Offshore Sailor Needs Advice

[David_Old_Jersey]

One of the benefits of being young is that you have time to do more than one thing. And being flexible enough to refine and change plans as circumstances require is in my book a great thing at any age.

And at the risk of offending folk here, IMO a boat is only a boat and simply a means to an end - for everyone that end is different - in Ronnie's case that end is part of an adventure around the world

My bet is also that he won't be cycling to Spain from China as he will get distracted by another idea, but IMO that hardly matters - it ain't flipping burgers (not to say anything against that, I would be happy to do anything for money. and have ).....once he has had his fill of Asia I would suggest Oz as his next plan (it's kinda enroute to Spain ) he should be able to pick up some work and a "fair dinkum" place to get trained as a Scuba Instructor if he wants. and they like drinking beer

Can't wait until he finds a girl........

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Wotname

I am suggesting that just because Ronnie bit off more than he could chew and in many senses failed in his stated mission, this doesn't preclude him from perhaps becoming a legend some day.

We are all “Legends in our own Mind”….. the main difference being that the majority of us keep it a quiet secret and let others quietly discover us for themselves…. after a few accomplishments...

[imagine2frolic]

Capt. Dan,

I understand the rolling resistance. I commuted for years on a bike. I prefered the mountain bike over the roadbike. I simply put some smoother fat tires on it to cut that resistance down to practically nothing. Still had width to keep from sinking in grasses, and such. Could jump curbs with no damage, had some descent tread for traction, and I like a front shock.

DOJ,

I was wondering if two of those girls from Hong Kong had Adam's apples in one pic. Yeah wait until he finds a girl.....lololololol......YOUTH!

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Capt. Dan

but he has a tendency to get his mind set.

and not listen.

[Capt. Dan]

I2F -- I was a life long mountian bike rider, can't imagine how many miles I've put on my bikes. I decided to start commuting and my ride consists of about 3 miles on a crushed gravel trail and then 14 miles of mixed neighborhhod and street riding.

I chose to buy a cyclecross bike and think it's ideal for mixed riding. It's basically a road bike frame that is a little tougher and has wider stays to accomodate a little wider tire than a normal road bike, mine has mini knobbies. You get the abitity to ride light off road stuff, jump curbs, etc. but you have the performance of a road bike when you hit the asphalt. On a fire trail or road you'll leave a mountain bike in the dust. To my mind it beats the heck out of slogging along for mile after mile on a mountain bike. Plus mine withs in at about 21 lbs, so it's quite a bit lighter than most mountain bikes.

Therapy -- I was trying to put it more diplomatically, but yes, you are correct.

[imagine2frolic]

Capt. Dan,

I carried that bike up, and down stairs at train stations....it was a wee bit heavy. I will look for this cyclecross. I was thinking of getting back into biking to tone myself up. I may be doing a passage soon. Depends on what hand I am dealt....thanks for the tip....i2f

[Capt. Dan]

I2F -- My bike is a Kona Jake the Snake, here's a link to it: KONA BIKES - 2008 BIKES

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Capt. Dan

Therapy -- I was trying to put it more diplomatically, but yes, you are correct.

Don't worry.

He has proven to have thick skin...........and a thick skull.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

We are all “Legends in our own Mind”….. the main difference being that the majority of us keep it a quiet secret and let others quietly discover us for themselves…. after a few accomplishments...

Around here, the phrase is "Legends in our own lunch box" but the sentiment is exactly the same.

Unless there has been a generational shift which I missed

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by Capt. Dan

Amgine, I asked him about the bike choice on his blog and suggested he consider a touring or cyclecross bike. He seems to think that parts won't be as available on his route and that he is more comfortable riding a mountain bike. I think he's making a mistake, a mountain bike has a tremendous amout of rolling resistance when compared to a road bike, he will likely come to regret his decision, but he has a tendency to get his mind set.

