Author: mecaldrich

Even though I had done a lot of biking, and a little backpacking, I’ve never tried to carry or cook over a backpacking stove until this summer, so putting together a cooking kit involved a lot of research. I finally decided not to go the typical route with a gas-powered backpacking stove, and instead found…

Every few hundred miles a bike with a conventional chain needs to have the chain cleaned and lubricated or it will start to make ugly noises and resist you as you pedal. I picked this pair of chain cleaner and wax based on a comparison review and it works great. After a full cleaning and…

I grew up in the age of the Bungee Cord – my father being a devoted enthusiast. But today I can report the Bungee Cord has been supplanted in the biking world by the Rubber Strap, borrowed from skiing. I’m not even trying, yet I already have three types of these straps. Some folks refer…

Just like I didn’t think I was a front rack guy, I didn’t think I was a fender guy. But the Kona came with fenders standard, and I am so glad. I run with them on most of the time, and it’s worth it just not to get that skunk stripe up my back if…

Since I am counting on my phone for a lot of things, including maps, it’s important to prolong battery life between charges. I took a tip here from an online commenter that suggested getting two 10,000 mah power banks instead of one larger one. Two can be charged simultaneously, plus if one breaks the other…

For lights I chose the Lezyne Macrodrive 1400+ headlight and Strip Drive rear light, which come together in a kit. My darling bought these for me for my birthday. The wheel of time rolls on. I engineered a way to mount the headlight on the front of the Tubus Tara by using a GoPro mount…

This is my back rack. His name is Bert. Bert works hard and doesn’t make a fuss. Bert is a Chromoly Pannier Rack from Tumbleweed Cycles. Bert gets 11 stars. I was able to delay buying a back rack for most of the summer because I could strap my tent to the back of my…