Bicycle Lean-To Shelter

I usually camp early or late in the season. This bike camping trip is going to be among the hottest camping trips I've gone on, period. We're also going to be on bicycles.  My parents live very close to the route, and I've arranged for dad to be on standby to provide SAG, water, an air-conditioned vehicle, or anything else we may need in the case of some emergency. All of the folks who are apparently still in for this weekend can do this. They've ridden in heat like this before. That said, they aren't riding fully loaded bikes, and they usually have an air-conditioned home to look forward to at the end of the trip. Here, we're just going to have more heat, sun, and EVEN MOAR HEAT.

My usual backpacking tent is a junior dome tent my grandmother got me more than half my life ago. I just never grew to 6 feet in height, so I can fit in it with most of my gear very comfortably. It's got a ventilated top and a ventilated door, but they don't do very good at keeping the air moving. When it's above 80 degrees overnight (like it will likely be for a good part of the night Saturday into Sunday), the thing feels like a sauna. I contemplated using a hammock and mosquito net for this trip, but trees are kind of sparse near the campsite, bug screens are expensive and I would have to buy one. I'm looking for something lightweight that will give me some shade during the day, cover from rainfall if it rains at night, and mostly something that has lots of airflow for sleeping under.

I'm going to improvise.

I have a few rain ponchos that came equipped with brass grommets at the corners. They were $5 or so: cheaper than good silicone-impregnated nylon ponchos and better than those "trash bag" ponchos you find for $2 each at the sporting goods stores.

With 2 ropes, 2 bungees, 4 tent stakes (simulated by heavy objects on my patio), a bicycle and a poncho, I made a lean-to shelter that should give me shade in the day, rain cover (just in case) and a pack weight of way under 1 pound. Well, except for the bicycle part. The edges can be brought down to ground-level to form a back wall/roof and two enclosed sides, with a little finagling. I have two identical ponchos like this, which can also be used together. That obviously takes up more pack space.




I'm still debating whether or not I'll use this setup with my bedroll on bare ground or just go with the tried and true dome tent I've always used. Part of me likes having a shelter that keeps the creepy crawlies away, but it's likely going to be roasty no matter how we camp.

On electric vehicles

I'm not a big fan of electric vehicles or hybrids. I make exceptions when the electric vehicle is a kid's toy, beefed up and hacked together with bicycle parts.

Mark my words. This thing is going to be dangerous, and very fast. Its debut will be at Maker Faire: Kansas City in a few weeks. (Whole Album, new stuff being added as we build)









Random Tunage:
Hybrid - Gravastar
Way Out West - Ajare

Parts & Crafts: Santa Helmet

This is the final huzzah for the 2007 Christmas season for me. There will likely be more Parts & Crafts later, though. Don't you worry!

Unfortunately, there aren't many Santa hats made large enough to fully fit over a bicycle helmet. I used small bungee cords passed through the helmet vents to grip the fabric of the hat and hold it firmly to the helmet. Other options are thread/yarn or velcro. It was a big hit on the road close to home and here downtown, as well as on the bus.

Parts & Crafts - Festive Bike

I actually did this before I made my Holiday Wheeth last night. I just didn't post about it until now. When I added lights to Hybridzilla last year, it was a crowd pleaser. I was initially going to wait until December 1st to pull this out, but I did it last night instead. The lights I used last year were incandescent bulbs that would leech a set of 4 AA batteries dry in mere hours. Also, the battery cases were frail and subject to taking on moisture. Those lights met their untimely demise in only a few days.

These lights are of similar quality, however the bulbs are LEDs and will go for days on a set of batteries. To combat the issue of the battery holders' subpar semblance, I strapped the holders together with a rubber band, bagged them in plastic, and I'm suspending them under the seat from my Serfas seat bag. Usually, this holds a spare inner tube, levers, and patches. Those fit fine in my backpack for the time being.

The LEDs are much brighter than the incandescents I had last year. I really hope these stay functional through December. This weekend, I may move them over to my MTB.

Parts & Crafts - Holiday Wheeth

Surely, I am not the first one to do this, but I haven't seen it in my 14 months of cycling. I'll spare you the 2-part instructions, as I'm pretty sure you can figure out how to make your own without my help.

Yes, that's a glob of decade-old grease on the dork disk. No, this isn't a good wheel. It's the heap-o-crap freewheel that came stock on Hybridzilla. I replaced this cheapo thing with a less cheapo joytech/alex cassette quick-release wheel. I would surely destroy this hub in weeks if I put it into service. Have some taco'd rims laying around? Now's your chance to put them to good use!