Be advised:

This blogger will present some stupid, useless and/or dangerous ideas. Do try it at home!

My other blog about bicycle touring:

Montag, 21. Januar 2013

Detailed PDF about bike Repair

If you think you know anything about bike repair, check this out:

Barnettmanual.pdf

Freitag, 18. Januar 2013

Reducing your multitool

I just reduced another 100g of my equipment by doing a modification on my bicycle multitool:


bicycle modification

bicycle modification

Montag, 14. Januar 2013

Gross but warm - my ultralight waterindependant Jacket

In this post I want to reveal my new "invention". A light jacket (about 350gram) which is wind and rain resistant and suitable for temperatures down to -2° Celsius (28° Farenheit).

There is one downside though: You will sweat a lot and it might be gross! But hey, who said that light bikepacking has to be comfortable?

Ok here it is:
This is the inner layer which does the insulation and was made by myself. 
I made it from a Car windshield protection  and duct tape. I folded the windshield once, cut a hole for my head into it and taped the sides together. It took me about 5 minutes and 5 Euro to make it.
Inside, there is a layer of aluminum, which will reflect your body heat.
The upper layer of clothing is just a basic low quality waterproof (250g) jacket, which provides no further insulation.

I tested this solution by dressing like I would dress on a summer tour. I wore my cycling shorts, this jacket in combination with the waterproof wind jacket, my Polar Buff  and some fleece gloves.  In order to simulate a rainy day, I went under the shower and let a lot water flow on and into the jacket. Then I went outside for a bikeride. I rode about 30 minutes while  the temperature was about -1° Celsius / 30° Fahrenheit. 
After the ride, I took a slow 15 minute stroll to see if it also works with less body heat.
It was not that bad. The uncovered legs got a bit cold until they went numb, and my non-insulated arms got a bit itchy, but my body kept warm and I could imagine to be the whole day outside like this.

I think this solution is suitable for tours in regions, where coldness and rain are rare, but you want to be prepared anyways. 









Samstag, 5. Januar 2013

Mittwoch, 2. Januar 2013

Making your own framebag

I just found this good tutorial on Youtube. It shows each step necessary for sewing a frame bag.

Youtube Link