Comments for DirtBum

Comment on Groundhog Day 200K by DirtBum

DirtBum — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:06:13 +0000

If you have an A-D it’s probably a higher-end bike than mine. My understanding is that the A-D brand was the premier brand, and Puch was the entry-level stuff. But I’m enjoying mine.

I’m been meaning to do a full-length review of the MagicShine, but haven’t gotten around to it. Short review: Great light, iffy batteries.

I’m on my 3rd battery pack, and I’ve pretty much had it with their short life. Perhaps I’ll try a 3rd party pack. I have the MagicShine tail light, too. Again, great light, super bright and attention-getting.

If you have a “new” MagicShine, they may have fixed the issues. I suspect you’ll like it. Loved mine while it was working.

Comment on Groundhog Day 200K by Gary DelNero

Gary DelNero — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:11:41 +0000

Nice review- I was looking for input on magicshine lights- just ordered one in anticipation of the KCUC series. I’m riding a ’72 Austro Daimler (Puch) but wasn’t sure I would take it on a brevet until I saw this.

Comment on Northeast Franklin County, December 2009 by DirtBum

DirtBum — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:03:03 +0000

James, that is the Chippewa Cemetery, which is located a couple miles due west of Ottawa. GPS coordinates 38.591248,-95.365019

Comment on Northeast Franklin County, December 2009 by james

james — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:06:29 +0000

Great site! You wouldn’t happen to know if this photo is the Chippewa Indian Burial in Franklin county SE of Ottawa?

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x404/jgrooms64/KC%20Area%20Photo%20Tag%20Adventurerider/P1000876.jpg

Thanks,
James

Comment on Cottonwood 300 Tour Plan by Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:45:59 +0000

Hope your plans work out this year, Randy. It sounds like a fun trip, and I can vouch for the Cottonwood 200 as being a beautiful ride. See you in May–maybe!

Comment on Southwestern Road Trip Photos by Camp Trailer

Camp Trailer — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:51:34 +0000

I really wish I could ride a bike like you do. It looks so fun reading your post. Thanks.

Comment on Late Spring, Early Summer Photos by Clayton

Clayton — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:34:03 +0000

Hey Randy. I wanted to wish you a happy and successful new year of cycling and blogging. I hope we can get together once for another ride.

So far, I’ve kept riding my bicycle to work (school) all year again. This spring and summer, I’ll be investigating bicycle trailers as I’ve added a third son to the family. It’s been a mild winter so far, but we’ve yet to reach February. Should be fun?

Clayton Broyles
The Mid West Bicycle Commuter

Comment on My 2011: Utility Cycling, New Bikes, & Bike Camping! by Steve Butcher

Steve Butcher — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 01:33:58 +0000

It looks like you’ve had quite a successful year of cycling; congratulations! Also, I enjoyed reading of your road trip to the southwest. Belated happy birthday and a happy, healthy, safe new year of cycling!

Comment on New Rubber: Serfas Vermin Tires by eric schmidt

eric schmidt — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 23:47:22 +0000

I just traded my huffy beach cruiser for a schwin mtn bike with these tires awsome trade……yuma az sucks 4 the goathead thorns…….

Comment on Trail of Death Ramble by JT

JT — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:50:20 +0000

Thanks for the information Shirley. I have not been checking this email, sorry for the late reply. Unfortunately, that time in September would be tough to make it to this festival from the east coast. Maybe this will change in life, like they always seem to do and I will make it someday?
All the best to everyone here on this blog. Happy holidays and may the New Year bring peace and happiness to all.

Comment on Project Bike: Puch Cavette II by John-Paul

John-Paul — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:05:13 +0000

I can say for a fact that they didn’t only just come in red. I have a royal blue one in the stand right now. I can say, though, that they have a non-standard headset and fork threading on them. About a year ago I switched mine up to use modern double-pivot side-pulls rather than the center-pulls it came with. That left the centering spacer on the front. I thought of changing the headset to remove it, but have found today that neither a 26.4 nor a 27.0 threaded headset fits the fork’s threading.

The point: overhaul that headset, pack it fresh, and take good care of it–it’ll be a bear to replace!

Comment on New Rubber: Serfas Vermin Tires by bikerbay

bikerbay — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:31:39 +0000

I ride the irrigation canals in Yuma, AZ, during the winter. The surface varies from hard pack sand to soft sand with occasional crushed rock – gravel stretches. Over a five year period the Serfa Vermins have held up very well. I can usually get 1500-2000 miles on them and the puncture resistance (lots of thorn of every size and variety in the sand) has been very good. BTW, I ride the fronts on both front and rear because that’s all the bike shops down here stock….doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Comment on Project Bike: Puch Cavette II by Donna

Donna — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:44:37 +0000

Waaa…..I’m feeling nostalgic. The Puch cavette 2 was my first road bike. I wonder if they only came in red! I just wanted to let you know that I loved it. It took a beating through the streets of phila in the 80′s, and never let me down. Enjoy!

