I’ve got questions - Faith in humanity tour - CycleBlaze

April 21, 2025

I’ve got questions

Padded shorts?

Padded shorts? Google searches won’t answer everything. Sometimes you have to channel your inner Rilke and “live into the answers”.
Heart 4 Comment 7 Link
Andrea BrownBrooks saddle/padded shorts combo for the win. Cute bike, btw!
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3 days ago
Carl SchaumannThanks. I see you are from Portland, I am flying into Portland to start my tour. I have a son there that will pick me up at PDX and put me up. The next day I take the bus to Astoria and ride out to Cape Disappointment to start East.
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3 days ago
Mark BinghamThat is a BEAUTIFUL bike.
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3 days ago
Andrea BrownTo Carl SchaumannThen you get to see our snazzy new airport! I hope you can take a few days to enjoy Portland, it's a beautiful time of year here.
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3 days ago
Jacquie GaudetI have used padded lycra shorts (or liner shorts) for touring ever since I got my first pair, a scary number of years ago. These days I wear good quality bib shorts and take two--one to wear and another in case the first don't dry overnight.
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2 days ago
Scott AndersonI love that green. It reminds me of my old Cannondale.
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1 hour ago
Scott AndersonTo Andrea BrownAndrea's right about this. From the ones I've seen, PDX is the best airport in the world.
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1 hour ago
So many questions, do the metal shavings on my seat post clamp bolt mean I should replace the clamp so it won’t strip out on a gravel road in Montana?
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Andrea BrownYes. Anything that needs doing, do it now.
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3 days ago
Can we really be apart for 3 1/2 months when we haven’t been apart for more than two weeks in the last 30 years?
Heart 3 Comment 1 Link
Andrea BrownIt's gonna hurt, for sure. Video calls can help a lot.
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3 days ago
Rate this entry's writing Heart 5
Comment on this entry Comment 4
Gregory GarceauAt least you checked the clamp bolt on your seat post. I can't remember ever doing that. As far as living into your answers, I can say I've lived into not wearing padded bike shorts.
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3 days ago
Carl SchaumannI can’t claim I was checking the seat post bolt, really I was having trouble with my short, really smooth seat post slipping and I noticed the bolt when I was measuring the seat tube to make sure the post was the right size. But I am glad I noticed and can get a new seat post clamp before I start my tour.
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3 days ago
Andrea BrownAmendment here to above discussion on bike shorts. I wear liner shorts, basically padded underwear, with baggy shorts or knee length pants over those. Everybody is different and if you can, try all the possible combinations before you go. Bruce brought along his new Brooks saddle on one trip and ended up borrowing MY liner shorts (I had two pair) because he hadn't broken in his saddle first. Lessons, lessons.
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3 days ago
George (Buddy) HallPadded shorts for sure - actually, mountain bike shorts with padded liners are perfect for touring. Whatever you do, DO NOT start a tour with a new Brooks saddle - it takes me a minimum of 500 miles to "break in" a new leather saddle. There are several Northern Tier journals on this site that may be helpful to your planning regarding places to stay or camp. Here's mine from 2021; https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/warriordeath1/
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1 day ago