The new commute

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protective lenses

I've been using Smith eyewear for a number of years and rarely ever thought about it. I guess that means the equipment is doing its job if you don't even notice or think about it. For 4200+ miles the Smith Theory slider style glasses were comfortably on my face. Rarely did I ride without them and rarely did I notice them. From burning sunlight to hazy overcast skies, the glasses and the three interchangeable lenses just performed, not fogging, not sliding, not getting in the way.

Comfy comfy

I thought the soft Fizik Gobi mtb saddle that I had chosen would be comfortable for my tour. Somewhere around mile 600 I stopped being comfortable and started moving around non stop. When I made it to my in-laws in Hamilton, MT I was fortunate enough to find a Brooks Professional at Red Barn Bicycles. I was apprehensive given the rumored break in period of hundreds of miles but I knew the Gobi wasn't going to work.

I managed to get in 100 miles while with the in-laws and I could already sense a marked improvement. With lots of proofide and love the saddle molded to my ass over the next 300 miles and I soon forgot about the hunk of leather I was sitting on. Like a good offensive lineman, your saddle should go unnoticed and the Brooks did that for me.

Lots of Stuff

When I took off for my cross country trip I had lots of stuff. I managed to pack it all into two cardboard boxes for the flight out to Vancouver. Here's a look at what I packed.


Once I got to Vancouver I had to assemble the bike and trailer so I found a quiet corner in the airport and got to work. Manaaged to assemble the whole thing with nothing more than a Pedro's pocket tool.

done and done

I somehow managed to average nearly 100 miles a day during my cross country trip. You know what that does for your fitness? Yeah, it makes for great base miles, but it destroys any speed you may have once had. Sure, I saw some great places, met some great people, and had an experience of a lifetime. I did not, however, improve my racing fitness.

In addition to lots and lots of interval efforts over the next month, I am also planning to write a number of reviews of the products I used during my recent trip. Some of them are relevant only for touring but many of them will be reviews of everyday cycling products. I'm not sure where to start but I have formed plenty of opinions after 4300 miles of use.

Out of Office Reply

yup, i'm out of the office. no desk, no job, no responsibility. just ridin' around the country

good chamois=happy ass

A good friend of mine was kind enough to get me into a pair of these shorts for my upcoming trip. I finally tested them out last night and over the 50 mile ride they were very very comfortable, despite the 90+ temperatures and 99% humidity.


Stop by his online store and support him by buying some great cycling clothes. He'll also be happy to offer honest recommendations if you need.

C'est fait

I'm sitting in the airport ready for my last business trip to come to an end. I'm going out in style of course by sitting in first class. Too bad it is Friday night and I'm getting on a red eye flight. In fact this is the fourth red eye flight I've taken since mid April. They've all been from the Pacific NW. At least I have some good friends out here to help distract and entertain me otherwise I would have gone mad a long time ago.

Tuesday June 10th marks my official last day of work. Then it is off on the adventure of a lifetime.
I'm almost done with my planning and anxiously looking forward to the next really big trip. I haven't seen my family and friends much since April but there was no better time to do this than now and so I am sacrificing additional time with them to pursue my selfish interests.

Keep track of me if you like.