I have done two extended bike trips -- one from upstate New York to Indiana on a steel frame (that was about 10 years ago) and one a few years ago across southern France and the Med coast (in aluminum frame). Mountain Bike is not the correct choice here. That's not saying it's impossible, but MBs are heavy and that's a lot of extra weight to drag around. A good touring bike or hybrid would be less weight and more durable.

[bmartinsen]

I've cycled down the west coast (Van to LA ) , up the east coast Miami to NY and parts of Cuba's southeast mountains/coastline (beautifull) with my wife. Both of us on mountain bikes loaded with gear. We changed the tires to less aggressive street tread. Averaged about 12-15mph for 50-75mile days. Not as fast as the road bikes but very solid and still twice as fast as my boat! Good luck to him.

[roverhi]

A mountain bike only has more resistance if it has fat tires. There are 1 1/4" tires available for the 26" MB wheel. No more resistance than 700/32 touring bike tire. A mountain bike is a fine bike for loaded touring. The only thing they lack is drop bars which not all people prefer.

My touring bike, for one, is not light. It outweighs my Cannondale MBike by nearly 10 pounds. True Touring Bikes are designed to carry loaded panniers, both front and rear, as well as the cyclist. You can't do that for the long haul with the exotic butted tubing found on your typical race bike. The weight of the bicycle really is immaterial as the weight of loaded panniers and camping gear dwarfs the weight of the bike. The guy who probably holds the record for total distance on a bike has largely done it on fat tired, heavy, steel framed, cruiser type bike. There is a reason that Mountain Bikes with skinny tires have nearly made the classic touring bike a dinosaur.

Aloha
Peter O.

[sneuman]

well, i don't claim to be an expert. I have only the 1,200 or so miles of touring I have done as experience.

I would neither use a mountain bike nor a race bike, but I don't follow cycling in the same way I follow sailing, so I'm sure there are others here that have better information.

Having said that, Ronnie seems to have made his decision on the "right" bike almost on a whim (at least it seems so from his blog). If he takes a similar sensibility to his route, he could be in for a rude shock. Traffic, terrain, weather, quality of roads and hospitality of the "natives" all come into play. On a map, everything looks straightforward, but it's not always so at ground level. Long, gradual inclines, more than "mountainous" terrain is an absolute killer. It zaps the energy level. If he's loaded to the gills with paniers side and front, and a heavy mountain bike, he is not going to be happy with the situation. Add to that the need to stay safe by taking secondary roads as opposed to flat, well-paved (but dangerous) primary roads, and this is not a trivial undertaking. The secondary roads in China are bad; they are even worse in Central Asia, I suspect.

Just hope he's thinking about all that.

[Amgine]

::shrug:: I have more than 20k bike miles, both supported and indy touring, but mostly commuting. I've *worn through* bottom brackets. My usual method of convincing people the benefits of road vs. mtn bike (and vice versa) is to go to the grocery store with them on the mtn me on the road, and switch for the ride back. The immediate feed back is all the argument I need to make.

The mtn bike far exceeds the road bike for versatility. But it simply doesn't compare for distance eating on reasonably hard surfaces. Which is why I own more than one mtn bike, and one really simple road bike.

[ronniesimpson]

hi everyone, its been a while since i posted here.

