Stanley Cookpot,(Adventure Cook Set) and Why I Like it-MLCB Post #461, February 13, 2020

Some people would like their camping gear to be flawless. That’s fine, provided you are willing to pay the freight for flawless. I have one criticism about the Stanley Adventure Cook Set. The cups included are about as useful as teats on a boar hog. I have no idea why they are included. They add weight and take up space better used by a spork or a little alcohol stove. I would be willing to pay a bit more for that, and that would make it an actual adventure cook set. As it stands, it is a cooking pot with a lid, and two nearly useless cups.

But it is probably the finest cooking pot with a lid I have seen. Especially for less than $15. I sort of wish it was wider. But the workmanship and design are nearly flawless. I like that the handle locks into position, both open and closed, as closed, the handles hold that pot lid on. I like the lid. It functions as both a steam vent and a strainer. Those are two things that are very valuable in camp cooking pots, and you don’t always see them. The pot is light for a stainless steel pot. It has graduations showing ounces. Importantly, an Ozark Trail cup will fit the outside of it. You could use a pot scrubber to make it fit tightly.

I went to Wal*Mart looking for their GSI clone cook set which has bowls and a bigger, wider pot. Those seem to have left the building. I have heard some reviews which say the non-stick coating flakes off and other quality control issues. I was on the fence about going to the Stanley, and went to two Wal*Marts, Target, and Dicks’ before I bought this. I live in the Midwest, and sometimes the aforementioned suppliers seem to have little or no camping gear as regards cooking. Wal*Mart appeared to have the best selection, followed by Dicks, who seemed to have space for more camping gear than they had.

If the weather had been better, I would have sojourned farther to Bass Pro/Cabelas, but it wasn’t. As it was, though, I am very happy with this outfit for touring. It will do a good job for basic one day trips when I don’t want to carry the backpacking stove and gas canisters. Sometimes I like just using the Trangia or the little wood stove. Sometimes, I just heat coffee or tea. But this would provide capacity and measurements for freeze-dried meals or other prepackaged entrees. I also saw some single servings of popular freeze dried meals at the Wal*Mart. It’s the only place I see single servings of that.

The pot is made of food grade 18/8 stainless steel. It is not a magnetic variety of stainless steel. The cups also double the weight of this pot, another reason to ditch the cups. It is 14 ounces with cups, and 8 ounces without. Around any fiery situation like this, I usually have leather gloves on. This insulates me from heat of cooking pot handles, and is a good safety measure against mishaps. Often, I use such gloves for riding gloves as well. I usually use Harbor Freight’s cheaper leather gloves. I will now have to get this little cook set adapted for my use, and take it out on the road for some real world experience. Once it stops snowing.

New Thoughts on the Raleigh Sojourn-MLCB Post #457, January 30, 2020

My Raleigh Sojourn is a little small. It is a little heavy. It has a compact frame. The bike shows a lot of seatpost. The chainstays seem a bit short for a heavy tourer. I do not think it has a great touring design. When I got this frame, I thought these deficiencies could be made up. But such is not the case. It has some minuses that need to be addressed. And I don’t like the color. Sand stands out pretty well in the Midwestern United States. It is welded, not lugged. It is of Reynolds 501, not 531, which would make it lighter and more springy. All this being said, the bicycle is not a total loss. It has a special future ahead of it.

When I say the bicycle is not a total loss, I undersell it. I think it was prophetic. It has disc brakes. The cycle is light enough. The rims will accept wide tires. As will the frame. I think it will make a great bikepacking and gravel bike. There, the bikes’ touring pedigree and welded constuction will give it the strength it needs for off-road, while also providing the characteristic necessities needed for poor roads or no roads, as well as the ability to be adapted for both touring and/or bikepacking loads. The bicycle may just have the requisite versatility to do both well.

Some of the gravel and chip seal roads in my area need just such a bicycle. One is never going to be fast on these road surfaces. They are a challenge in themselves, at times. Roadless travel is a whole different beast. Sometimes bikepacking takes these road surfaces all into itself. Often, on the same ride. I am thinking that some mountain bike characteristics, like the compact frame, and some touring bike characteristics, like the disc brakes and braze-ons, will all fit neatly into this plan of use.

Heavy, fast, and light touring can all be handled by the Schwinn Passage or the Trek 950, as well as the Bianchi Avenue. I am thinking now that brifters will be applied to the Sojourn. This will allow me to do all shifting and braking from the hoods. I will now have to reconfigure my headset and stem, I think. The seatpost may be fine. The saddle may change, and be another solid leather Amazon special. I have one on the Trek 950. I am very happy with it. A new paint job, with that sand as primer/base, will be an addition we will consider in the spring, along with some bikepacking bag system which may be made from things laying around. Or readily available.

Trek 720 is Ready MLCB Post #276, April 22, 2018

I used the old drop bars and cables from the Schwinn Impact to make things go better and faster in the Trek 720 conversion. I did this because the top tube lengths are similar between the bikes, and I needed both the rise and reach that mountain stem offers me for now. Threadless conversion is still planned, as that will make the bike cleaner and neater, in my opinion. This bike will evolve as I ride it, and changes will be made as necessary, from what I experience on some longer rides with it.

I think the paint job will wait, but not too long, as there are some places where the paint has long since gone missing, and others where the paint is merely emotionally attached to the bicycle. I think the bicycle may be getting some sort of camouflage. The top tube lettering will surely go as it is in terrible shape, and the other decals may be removed as well with a heat gun, or they may be worked into the camouflage pattern. I fear sponge painting may rear its’ ugly head in this endeavor.

