Seeing the world by bicycle gives one a unique perspective on the surroundings that a traveler wouldn’t get in a car, on a motorcycle, or in a tour bus. The sounds and the smells are often missed, drowned out by the engine or kept at bay by the windows. Even some sights tend to be overlooked with the speeds and distractions that are associated with a combustion engine.

For the past few years, The Pedal Wrench has been providing technical support for Marty Jemison Cycling Tours and the groups of cyclists they lead around Europe. The opportunity has allowed me to become very aware of the extra logistical details that go along with lugging your bike around the world. Whether traveling by plane, train, boat, bus, car, or van, there are considerations to be made involving your bicycle. Taking care of a few things before you leave can save time, money, and anguish, and allow the trip to be what it’s meant to be…..vacation.

With the destination in mind, decide if your bicycle is the best option or if you need to consider renting. There are more than a few options for getting a bike to a distant location on the globe, but is it worth it? The obstacles and conditions faced in foreign lands make the memories of the trip, and proper equipment helps keep the memories positive. Terrain, cost, road conditions, crime, accommodations, transportation, and access to bike service/parts should be major considerations in the decision.

The terrain ahead needs to be met with the right bike. Sometimes deciding between taking a road or a mountain bike is not a clear and apparent choice. Will the gears on your bike get you up the hills on your 5th day of riding in a row? Many road riders traveling to mountainous regions will go for a triple front chain ring, a compact crank, or a mountain cassette and rear derailleur, any of which would come in handy when the road kicks up to an %18+ grade. Are the wheels and tires suited to the road or trail conditions where you’re going?

If something on the bike breaks will you be able to repair it? Exotic places don’t always embrace exotic bike parts making proprietary spokes and other parts hard to come by. In certain situations bike parts that excel in strength are better than parts that are lacking in weight.

A bicycle in transit is subject to bumps, bangs, crunches, and squashes once it leaves your sight. The way the bike is packed will help it avoid damage, but no case or packing job can save your bike in every scenario. Make sure the full value of your bike is insured if misfortune meets your bike somewhere along the way. Airlines and shipping services cover your bicycle in various ways and for various amounts, it’s worth reading the fine print. Along the same lines, if you plan on taking the bus, boat, or train with your bike you may find yourself stuffing it into less than ideal places, just so it fits.

Bicycle thieves can ruin a vacation quickly. The loss of a bike to theft is upsetting any time, but when it’s a major component in your plans for the immediate future, it really, really sucks. A quality lock and a little awareness go a long way. Park and lock your bike in smart places, and not for too long. Hotel rooms and cars get robbed all the time, lock your bike in hotels and cars too. If your bike is super flashy and/or expensive, bike thieves will fancy it that much more, you may consider leaving it behind.

The parts on a bicycle can fall victim too. Easily removable parts, like quick release wheels and seat posts are targeted first. If possible, lock the wheels and take the seat. A seat binder with a bolt instead of a quick release will deter most opportunistic thieves. It’s still a good idea to keep an eye on it as much as possible.

If your bicycle is going to make the trip with you, it will need some sort of container. The subject of which bicycle box or bag is the best would lead to a lengthy conversation among many. If this trip is a first and only, renting a bike box or bike bag may be the best option. Check with your local bike shops to see if they offer box/bag rentals. A cardboard bike box is a cheap(usually free), disposable alternative to buying an expensive case. You can even put it in the recycling bin when you get to where you’re going. Be sure and allow a few days to locate another cardboard bike box before your departure.

If purchasing a bike box/bag is more up your alley you should weigh your options. Some companies offer double bike bags/boxes, and you don’t have to travel with two bikes all the time. Some options will ship cheaper than others since shipping companies generally charge on the basis of size more than weight. Hard cases arguably offer more protection but can require more forethought since they don’t fit in a lot of rental cars, European cars are tiny, and aren’t fun on the train. The less mechanically inclined may want a model with less bike disassembly/assembly required at the start and finish of the adventure.

Shipping a bike via a shipping company is an option that offers lower effort and stress in the airports, trains, and taxis you may encounter en route. Making your connection after waiting for your bike in customs isn’t always easy. The airline will probably be the cheapest option, sometimes a smile will get your bike on, sometimes they charge $100 or so, each way. Airline policy is enforced in a consistently inconsistent nature, you’ll rarely get the same answer twice. If you don’t like what one airline employee says, politely try another. Like mentioned earlier, check on the coverage of your property while in the care of others. In my experience, the shipping companies are slightly more driven to find misplaced items than the airlines. A bicycle vacation with no bicycle is less than ideal.

