12 Days of Gift Ideas, Day 12: Provence France from Trek Travel & BGI

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 by Jay Hardcastle
Provence France Luxury Bicycle Tour
Exclusive from Trek Travel and Bicycle Garage indy
September 19-24, 2010
 
Randy Clark, Founder and President, Bicycle Garage IndyRandy saves the best pick for last as, once again, Trek Travel and BGI have teamed up to to offer an exclusive bicycle travel experience.
 
 "Looking to cure your winter cycling blues?  Start planning your next bike vacation!  Join BGI on the trip of a lifetime to Provence, France. . .Now that I have personally gone on two Trek Travel trips, I am a true believer - it was total luxury in terms of accommodations and cuisine!" 
 
Randy Clark, 
Founder and President, 
Bicycle Garage Indy

Bike Tour Routes via Garmin

Thursday, October 8, 2009 by Brian Clissold

I promised this post a while ago and just haven't been on top of it. Very sorry! As I mentioned in my previous posts regarding the tour and, more specifically, equipment, I used a Garmin 705 computer for this trip. I use it in my daily riding as well of course. Originally I purchased this little machine because I'm new to Indy, and don't know the roads, good routes, and don't have a regular group of riding buddies to show me around. I know about and use mapmyride.com, so I knew I could create and download routes, as well as download existing routes from others, so I figured this would be the best method to learn some new routes. In short, I purchased this fancy shmancy computer for it's routing capabilities.

This won't be a full review of the 705, but rather a quick post on some of the pros and cons of it's routing abilities.

When I first received the device, it was easy to set up. Essentially it required the same level of programming as any other bike computer, which just involes putting in your wheel size, setting the clock, etc. This obviously has a few other bells and whistles, so I also was able to enter the stats for several bikes, including the bike weight, so that as I move the computer from one bike to another I just press a button and tell it which bike it's on so it provides accurate data. When I returned from my first ride, I loaded the software on my pc, connected the usb cable, and uploaded the route to my computer. I was then able to also upload it to a website. Both Bicycling Magazine's "rides" area and MapMyRide.com have great mapping sections. More on that in a bit.

Here is the map from my 3rd day of the tour from Map My Ride. This is created simply by uploading directly from my Garmin to the website. All of the data goes with it, including speed, elevation, heart rate (if applicable), etc.:




The base map on the device is, well, pathetic. I am SO glad that I purchased the North America micro-sd card that Garmin offers ($100). I went from seeing a grand total of about 10 roads in the metro Indy area to every little twist and turn and cul de sac. The map on the pc software, Training Center, is on par with the basemap that comes on the device...poor. That said, as long as you have an internet connection this is easily overcome. After you've uploaded a route you can select "view in Google Earth" and see your route placed over satellite imagery. Here's a screen shot:

GAP Tour Day 2 Google Earth Screen Shot

Of course, Map My Ride has a satellite image option as well, but you can't do this cool 3D view:

GAP 3D View

With all that said, there is a bit of a learning curve, and there have been some technical issues with the device. If you do much research you'll find complaints of it freezing in navigation mode. This was obviously a big concern to me before doing this trip, and I downloaded a software update to the device from Garmin that fixed the issue, even though my computler only froze twice. I had no problems on the tirp. In fact, I was unsure, on day 2, where to leave the trail for Fallingwater. So, I stopped when I thought I was close, told the device to find local attractions, selected Fallingwater, and it guided me to the house with turn by turn directions.

More will come, but this should whet your appetite about the Garmin 705.
In the meantime, remember, a clean bike is a happy bike! bc

Chicago--The Staging Area

Sunday, August 9, 2009 by Brian Clissold

Well, the trip is drawing ever closer! So how does a person who lives in Indy decide to ride from Pittsburgh to DC, and how could those logistics be easy? Here it is...I have family in Oak Park, just outside of Chicago. My wife and kids and I are visiting in Oak Park for the weekend. On Tuesday, my lovely ladies will leave, and I will take my bike (boxed up) to Union Station, where I'll take an overnight train to Pittsburgh. After my journey, my friend and Butler University professor, Eric Stark, will meet me in DC where he has a home, and we'll drive back to Indy together. It's a bit wacky, but it works and is ecomonical. My train ticket was less than $60.