as you all know by now, i bought a bicycle. i am intending to ride to spain on it, from hong kong. i am researching my route, and getting ready for the tirp. yes, it is a cannondale mountain bike with 26 inch wheels and tires. (not trying to sound like a know it all) but i have put more than 10k-15k on road bikes in my life, and have ridden and raced mountain bikes off and on since i was 12. i even made it up to category 2 road racing at one point. i know that a road bike is nearly twice as fast as a mountain bike, but from what i have been told, most bike shops or local supplies in asia can only support 26 inch wheels. after what happened on my boat, im trying to think "ok, i dont care if it is slower, but i dont want there to be anything that could literally stop me dead in my tracks like the whole rudder problem did" it personally boiled down parts support, and in my mind, the strength of a proper 26 inch mountain bike wheel. with the weight of panniers and gear, the stresses on wheel and hub are going to be immense, so I chose the 26er. also, i think a mountain bike will be far stronger in the long run and much more versatile. also, road bikes and touring bikes have drop bars. wide riser mtb bars with bar ends just seems much more comfortable and upright to me. another thing was that no touring bikes were locally available at all, and any decent road bikes were very expensive. the only bike i could find in my price range that seemed to be really decent was the 'Dale. I went to the 3 biggest bike shops in Hong Kong, and looked at craigslist and all of the classifieds. on my third trip to Flying Ball Bicycle Company (by far the largest shop here) I landed myself on the Cannondale. Also, with panniers and gear, I don't think the extra 10 lbs of heft that the mtb carries will be of huge consequence. either way, ive made my choice, as i felt the bike i bought represented the best value for dollar and was the most practical, feasible option after looking at everything that was locally available in my price range.

i have bought a rack for it, ordered panniers offline, purchased more gear and cycling stuff, spare derailleur hangers, etc. the bike is REALLY stout. shimano hubs/ dt swiss spokes/ mavic rims, so the wheels make me feel really good. its not light by any means, but the frame and forks feel really sturdy, and the drivetrain and brakes feel awesome. i have purchased Continental touring tires for it that are a bit wide, but almost smooth in the middle with little knobs on the side. they should be very versatile and puncture resistant. they should last the entire trip from what i have read, but if not, im sure ill be able to pick up more tires along the way at some point.

i went sailing this weekend!! it was my first time sailing since my little incident in the north pacific last month, and i had a blast. i learned a lot from the whole experience. read my latest blog if you want all of the details, as it's very long and i think a pretty good read. i raced 2 short races on saturday and a 3 hour race on sunday. i met and raced with some VERY good sailors, and could not be happier with the experience. i plan to race and crew on boats for the rest of my weekends here. i think next sunday im crewing on a 52 foot race boat in the "Around Hong Kong Island" race, which is, i believe around 50km or 30 miles. the top thing i took away from this weekend, though, was that i learned that i really am a sailor, and always will be until i die or am no longer physically able. i know thats a bold statement, but i was deeply touched by sailing again. i had become kind of disenfranchised on sailing in a way because i was (deep down) really devastated still, with the way i lost my boat. this weekend washed my soul of that, and i could not be happier right now. the people i met, the sailing, the racing, being on the water, the whole experience was a big a high point for me. like i said, if you want to read about it, my blog for today is a good read, i think. some guys i met are going to get me in touch with guys in turkey, and in the med, so that i can hopefully crew and race on some boats while im passing through on a bicycle.

a lot of people on here are throwing out good analyses and advice, which i really appreciate. the plan for me, at least right now, is to try to get to spain by july. i think six months is entirely doable. i may be hopping on a 70 foot 'round the world cruiser leaving denmark in august, but if that does not pan out, i think spain is a good place to race and crew until i can find a boat to leave on. should be a good jumping off point, anyways. my ultimate ambition in life right now is to still sail around the world. when i get back to san diego, and all of this is over, i am going to try to turn these experienes into enough money for another cruising boat, to once again set out from san diego to go around the world. that is my plan. that is my goal. just putting that out there. (everyone said i should crew and race on other boats before leaving on my own, looks like that might happen after all...) thank you to everyone who has supported me, and thank you to everyone who has proclaimed me a dumbass. someone said that no one should apologize for inserting a dose of reality into my plans. they're right. if people on here were harsh, it was only tough love in my opinion. its all water under the bridge. i am just trying to move forward, and go around the world. i am truly enjoying my experience, and have learned a great deal, in only a month and a half since leaving S.D.

talk to you guys again soon.

there will be 47 pictures from sailing this weekend on my site, very soon.