If renting a bike is something that you’ll be needing to do, it’s a good idea to plan way ahead. Find the local bike rental shops and do a little research. Getting the information you need isn’t always easy, but you only need to make sure the bikes suit your needs and that they’re available. It never hurts to have a back up plan, just in case.

Packing is your chance to guess what situations you may encounter and what items you”ll need to deal with them. For example, obviously you would want to bring your bike shoes and pedals if you have them, and packing them in your carry on luggage will be greatly appreciated if any or all of your baggage is lost. The tools to reassemble your bike should make their way in the bike bag or bike box, maybe a folding tool will do the job. A full size pedal wrench can be a welcome sight after discovering an overtightened pedal. You should also pack items for roadside repairs, it’s much easier in a place you’re familiar with, in a language you actually speak and understand. Check with TSA and/or your airline to find out if CO2 cartridges and other questionable items are allowed, before you pack them. Each trip will require a different amount of preparedness and in different areas.

Some of the issues you face on the road can be extra challenging because of a language barrier. Maps are foreign, signs are foreign, and the responses you get to questions are typically not in English. Different cultures have different holidays and you should make yourself aware of any that may interfere with your vacation. Finding fuel or food on St. Whatever day is almost impossible in many countries. A wise person told me it would take me twice as long to do anything I needed to do in Europe. That, I’ve found, holds true there and elsewhere in the world. The United States is all about convenience and commercialism, fortunately the whole world isn’t like that, but it does mean some adjustments in time management. In general, being in a rush on vacation is no good anyway.

Sometimes it’s better to leave things up to the experts. There are tour companies out there that want to help you get where you want to go. These companies offer products to fit many budgets and time frames. Certain tour operators are more accommodating, and others take care of the logistics and send you on your way. If you decide to go with a tour company, do some digging. Find out as much as you can about it so you know what to expect.

Deciding to do a self guided cycling vacation is a large commitment, but it’s not rocket surgery. Planning will get you everywhere, and sometimes you have to slow down to speed up. As long as you don’t approach the endeavor underestimating it, the vacation will turn out great. At least you won’t be at work.

I found these websites full of useful information on the subject.

www.bikeaccess.net

www.bicycletour.com

In my travels around the world wide web I’ve come across a number of bike repair tool lists for the person looking to set up their own home shop. The Pedal Wrench will soon post our own version of such a list. The one item I find absent from most of these tool lists I’ve seen is a shop apron.

When I think about what an apron does for me when I work on bicycles, I might place it in the highest priority tier of bike repair necessities. While an apron won’t loosen a pedal that’s been installed too tightly, it will provide you with many benefits while you perform the task. The evil chain ring monster is always looking to leave it’s mark on clean clothes and they tend to be permanent scars. Alleviating the concern for grease stained clothing is a huge advantage in the situation of a tight pedal because you get to focus on the pedal itself.

Walking up to a bike in a bike repair stand with all of the tools to complete the task at hand is an enormous time saver. Let me give you an example, a new chain installation. Before I leave the work bench I will put the new chain, master link, chain tool, rag, and lube in the pockets of my apron. I walk up to the bicycle and remove the old chain with the chain tool. I measure and cut the new chain to the proper length, again with the chain tool. The old chain and chain tool go in my pockets. After I install the new chain on the bike I take the master link out of my pocket to connect the ends. The rag is used to remove the sticky goo that comes on the new chain and wipe off the excess lube after it’s applied. At the end of that simple task the apron saved 3 or more trips to the workbench. That efficiency gain is huge over the course of building a complete bicycle or many repairs.

Go buy a plaid apron with ruffles from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It will keep your clothes cleaner and it has pockets to hold small items and tools. While this apron would offer some of the benefits I’ve discussed, over time the shortcomings would become more apparent. So what makes a bike mechanic’s apron more functional? Durability, comfort, and performance are the three aspects that I look at in an apron.

The durability is very important, but harder to judge at the time of purchase. Some aprons fall apart under normal use, some withstand the affects of everyday bike shop life, but disintegrate when washed, and some stand the test of time. Generally, the pockets and straps will fail first.