If you read my last blog entry, you may think it was odd that I had a couple pictures of my 520 but none of the bike I'm actually taking on this trip. Truth be told, I didn't have one. So, I ran out and snapped a picture and have included it here. I'm sure there will be more when it's all loaded up. This is a picture of my "naked" bike. It's unloaded except for the Detours handlebar bag.

So that's the trusty steed. I'll put up some pix when it's full of panniers and such. My only concern is whether or not the spokes can handle the weight. I'm traveling with several extra spokes and the tools to replace them (even if they break on the drive side), and there are many shops along the route, so I'm relatively sure that I'll be able to cope with anything short of a completely tacoed wheel.

What to bring? Again, I don't have a picture of this yet, but when I have all my stuff layed out before packing it in my bags I'll snap a quick pic and post it. Before doing my first self-supported tour, one of my biggest challenges was findig a comprehensive packing list for a bike tour. So, as a valued service to my THOUSANDS of readers, I'm posting my packing list. You'll notice that it's organized by the bag in which the stuff is packed. I discovered that having 4 nearly identical black panniers and no kind of organization system was exceedingly frustating (I found this out the hard way on my first trip), so I developed this system on my next trip and it seems to work pretty well.

Tomorrow I'll post some thoughts on the menu and include my list o' meals in my entry. For today, here's the packing list...

bc

GAP Tour 2009 Packing List

 

Front Right Pannier, “Supply Cabinet”

·         Thermarest

·         Book

·         Magazines

·         Swiss Army knife

·         Candle lantern

·         Headlamp

·         FM/weather radio

·         Notebook, pen

·         Basic tools: chain tool, 3 way socket wrench, Leatherman, electrical tape, tubes, spoke wrench, cassette tool, chain whip

·         Phone / GPS charger

·         Small bike lock

·         Bug spray

·         Sunscreen

 

Front Left Pannier, “Kitchen”

·         Pot

·         Skillet

·         Stove (MSR Whisperlite Internationale)

·         Bag o’ utensils, including lighter, matches, potgrab, etc.

·         Snacks (homemade granola bars)

·         Water Filter

·         Cutting board

·         Coffee

·         Energy gels

·         Campsuds

·         2 day’s food ingredients

 

Right Rear Pannier, “Riding Clothes”

·         Shorts (6 pair)

·         Jerseys (6)

·         Socks (6 pair)

·         Leg warmers

·         Arm warmers

·         Rain jacket

·         Extra sunglasses lenses

·         Chamois Butter

·         Gatorade Powder

·         Fuel Bottle (outside pocket)

·         Maps/cue sheets not immediately needed

·         Red LED blinker

·         Remainder of food ingredients

 

 

 

 

Left Rear Pannier, “Off-bike Clothes”

·         Camping pants (with zip off legs)

·         Shorts/swimsuit

·         Socks (2 pair)

·         T-shirts (2)

·         Lightweight fleece jacket

·         Underwear

·         Ball cap

·         Toiletries

·         Packtowel

·         First aid kit

·         Camp Shower

 

Rack: “Home!”

·         Tent (TNF Bullfrog)

·         Crazy Creek Chair Kit (rolled inside tent sack)

·         Sleeping bag (TNF Cat’s Meow)

·         Fleece bag to serve as pillow (stuffed with sleeping bag inside a dry bag)

·         Keen sandals, bungied to the outside, on top of tent and sleeping bag

 

Handlebar Bag

·         Current day’s maps and cue sheets

·         Energy gel

·         Wallet

·         Emergency contact info

·         Cell phone

·         Tools: multi tool, tire levers, tube, patch kit

·         Compass

 

On the bike:

  • Two 28 oz water bottles, one 20 oz
  • Pump
  • Computer, Garmin 705
  • Bell (surprisingly useful on a bike tour)
  • Extra spokes

