Day 78: What Worked and What Didn't: Rhinodillo?

March 23, 2014

When we look at the photos of us on our first major tour, in 2011, we realize that not one single bit of equipment that was with us then is still with us today. That is not to say it was all bad, it did somehow take us over 7000 km that time. But we are always thinking, thinking, and trying to find things that will work better.

By now, we have arrived at a set of gear that seems pretty darn good. However we thought that in 2011 too. There is always something better coming along.

Set out below are notes on some of the stuff that just struck us as working well this time, or not.

RHINODILLO TIRE LINERS

Tire liners are urethane strips that you put inside your tire, as an extra protection for the tube against thorns, wires, and the other bad things that cause punctures. They are part of the armory that includes extra heavy tires, like the Schwalbe Marathon Plus, or extra thick tubes.

All the extra heavy and extra thickness of these things, or course, means weight and loss of agility or road feel in riding. On the other hand, repairing a flat in the rain with big trucks zooming by is another kind of road feel, that we would like to avoid!

In the USA, sadly, there is all kinds of trash on the roads, not to mention thorns in the desert areas, that make tire protection a necessity. In Europe, where travel is often on bike paths, it is less so. So like anything, it's a personal call.

The Rhinodillo brand of tire liners bills itself as much tougher than the competitor, Mr. Tuffy. We can't judge that. But it does seem to us that the Rhinodillo saved maybe three flats that we could see. Maybe Mr. Tuffy would have done the same.

Have a look at the Rhinodillo web site

WARM, DRY-ish, PADDED CYCLING GLOVES

The normal use of cycling gloves is to add some extra padding under the palm. For that you use half finger ones, and the issue is how padded and how durable they are. For riding in slightly inclement weather, you have essentially the same gloves, with full fingers. But what happens when it is near freezing and there is a cold, wind driven rain? Of course, the correct answer is to go inside and do something else, like watch basketball on TV! But, if you happen to be a crazy guy and are out in the middle of nowhere, you need better gloves!

When riding down the US west coast in Winter, we tried all sorts of gloves, at all prices, up to near $100, and with varying claims about water proofness. All failed. The only things that are really waterproof are dish gloves, and the only thing that is really waterproof and warm is giant wool gloves inside giant dish gloves. Even with this, though, if you take your hand out once (say you are foolish enough to try a photo in the rain) you will never get your now damp hand back in.

So this time we gave up on the cycling gloves with the waterproof claims and went with padded long finger gloves - Goretex Windstoppers that only claimed to be "windproof". We were mildly pleased to find that these survived rain for a while, and were generally moderately warm, and you could sort of get your damp hand back in, sometimes.

While not perfect, then, these offer the padding of a standard cycling glove, with more warmth than a simple long finger cycling glove, and a certain amount of rain resistance. They are worth a try.

These gloves are sort of OK, but not for extended rain or extreme cold

BUTANE/PROPANE CAMP STOVE

Everyone has to decide if they want the independence and cost saving that comes with bringing cooking gear on a tour, balanced against the weight and the time spent cooking. If you do decide to cook, then a problem arises if you fly to the start of the tour. No form of camp fuel is going to be allowed on the plane, so you have to find it at the destination. If the fuel is to be gas or kerosene, you are probably ok, but if the fuel is some kind of compressed gas, then there are several types of canisters, and the right one may be hard to find.

In the Southeastern USA, camping - like with an actual tent, backpacking, and long distance cycling are almost unheard of. Therefore, supplies for lightweight cooking are also insanely scarce. We pedalled 500 miles before finding the one store that had our correct gas canister. In the meantime we bought a heavy, heavy Coleman kit. We might have been better off ditching it all and going to McDonalds. That is what this society wants and expects you to do.

The alternative is to use a multi liquid fuel stove. Some people like them a lot, others have problems getting them to heat effectively. We have no real extensive experience with it. All we can say is, looking for lightweight compressed gas canisters in the southern US was a non starter.

Stoves that use canisters like these work well and the whole kit is quite light, but compatible canisters can be hard to find in USA.

Gas like this can be found throughout the USA, but the canisters are heavy, as are most compatible stoves.

SMART PHONE GPS MOUNTED ON HANDLEBAR

The balance of opinion has probably swung firmly by now to the acknowledge the benefit of bringing GPS on a tour. In the GPS area, though, there are the dedicated (usually Garmin) units and then there is the GPS inside cell phones. Some people really like the dedicated units in general, but we have found the available maps and the generally larger and more colourful screens of the smartphones to be more pleasing. The only thing, smartphones are not waterproof and you usually need the darn GPS when you are lost in the rain.

This is where the handlebar mounted, waterproof, smartphone case comes in. There are lots on the market, with each of course designed to fit a specific phone. We only have experience with the one we found for our Samsung Galaxy S3. To the extent that our finding also applies to other makes and models - it did turn out to be totally waterproof, the touch screen part did not noticeably hinder the ability to use the phone, and the clear screen also did not noticeably yellow or become opaque in three months of use.

So, if smartphone GPS is your choice, go find a handlebar case for it and chances are it will work.

Waterproof handlebar mounted case for smartphone.

THERMAREST NEOAIR

This purely air mattress product from the maker of the better known self inflating mats is no longer a new story. But we thought we would report that that we are still happy with it and that we have had no punctures. The basic benefits - extreme light weight, compact size, adjustable firmness - are all still there as well.

SEE HERE FOR REI NEOAIR DESCRIPTION

This time out,however, if we had ever had to make our wild camp bed just somewhere in the desert, it would have been bad news. There is no way the Neo Air could survive the desert thorns. The same applies to a self-inflating mat. The only solution for that is closed cell foam. Of course, the other solution is to stay away from the desert. That is the one we are choosing!

COUSIN RONNI'S LIVING ROOM

If you have, or can find, a cousin Ronni who has a place where you can arrive at and crash at the end of a tour, we highly recommend it. Our cousin Ronni has (or had) an elegant house that took years to perfect. This is her living room right now. She is out playing a tennis match. We recommend putting it all back together before she returns!

OK, done. We will soon be ready for the next step - fly to Seattle. Don't give up on this blog yet, though. Tomorrow we will go up into the mountains near Tucson.

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