Cartoon of a woman with packed bags leaving her middle-aged husband who is wearing bicycle clothes (Spandex). MAMiLs --Middle Aged Men in Lycra. What happens when your Mid-Life Crisis results in buying a really expensive road bike and paunch-revealing cycle clothes. nb: I currently don't own any Spandex. But I had a nice winter riding ensemble once upon a time. I'm imagining a Trans-America ride from The East Coast to West, stopping off to visit an old friend in San Diego, possibly some other old friends along the way. After I get my fixie back n the road with an 82" gain (a bit aggressively geared), I need to finish my rebuild of a Peugeot as a 26" 3-speed utility bike with minor gravel-riding capabilities. But the cycle I imagine for the Trans-America would be simple, elegant, rugged. I would want to bring a pretty large and a bit idiosyncratic kit, so I would want to tow a trailer. I have in mind a wooden teardrop style made out of the cedar strip as a test of materials and build process that I intend to use for my next small boat or canoe. A trailer would provide some real-estate for a small solar panel and locked stowage. And for water. Clean, potable water is difficult to procure in many sparsely populated parts of The American West. I would use the stealth-camping skills I honed on my solo paddles of The Susquehanna and The Mississippi Rivers. Absolutely indicated would be a sprung-leather saddle and clipless pedals (Shimano SPD). One of those gps-enabled bicycle computers with the bicycle friendly maps already loaded? That would be nice! This is a bucket-list kind of thing. Stay tuned!
Bicycle Confession:
The rebuild of my #Montague Boston #foldingbicycle ( #fixedwheel ) has me imaging a specific build for a Trans-America ride.
A Schwinn Traveler frame with 700c wheels laced to a Sturmey-Archer S-2 2 speed kick-shift hub, 77" and 55" gear gains, both rim brakes, and trailer.