 

On Me:

·         Helmet

·         Jersey

·         Shorts

·         Gloves

·         Socks

·         Shoes

·         Sunglasses (Oakley Half Jackets)

Bicycle Touring in Indianapolis

Friday, August 7, 2009 by Brian Clissold

GAP Tour Preparations

On Wednesday, August 12th, I'll begin my solo, self-supported bicycle tour from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C. The ride will take place along the Great Allegheny Passage railtrail and the C & O Towpath for approximately 350 miles (including side trips). I'll ride an average of 60 miles a day and will take 6 days to complete the journey. This first post is not very fancy, but serves as an introduction to some of the nitty-gritty details of the tour. I'll post lots of information on what I'm taking, riding, and using for this ride in these first few posts. My beloved 520...being left behind for this trip.

We'll start with the most important equipment...the bike. I own several (c'mon, I work at a bike shop!), and among them is a Trek 520 loaded touring rig that I absolutely LOVE. Truth be told, it's my favorite bike (don't tell my racing bike that). However, for this trip I'm using my newly acquired Trek 7.3 FX Hybrid. I really struggled with the whole bike decision, because it's obviously the heart and soul of the equipment for any bike ride, but eventually the terrain made me lean toward the hybrid. Both trails that I'll ride have a gravelly, crushed limestone type surface. If you're familiar with the Indy area, think of the surface of the Towpath near downtown that heads up to Broad Ripple. Michigan readers, think Kal-Haven Trail. So, the bike that's designed to be ridden on rougher surfaces and runs wider tires won out. Here's the list regarding the bike....

2008 Trek 7.3 Hybrid

·         Aluminum frame, chromoly fork w/ rack, fender, and low-rider eyelets

·         Shimano Deore components, Avid v-brakes

·         Bontrager wheels

·         Continental Tour Ride tires

·         Topeak “Explorer” rear rack

·         Blackburn “lo-rider” front rack

·         Planet Bike fenders

·         3 bottle cages (installed bottle boss under downtube)

·         Ergon “ergo 1” grips

·         Serfas bar ends

There aren't any major upgrades to the stock 7.3 hybrid that we sell. I've obviously added front and rear racks and fenders, different grips, and bar ends. Beyond that, it's a stock bike. I do prefer 3 bottle cages on a tour, so we used our shop tools to drill holes for and install bottle bosses underneath the downtube. I also swapped out the tires, as the 2008 model came with Bontrager slick tires and I need a bit of grip on these gravel surfaces. I didn't go super wide, however, and am using 700 x 32 c tires.

Check back soon for my packing list and other updates. See you on the road!

bc

BGI Makes NITE Ride Special for One Family

Monday, July 6, 2009 by Connie Schmucker

BGI Makes NITE Ride Special for a Family

BGI Tent at NITE RideBicycle Garage Indy has been a sponsor of the NITE Ride since it started in 1994. The NITE Ride attracts bicyclists of all ages, abilities and interests with the common bond of experiencing the thrill of taking a bicycle tour of Indianapolis by starlight.

BGI was on hand from 4 pm until the wee hours of the morning providing mechanical support before and during the ride. We also had a large merchandise tent at the event for those "must have" items.




BGI Merchandise Tent at NITE Ride
As part of BGI’s sponsorship we give away 2 bikes – this year two Giant Seek 2 bikes. We received this email forwarded to us from the NITE Ride Chair on how winning the bike made it a special night for one family:

Giant Seek 2

Hello,
Just wanted to thank you for a wonderful evening. It was my husband and daughters first N.I.T.E. ride. Had a great time.

Also my husband was the winner of the bike, many thanks. It made it a special night. I was our anniversary and our daughter’s birthday. Our daughter has got us into riding and I bought a bike this summer and we couldn't afford two so he was using his uncle's. Can't thank you enough for a great time. We will see you next year for sure.
- Julie C. from Pittsboro, IN


Next year's NITE Ride is June 26, 2010 - See you then!

