More on Touring Pedals
The Bike Hermit has a pair of MKS Unique pedals purchased in 1972 for the then princely sum of $25.00. The Mikashima Industrial Company, LTD in Japan has been making pedals since 1946 and is obviously...
View ArticleA Trio of Tough, Top-Notch Tires
We travel, in a week, to the high desert south of Boise for a three day ride on mostly unpaved roads. For the rough, loose surfaces we have outfitted our bikes with wider tires. More air volume at...
View ArticleBottom Brackets
At the risk of talking down to some readers and over the head of others I feel the need to explain the term “bottom bracket”. According to Sheldon Brown’s Bicycle Glossary a bottom bracket is: The part...
View ArticleSome Square Taper Bottom Brackets
Second in a series on bottom brackets. Numero uno is here. The newest (2012) Long Haul Trucker complete bikes come with the Shimano UN55 square taper bottom bracket which is an improvement over the...
View ArticleMore About the Best Touring Tire
I enjoy reading the posts and looking at the pictures on the Pondero blog. The latest post happens to be a review of the Schwalbe Marathon Dureme tire. Check it out and look at some of his other...
View ArticleA Bike Touring Wheelset
A hub is laced to a rim with spokes and nipples in order to create a wheel. Elementary I know but semantics are important if the aspiring bike tourist is to make him/her self understood. I don’t want...
View ArticleTire and Fender Considerations for Snow and Mud
Between Eagle and Montour, Idaho The temperature is going to be well below freezing this New Year’s Eve day and several inches of snow have fallen in the last 48 hours. A combination of de-icer, sand...
View ArticleWheel Size- Myth and Theory
Every size of the Long Haul Trucker bicycle, from the tiny 46cm bike to the gargantuan 64cm bike is available with 26″ wheels. 56cm and larger frames also come in 700c wheel versions while 54cm and...
View ArticlePhil Wood Co.
The Bike Touring News store now has Phil Wood bottom brackets for your Long Haul Trucker (or even brand x touring bikes!) builds. Phil Wood has gained a reputation over the last 40 years or so for...
View ArticleTouring and Trekking Tire Trends
At the 2014 Interbike trade show, it seemed to us that 27.5″ (a 650b by any other name would ride as sweet), so called “29+” and fatbike tires are gaining traction with manufacturers and with...
View ArticleSummer Love – Maxxis Chronicle 29+
Indeed, Sky King has a new love. I happen to be quite spoiled and spend many happy hours on my ” Excellent Creative Riding” machine also known as the “Extremely Cool Ride” and for those of you who...
View ArticleWide Rims
A customer needed a new front wheel for the new Straggler fork on his Cross Check. He wanted a disc brake on front for single track riding and the Straggler fork is very close to the Cross Check fork...
View ArticleWhen To Replace a Worn Wheel Rim
It’s early morning in Moab, Utah when the still air is violated by the sound of a small explosion and the clang of scraping metal. My friend’s rear wheel has come apart and is a twisted jumble of...
View ArticleFrom Three by Nine to Two by Ten on a Touring Bicycle
A Tale of Chain Suck By replacing my chain and the middle ring on my triple Sugino touring crankset I thought my problems would be solved. The chain would now drop smoothly from the middle ring to the...
View ArticleThe Best Bikepacking Bike Pt. III: Wheels
The stakes are high when traveling far into the backcountry by bicycle. The potential success or failure of your trip is (literally) riding on your wheels. A mechanical malfunction at the wrong time...
View ArticleNew Partnerships, New Products!
While the Bike Hermit and Sky King are gallavanting around Mexico drinking beer and camping under the stars, there has been a lot going on around Bike Touring News HQ! We’re constantly on the lookout...
View ArticleTesting the Pack Rat and Road Plus Tires on an April Fool’s Errand
Back in December 2017, Surly announced the release of a new front-loading light touring bike – the Pack Rat. I was excited about the possibilities from the moment I learned of this bike’s existence...
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