As heavy bicycle tools fill the pockets and the hours wear on in the bike shop, the comfort of an apron becomes an issue. Most “high end” shop aprons have gone to a criss cross strap design that better distribute the weight of the apron and tools on the bike mechanic. This design sets the straps wider on the shoulders and almost completely removes the weight on the neck. The simple two strap design that can be seen on the previously mentioned plaid apron is not what a bike mechanic wants. Trust me.

How does an apron perform well? For me, it’s all about coverage and containment. The more area an apron covers the more shorts and shirts I save from grease and grime, and that saves money. The pockets of a shop apron should hold a generous amount of bike tools, and most do. The key is for those bike tools to stay put until needed and be easily accessible when needed. I have nightmares of an apron that would throw my tools all over the floor in a loud metallic discord each time I bent down. It made me the laughing stock of the bike shop which has probably scarred me for life, not to mention all of the time I spent picking up my tools.

Now I’d like to introduce you to the Fox Wrench Apron from Fox Racing Products. This apron has been my friend in the bike shop for almost a year now. The cotton construction has withstood the test of time and multiple trips to the washing machine. The pockets of the Wrench Apron are well thought out and hold everything you need regularly and then some. They very rarely spew bike tools and bike parts on the floor of the shop, saving me time and face. It even has a beer pocket and bottle opener for after all the repairs are finished. The inside hand pockets allow me to put my keys, wallet, or cell phone away without sticking my greasy hands in the pockets of my shorts or pants. While the apron is as comfortable as they come, the pockets are large enough to excessively overload, so remember to empty them every once in a while or the back and shoulders will suffer.

Up until this point, the only aspect I’m not psyched on is the graphics, but those don’t really matter, and they are unique. At around $30, this apron is a great value for a great product and will probably be the last apron you buy for your shop. It also works great for BBQing.

• 100% Cotton.
• Screen printed graphics.
• 4 large pockets, 1 pocket w/ flap, 4 smaller pockets for tools, 1 pen pocket and 2 hand pockets on inside.
• Special side pockets sized to fit a beer bottle; also comes with a custom Fox head bottle opener.

The outdoor concerts a Deer Valley Resort on Wednesday evenings are a Park City locals’ tradition. The typical Park City summer evening is perfect for sitting in the grass, basking in the sun, and listening to live music amongst friends. Blankets cover the green ski slope above Deer Valley’s amphitheater as people pull out all stops for their picnic spreads.

Chilled Conundrums, aged Blue Stilton, Caprese Salad, and other savory treats are passed among the crowd as an often forgettable musical act plays for our pleasure. The DV concerts are great evenings of entertainment that many will pedal their bicycles across town for. Bicycles are leaned and locked against anything stationary as you enter the venue. The commute to the concert by bike makes sense. The parking is tough, gas is expensive, and, though still illegal, it’s always safer to ride a bike rather than drive a car after some beverage consumption.

The gradual climb from town up to the Snow Park Lodge and amphitheater is made even more grueling by a backpack of wine or a cooler in the basket of your bike. The ability to bypass that climb is hardly why a small group of people take their bikes on the bus, although that is very nice. The bus these cyclists board is headed for Silver Lake, the mid mountain multi million dollar Deer Valley community that sits about 1000 feet above old town. There the reward waits. Royal Street is a 5.2 kilometer stripe of pavement down the side of the mountain. It winds its way in and out of ski runs and multi million dollar homes that sit empty.

The bike ride is what you make of it. Some cruise, chat, and enjoy the speed gravity dictates for them. Others choose to be a tad more competitive and race out of the gate. Every week is a different crew and has a different vibe. It is always a good time. No matter how you ride Royal Street, you will arrive at the concert full of energy, grinning ear to ear, and ready to consume.

This bike ride wasn’t my idea, but I would like more than anything for it to continue on a weekly basis in conjunction with the concerts. The ride is great and just about anyone, with any bike, has the ability to do the ride. We meet at the Park City Transit Center around 5:20. The last bus up to Silver Lake leaves at 5:30. It’s usually the driver’s last leg of the day and they don’t wait around past 5:30. The short bus ride to Silver Lake only saves about an hour of climbing by bike and once off the bus you have the option to pedal less than 10 times until you reach the bottom.

Bicycle helmets should always be worn and the Royal Street Descent is no exception. Be sure and do a full safety check on your bicycle before the ride too. Hope to see you.

