post-trip

September 17, 2022 to September 19, 2022

It rained most of the weekend I was in Montreal, so I didn't get out as much as I would have. I'm only going to include a few pictures from a tour I took of downtown, then show you how to pack a bicycle for taking on an airplane.

This sculpture is called "Les chuchoteuses," aka The Gossipers.

This couple from Edmonton is doing the entire TransCanada Trail on a tandem bicycle, one section at at time. We met on the Montreal tour.

There are a surprising number of small green spaces and parks all over the city. After picking up a bike box, I sat on a bench in this small park eating brunch, which consisted of a couple of croissants and a mocha.

another green space, this one with vegetables

If you're going to the province of Quebec, you should try poutine, but only after you clear it with a cardiologist. Unfortunately, even if you're a 20-year-old triathlete, none of them will ever clear you for fear of losing their medical license. The reason? Poutine consists of french fries and cheese curds topped with brown gravy. Unless you're scooping lard out of a bucket with a giant spoon, I honestly can't think of anything unhealthier. It's a shame it's so bad for you because it tastes so good. Poutine has become associated with Quebec cuisine, and has spread to all of Canada and the northern United States. In order to avoid looking like the Michelin Man I only eat it when I'm in Canada.

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Many of the readers on CycleBlaze already know how to do this, but some of my friends and family might not.

How to Pack a Bike

1. Shift to the highest gear (smallest cog) on the rear so the derailleurs are as close to the frame as possible.

2. Remove the pedals. I packed a pedal wrench, which is thinner than a regular wrench, allowing it to fit in the space between the pedal and the crank arm. Remember that the left and right pedals are threaded differently. The right one is loosened by turning it clockwise and the left one is loosened by turning it counterclockwise. The reason they're different is so you don't loosen it as you pedal.

3. Remove the seatpost.

4. Remove the handlebar stem from the headtube, then turn it sideways.

5. Remove the front wheel and place a spacer between the arms of the fork (to prevent them from bending inward when there's 700 lbs of other peoples' luggage sitting on it).

6. Turn the fork around. If you have a front rack, you'll probably need to remove it as well (I did).

7. Protect the frame and prevent grease from getting everywhere by wrapping and taping everything as much as you can with styrofoam or some other type of protective wrap. Most bike shops will give you a bike box and all of the packing paraphernalia. All I had to buy was tape.

8. After everything is wrapped and protected, slip it all inside the box. I try to add additional items to the box so I won't have to take them with me on the plane, but make sure the weight remains under the allowed limit.

I'm sure I've missed something, so those of you who are better at it than me feel free to leave a comment.

what your place will probably look like when you're done

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