| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1632.1 | Some practical info... | SQM::HEMBO::HEMBERT | | Thu Jul 12 1990 19:28 | 75 |
| 1632.2 | Cycling in Belgium - I do it every day. | KERBER::GWYN | | Mon Jul 16 1990 08:13 | 8 |
| If you want any specific info send me some mail. I'm an Aussie but I
work in Brussels. Of interest to you may be maps of all the cycling
routes in Belgium. Taking bikes on trains is no problem, I do it all
the time. Every weekend there are are organized rides all over Belgium.
You may want to leave your panniers behind one day and join one of
these - a good way to meet some fellow cyclists.
Phil
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| 1632.3 | Check to see if your airline provides bike boxes. | ICS::WARD | | Wed Jul 18 1990 16:42 | 30 |
| To get the bike over there, I'd check to see if your airline provides
bicycle boxes. TWA does do this, and it makes it very simplet to take
a bike over. Because the box is oversized, you simply have to loosen
the handlebars and turn them lengthwise. The only other thing you need
do is remove the pedals, remembering that the left one loosens in a
clockwise direction. Then you stuff your helmet into the box, put
your name on it, and seal it up with your ductape. I find this
approach
much easier than taking the bike apart and putting it into a standard-
size bike box.
If your airline doesn't provide bike boxes, find out what their policy
is on bicycles. Some airlines charge you a fee. In contrast, TWA
looks on a bike as a checked luggage, and since it weighs less than
44 pounds, you're all set. You can either check your panniers or
carry them on with you.
When bike touring, I usually keep my passport, tickets, money, etc in
a handlebar bag and then carry that with me at all times when I'm not
on the bike. A shoulder strap helps, as do shoulder straps for your
panniers. They make train stations a lot easier to deal with.
Get the Michelin maps of Belgium and look for the yellow or white roads
highlighted in green (it means the road is scenic). Prepare to spend a
lot of time understanding these maps so you can avoid highways, etc.
The Michelin maps are a pleasure to use.
I've had wonderful times bike touring. I hope you do too.
Patrick
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| 1632.4 | and... | KERBER::GWYN | | Thu Jul 19 1990 07:49 | 1 |
| And deflate your tyres!
|
| 1632.5 | luggage | TALLIS::JBELL | Zeno was almost here | Thu Jul 19 1990 14:06 | 13 |
| > And deflate your tyres!
Who started that rumor??
Deflating your tires is unnecessary. The luggage
compartments are pressurized. If they weren't, there would be a
lot of dead poodles and leaking perfume bottles.
Even if you were taking your bike in the space shuttle
cargo bay, you could reduce the pressure by 14 psi
and have the same ride quality.
-Jeff Bell
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| 1632.6 | and my water bottle keeps floating away... | SUSHI::KMACDONALD | Hat floating? It's MUD SEASON! | Thu Jul 19 1990 14:49 | 12 |
| > Even if you were taking your bike in the space shuttle
> cargo bay, you could reduce the pressure by 14 psi
> and have the same ride quality.
I *seriously* doubt that ride quality would be the same in the space shuttle,
after all, you'd hardly get up to speed and have to turn around :-). Besides,
I doubt that chamois-lined biking spacesuit technology is all that advanced...
However, if I'm asked to do it for NASA, I guess it would be un-patriotic
to refuse... :-)
ken
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| 1632.7 | :-) | NOVA::FISHER | Dictionary is not. | Thu Jul 19 1990 15:23 | 6 |
| You would not need a chamois on the space shuttle anyway. The G forces
would be either non-existant or astronomical. In the formar case,
saddle abrasion ought not be a problem, in the latter you ought to
be strapped into your seat.
ed
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| 1632.8 | | JUMBLY::MACFADYEN | Ride that bike | Wed Jul 25 1990 16:06 | 10 |
| I would have thought that clipless pedals, and surely NASA could afford
those, would obviate the need to be strapped to the seat. However tyre
adhesion in zero G could be problematic.
Regarding deflating tyres for air travel, it amuses me that airlines
expect our tyres to explode for the sake of a lousy few psi pressure
drop. But when I haven't done it, they have.
Rod
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| 1632.9 | Besides, NASA *likes* Velcro... | SUSHI::KMACDONALD | Hat floating? It's MUD SEASON! | Wed Jul 25 1990 17:39 | 8 |
| > those, would obviate the need to be strapped to the seat. However tyre
> adhesion in zero G could be problematic.
I had figured you'd need Velcro pile tires and a Velcro hook track. Bit
more rolling resistance than a good silk, but floating off into space
could spoil your whole day.....
ken
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| 1632.10 | Gone, gone, gone. | NOVA::FISHER | Dictionary is not. | Thu Jul 26 1990 11:07 | 3 |
| Even velcro won't help you if you forget and jump over something.
ed
|
| 1632.11 | | SIOG::OSULLIVAN | John O'Sullivan | Thu Jul 26 1990 13:24 | 16 |
| I toured Belgium 6 years ago. The North is very flat and makes for
good progress. The South can be very hilly as in "sore fingers pulling
brakes " on the way down and " It's an illusion I can't be in
my lowest gear already.
I second what a previous reply said about studying the Michelin
maps. We wandered on to a major road one day and helped clean the
door of many a passing car !
I found the area around Namur particularly nice. We stayed in Youth
Hostels. There is a huge disparity in standards. The one in Namur
is highly recommended.
Have a great time.
John
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