WHEN: Wednesdays 5:20pm (check DV concert schedule)

WHERE: Park City Transit Center (Swede Alley)

WHY: Because riding downhill is fun, and it’s even better when you don’t have to ride up.

As a continuing effort to be every cyclists’ liaison to bicycle information, our bicycle link pages have gotten some improvements. The pages will continue to grow as we add more valuable links. Some key links have certainly been missed and we’ll try to fill the big holes quickly. Please drop a note if you have any suggestions about a link you’d like to see on thepedalwrench.com. Also, stay tuned for the new and improved photo pages!

The Pedal Wrench Bicycle Links

Most Americans would consider bicycling an environmentally friendly activity. And I would agree that going for a bike ride has much less of an impact on earth than taking the old gas guzzler for a drive. But what about the footprint that cycling as an industry leaves on our globe?

Cycling is the most efficient form of transportation, but over 100 million bicycles are produced in the world annually. That is a lot of production and then consider all of the tubes, tires, and accessories that go along with that. Where will these bicycles be in 15 years? Even if half of those bicycles are still being utilized, 50 million bikes is a gigantic pile of scrap bikes. So what can we do with ridable but dated bikes that would otherwise end up abandoned, scrapped, or forgotten about?

Park City is not your hit the boardwalk beach cruiser kind of town. If a bike only has one gear it had better be an easy one. Main Street in Park City is a consistently nagging hill that I live way at the top of. The whole thing is only about a half mile and it’s only a 5% or 6 % grade, but it will leave most short of breathe and looking for easier gears. The ride home from the bar or a gorging at a local restaurant is an especially tough endeavor and you can count on the Main Street trolley to be going the wrong way.

In 2003 an early 90s Mongoose mountain bike was left in the garage of 28 Prospect Ave, my new residence. This bike was destined to spend the rest of it’s existence under the back deck. The Mongoose was not that sweet, even when it was a new bike, and now it was antiquated, rusty, and lacking in all cool factors. The misfortune of a friend turned out to be the saving grace for the old bike. The need for affordable(free) transportation and low impact excercise made the Mongoose an easy choice.

The bike needed some love before it could be ridden. Lube, cable, and housing would bring the bike back to functional status, but it seriously lacked in style. The solutions were considered and then applied to the ugly bicycle. Ape hanger handlebars were installed giving the rider a relaxed and upright position. The 26″ mountain bike wheel was taken off the front and a 20″ BMX wheel was substituted. Since the front brakes were useless with this new front wheel the brake bosses were ground off of the fork to give a cleaner, sleeker look. A Mexican flag color scheme was sprayed on the frame and fork to cover the scrapes and scars accumulated over the years. Since small details can bring the level of the bigger picture up, a “Little Homie” was zip tied to the head tube and the Sexy Mexi was born.

This makeover was a fresh breathe of life for the bicycle. The Sexy Mexi could be seen all over town, at all of the hippest hangout spots. The bike was the perfect townie. It had a distinct creative style, a full range of gears, and a price tag that allowed it to be left unlocked in front of most establishments around town.

When, Sophia, the owner of the “Mongoose” approached us about the bicycle she had left behind years earlier, I was shocked. The Sexy Mexi was reluctantly turned over, but it didn’t care. Sophia quickly gained a deep appreciation for her resurrected ride and she could be seen pedaling it about town, it even made the trip to Burning Man with her. The bike became a beacon for locating Sophia and friends.

A new problem faced 28 Prospect, we no longer had a townie. Kris Gray and I started building our new town cruisers immediately. We learned from our experience with the Sexy Mexi and allowed friendly competition to inspire our new designs. Soon we were riding around town on some new recycled bicycles. Our new generation of townies were even cooler, more functional, and more stylie. Within no time people were approaching Kris and I about getting their own recycled bikes.

So it began. The Park City Bicycle Recyclers was born to meet the need for affordable geared townies in our community. The bonus for us is the ability to use bicycles and bicycle parts that would otherwise end up wasted in a landfill. As we continue, we learn new ways to reuse different parts which makes for a constant evolution of our recycled bicycles. Our bicycles are consistently unique giving them an artistic quality appreciated by our clients.

The Park City Bicycle Recyclers offers an alternative to the overpriced townies you find at the bike shop. Besides that, we are able to cut down on the waste from our supposedly green sport, even if just a drop in the very large bucket. Remember, Earth day every day!

Keep an eye out for the website and other PCBR happenings.