Connie Szabo Schmucker
Advocacy Director
Bicycle Garage Indy

Bike Touring in Indiana

Monday, April 27, 2009 by Connie Schmucker
My husband and I lead "Grand Touring" rides for the local bike club, Central Indiana Bicycling Association. This past weekend was the first for the year. We had been fielding emails and phone calls about it all week and with the weather forecast for sunny and high in the 80's we were expecting a large turnout.  We weren't disappointed - more than 50 people came from all over central Indiana.  We set the record for bicyclists and temperature.

We had bagels and bananas for the group and provided baggies to be able to take bagels with them as our first rest stop in Brookville didn't have a planned food stop.

Group at BrookvilleCountry Store at St. Peter'sWe rode a 48 mile loop from Metamora, through Brookville, St. Peters, St. Mary's, Oldenburg and Peppertown.  (route map)  At Brookville, a few people took the 27 mile route giving them fewer miles, but not any fewer hills. Most of the bicyclists chose to continue on the longer route.
Biking in rural IndianaOldenburg spiresBikes at Oldenburg, IN grocery store

The sun and warm temperatures were great; the wind was not.  The route has several tough climbs, but they're spaced out along the route and you usually get a break in the open/flat areas in between.  Unfortunately, where we expected to get a respite from climbing, we faced a really tough headwind or crosswind instead. With 30-40 mph gusts, it was a struggle to go faster than 10 mph against the wind. Since it was the first long ride for many, the ride was quite a challenge for everyone.

But the scenery and comraderie made it worth the challenge. The redbuds were in full bloom as were lots of wildflowers along the route. At one point there were at least 20 separate conversations going on as we enjoyed the warm spring day, getting to know new people and/or reconnecting with people we hadn't seen since last fall. The few times we rode with the wind, it was amazing how quiet it was.

After Oldenburg, we had one more tough climb. We were looking forward to having the wind at our back and going down the (steep) curvy downhill back to Metamora.  But our challenges weren't over.

Flat tire mini clinicUnfortunately, the gravel gremlins were at work. There were several bad gravel patches and those that attempted to ride through them were greeted with flats.  We had a mini-clinic on fixing flat tires as more than 7 people got flat tires from the gravel. The gravel was very loose; two people had sidewall punctures from the gravel, which are not that common. We walked the rest of the gravel and then continued on the last 6 miles of the route with the wind at our back and enjoyed the downhill into Metamora.

Metamora Historic canalStill smiling after the rideStill smiling after the ride! We didn't set any speed records - with the hills, wind and walking through the gravel patches we averaged a blistering 12.2 mph for the ride. But we made up for our speed (or lack of) as we all shared our stories and experiences while we enjoyed our well-earned ice cream after the ride.

Tools we found helpful on the ride: Tire levers, spare inner tubes, CO2 cartridges, frame pumps, seat bags to carry our tools, money for food and bagels.

Connie Szabo Schmucker
Advocacy Director
Bicycle Garage Indy
cschmucker@bgindy.com

Morning Commute

Thursday, April 23, 2009 by Connie Schmucker

I finally feel like real bicycle commuter in Indianapolis for the first time this year. First I rode my bike to meet the crew who came in from Carmel on the Monon Trail.  After a brief stop to say hi to the bike commuting group, I got back on my bike to ride to the Indianapolis Museum of Art for a meeting with a group looking at having a bicycle tour of Indianapolis' northside later this year. 

I love going on bike rides in Indianapolis, especially in the spring. When I got onto the museum grounds there was some flowering tree that gave off the most wonderful scent, something you just don't experience in a car.

Connie Szabo Schmucker
Advocacy Director
Bicycle Garage Indy

 


Monon Commuters Start Off Strong This Season

Saturday, April 18, 2009 by Randy Clark
Great ride on Friday.  This group has dubbed itself the Monon Commuters since we started it 5 years ago (sometimes we refer to ourselves as the Moan-oners!).  While there are 20-25 members who follow our tread, not all ride on any given day.  Yesterday we had 14 at our meeting place in at the McDonalds in Broad Ripple at 7 am.  I think that's record!  Here we are:

About half of the commuters continued on to downtown Indianapolis and about half went back to North Indy and Carmel.

