that folding tires suffer from cord separation where the tire is folded.  The rubber has not cured when the tire is folded up and eventually the tire fails at one of these folds.  I have always achieved double the mileage from non-folding tires. They mount much easier and this in turn spares the tire from additional trauma suffered as you roll and fight the tire on the rim.  An additional benefit to non-folding tires is that they are much cheaper than their folding compatriots.  These made in the Cech Republic were an outstanding value at just $13 apiece.  Yes they are a few grams heavier and yes as these few grams are on the rim it is rotating weight. These few grams will probably put me out of contention for the Tour, however as the tread thickness is at least double I am betting the puncture resistance is going to be very good.   They were a breeze to mount and have a max pressure rating of 115 psig.  I’ll let you know how they work out.

I practiced putting my camp chair together and placing my beverage holder.  Things worked out very well.  The chair rolls into a package 4” in diameter and 8” long and weighs in at only 300 grams.   It is very comfortable and doubles as a rocker.

I also practiced walking around the yard with my tray.  The high tech non-slip surface worked brilliantly.  The plastic cup never fell over and I am sure that even with a generous portion of lasagna on the paper plate it will stay put.  

I am so ready.

Terry