I found some fenders at the co-op, and together with an old “Mountain Rack”, they complete the accessories for now, until another front rack can be happenstanced. And it isn’t too easy to find fenders to fit 700×35 tires, but I found some right off at the co-op, by my luck. This looks like my last wrenching project for the year, as it is now time to ride bicycles, rather than work on them. Sure, there’ll be some work as the bikes evolve into their final configurations, but the stable has reached completion for my needs at this time.

Enjoy Cycle Camping! MLCB Post #256, February 7, 2018

I found, when I did a bit of it, that cycle camping really was the best of two worlds. You were liberated from the machine age and the car camper/RV situation, yet could carry more weight than a backpacker. This was helpful, because slightly more heavy things are often cheaper than their ultralight backpacking counterparts. Of course, you also have to pack with more circumspection than the car camper, because weight limitations are only slightly less than those of the backpacker. But since your packs are all carried on the bike, and not you, they are more easy to carry, and less burdensome, in the literal sense.
While light weight is a prime consideration with the backpacker, some slightly heavier, and dare I say, more reliable, gear may be used by the bike camper. It is also easier to organize things into panniers than one bag. The problem with cycle camping is that you also have to carry support for the bicycle, tools and consumables and maintenance items. From tubes to multitools, there is more to basic support for a bicycle than one might think, and it weighs a bit as well. The longer the trip or tour, the more things you may need for this. Depending on where you tour, it may also be necessary for you to bring it all with you.
For food, on short trips, I generally use an alcohol stove, because of its’ versatility and ease of finding fuel. For shelter, I have a hammock, bug net, and tarp. Or a choice of tents, depending on energy and need for accommodation. For clothing, I have to admit that lycra is not my friend, so I usually just use trousers or shorts in khaki, and a white shirt. White reflects heat, and often can be found in lighter fabrics that also breathe. I also tend to favor flat pedals and stiff soled shoes, so my feet don’t bend over the pedals, fatiguing me all too soon. I find that with panniers, my feet are too big for spds and cleated shoes. To avoid pannier strike, or heel strike, I use regular flat pedals like old racing bikes had, or like BMX bikes used.
We’ll get a better look at a touring load when I show my method for packing panniers, and what all the weights look like, and how that all gets balanced. It will be a lot less than what some folks think you need, but remember to strike a balance between needs and wants. As you pedal down the road, you want only what you need. When you make camp, you want everything you left behind. Luckily, electronics, some food packaging, and clothing have all become lighter over the years. And your ability to stay in touch no longer depends on crossing paths with your mail at some post office where it may or may not have been forwarded. On a bike, the possibilities for travel are endless, but so are the possibilities of mishaps. The best course is to try and prevent maintenance headaches by preparing well, and carrying good gear for all your needs.

Sub 24 MLCB 4-14-13 (Post #8)

 

When I met with my local cycling club this week, we planned our metric century ride, some community outreach projects, and complained about the cold weather that still makes a recurrent visitation to our part of the Midwest. Our library has a nice community room in the basement where we met. Not exactly cheerful, but cheerful as a former cold-war fallout shelter can be. It was made better by good company.

When we got around to planning events and coordinating with community aspirations for better health and well-being through bicycling, as well as plans for cleaning up along the local MUP, someone suggested a sub-24 ride. A sub-24 hour ride, or S24O, is a ride that emphasizes camping over touring. If you are camping as a part of the ride, so you can get up and ride on to a new area the next day, Touring better describes what’s going on. But if you are riding to a park or other scenic spot, camping, and returning the next morning, that’s more in the spirit of Cycle Camping, or S24O.

I could see where this would be a beneficial occasion for testing new equipment and ideas for touring, shaking down that new bike or pannier arrangement , or just having more opportunities to camp with friends and fellow cyclists. Inexpensive fun in the outdoors. There are whole websites devoted to this subject, as are forums, like http://www.bikepacking.net/  .  You can learn a lot about S24O’s from them.

From the bikes I’ve seen on these sites, it looks like come one, come all. Mountain Bikes, Utility Bikes, and 10 speeds all seem represented. Old and new, bring what you have. Some people use backpacks, but many also use panniers, as some use bar and saddle bags. All sorts of bicycling seem to be congregating here. I’m guessing this is due to the broad appeal of a low cost activity that has good company, few rules, and low cost. Given the current economy, this may be the time for this activity to gain popularity and get some people out on their bikes.

Rivendell http://www.rivbike.com has some ideas about bike camping and S24Os, as well as some merchandise that may prove helpful, or give you ideas about how to modify your own things to get yourself going. Grant Petersen is a bit of a controversial figure in the world of bicycling, but I think he has this aspect of it right. Promoting and marketing this idea helps a lot of people discover cycling.

Another great resource for information may be YouTube.  The amount of information on Cycle Camping, Touring, and other camp craft elements like tents, stoves, and wilderness information is phenomenal. I would back a lot of this up with independent research. No one is fact-checking posting to YouTube. But often the explanations show you how everything works, under optimum conditions..

               As we enter this Spring Season, think about an S24O of your own.  Easier to organize than a tour, cheaper, and, if you forget something, not as big of a problem of as on a tour. And if you pack too many things you just remember that for next time, instead of having to ship extra stuff home.  As Spring commences, we are finally getting to the point where this blog can be more experiential than opinion based. More rides and maybe even an S24O are in the works. I hope to offer more adventure and less opinion now that the riding season is here.  Enjoy the ride!