We had people on all manner of bikes including road bikes, touring bikes and mountain bikes.  And all manner of cycling gear. 

Don was all hyped up.  He had just purchased a Giant TCR Advanced road bike at BGI's Spring Expo.

Just can't believe the number of other commuters we saw out on the trail at that hour!  I just might be happenin'.

The Gentleman's Race

Thursday, April 16, 2009 by James Sells

One part bicycle tour, One part bicycle race, All fun!

Are you tired of the local Indianapolis bike racing scene? Are you tried of spending money on entry fees? Then take action and plan your very own Gentleman's Race.

All you do is plan a course, agree to rules and have fun!

One race I read about set up several check point along the 135 mile route. The riders had to race along prescribe sections, like a 10% climb up a gravel road. The rest of the route was up to the team, as long as they stopped at each check point. 

The other exciting aspect of the this race was that it was all teams no individuals. Each team was comprised of six members. The teams had to sign in and out at each check point as a team. All six members had to finish together too.


I would love to see several of these gentleman races pop up through out the Indianapolis cycling scene. Seems more fun than your standard road race to me! 




 


Paris Roubaix

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 by James Sells


Paris Roubaix is often called the Queen of the Classics. Why, because it is the most famous and prestigious of all the spring classics. It is long, rough and as hard as it gets. This bicycle race starts most cyclist's blood flowing. I often find my self dreaming as I ride over Indiana famous chip and seal, that I am riding Roubaix.

I know no bicycle tour in Indianapolis, would compare to Roubaix, but don't let that stop you from getting out on the road. Hit the bike paths in Indianapolis. Put together a urban Roubaix linking Indianapolis Greenways together with rough back roads. Schedule an gentleman's race over the Indianapolis bike paths.

What ever is your speed, take it to the paths.


Rotating your Axle!?! What's that for?

Monday, April 13, 2009 by Josh Prater



I think I've done about 5 million hub overhauls in my life here in Indianapolis, and I see a trend. People are wearing out their hub cones unevenly. I may be just a little bit crazy. Or a lot bit. But, I think it has to do with you not rotating your axle. OK, so maybe a lot bit.

Here's the scenario: You ride your 1973 "RRA" Raleigh Record Ace, oh, I'd say about 50 thousand million miles. You get older, get a new bike or twelve, and the old Ace just sits around, weighing you down every time you walk by it in the garage with a new shiny thing that is made to go way faster, or something like that. 

THEN one day you look at that old bike you've been avoiding eye contact with, that has about as many miles on it as every other bike they've owned combined, and decide it was the best one anyways and want to resurrect it. Maybe do a little bike touring, commuting in Indy, impress your buddies on what a sweet bike you used to have, just repair it so keep it around for nostalgia's sake, you know, whatever floats your boat... or bike. 

So far, no problem. I'm all for fixing up your old steed and riding it instead of looking at it. I think that comes from my old farm days were you were always poor and everything had a nice patina of rust. But everything worked, just not well (that's for you, Mark). And you made the most of what you had.

The problem: Before you put the greatest bike you've ever owned in the dark, damp, spider-house corner of your garage, you were still riding it. You were getting sick of replacing the tires, getting flats, whatever, and you put on a super-duper flat-no-more million-mile tire. And rode it about 999,927 miles with that tire on, and no flats. It was awesome.

The technical part: The problem part didn't seem like too much of a problem, but it is. Or at least it can be. What happens when you never have to remove your wheel is that the axle, or more precisely the cone, is always in the same position. All your weight is pressing on the same spot (the top) of your inner bearing races for years on end. The other side (the bottom) of your inner bearing races never get to do any of the heavy lifting. The outer races don't matter... They rotate!

What do you do? Well, THAT'S EASY! Just open up your quick release lever, and turn your axle a little, close your quick release lever (unless you ride with it open or want your wheel to fall off, that's up to you!). 

Thanks!