Comment on Dahon Touring Trial Run by Steve Butcher

Steve Butcher — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:35:46 +0000

I purchased the Dahon Speed D7 derailleur version earlier this year to take on vacations. I find it rides and handles well. It’s easy to store in the Dahon storage bag I purchased later; just sets in the corner of the room waiting for me to call it into service. The derailleur is Dahon branded and very easy to adjust. I haven’t yet ridden mine loaded. I do have an Axiom trunk bag on it all the time and have some very small Axiom panniers for the rear rack. I’m thinking about looking at a front rack to distribute the load a little better. I look forward to reading more about your experiences touring with your D7HG.

Comment on New To Me: Dahon Vitesse D7HG by DirtBum

DirtBum — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:45:31 +0000

Thanks, Caroline! Sounds like you had a great little trip. Enjoyed your write-up. Good to see you at the KCMO event the other night, too!

Comment on New To Me: Dahon Vitesse D7HG by Caroline

Caroline — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 03:18:37 +0000

We got Dahon Mu P24′s about 18 months ago to augment our LHT’s and have also found them to be much more fun and useful than we had expected.

We got the smaller Dahon suitcases and have taken them twice on planes. We have both racks and fenders, and it is really a pain to dismantle them, but it is doable. We have the 3 speed internal hub and that makes taking them apart more difficult. Last March we took them to New York City where we stayed in the HI hostel and rode all around the 5 boroughs on them.

In late July we went via Amtrak to Boston and folded and carried them aboard in their “carryon bags.” You can read about that trip in the website above. We did not camp, and we didn’t actually put that many miles on them, but they were perfect for this trip. You can see that George’s was really loaded. In the future, I think he will put some of the weight up front.

I find riding mine really nice in town, and we both run errands on them with baskets on the rear rack. It also puts a smile on the face of everyone you pass.

Caroline

Comment on Liquid Wrench Chain Lube by Sahel

Sahel — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:23:24 +0000

Thank you for this review! I was looking for a cheap lube for my mountain bike and picked this up at my local hardware store based on your recommendation.

Comment on Project Bike: Puch Cavette II by DirtBum

DirtBum — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:35:10 +0000

I know. Not exactly a light bike either way. If I stripped down the Trucker, it’d be lighter than the Puch, but I love it as a utility bike. I’m hoping to stumble upon a true lightweight steel frame sometime, but in the meantime the Puch will hopefully give me a taste.

Comment on Project Bike: Puch Cavette II by Apertome

Apertome — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:52:02 +0000

Looks like a fun bike! The lugs are really nice on that frame. I think you’ll enjoying having a lighter bike, but I also think it’s funny that an hi-ten frame is light by comparison. (I have a Trucker, so I can say that)

Comment on Camping Close To Home by DirtBum

DirtBum — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:34:00 +0000

I watched it closely, but yeah, I thought about that afterwards…

Comment on Camping Close To Home by Apertome

Apertome — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:54:21 +0000

Looks like some really good trips. Frankly your fires look dangerous, though, be careful! Should clear the ground to 3 feet of mineral soil:

http://www.in.gov/dnr/outdoor/4449.htm

I liked the photos, especially the dewey/foggy ones.

Comment on Arkansas Abbreviated by Jeanie Williams

Jeanie Williams — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:49:30 +0000

I really enjoyed your narrative, your photo’s and your video! Fun! I used to LIVE on my bike but now am a large woman of 51 yrs. I just got two bikes, one with two springs/shocks on the back seat, chuckle and a special “dual bubble seat” for the other one. Then – the “bubbles” melted – mess! Lol! So my question is, do YOU have a special seat? (No double meaning intended, promise!) chuckle! I mean, the only thing keeping me from going on a journey like yours is – comfort. Any suggestions – besides loosing weight? P.S. Thank you for sharing!

Comment on Discovering Art: Bowling in Freeman by larry parker

larry parker — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:59:39 +0000

Next time you ride my my bowling ball field stop in and you can put one up.

Comment on Pleasant, Peculiar, and an Almost-Century by Kate

Kate — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:36:35 +0000

Thanks for the interesting posts. Just moved from Florida to Southwest MO, found a bike in the barn and have been using it to get familiar with my beautiful new surroundings. I’ve been thinking about taking my adventures further out … with something a bit sturdier than the barn bike. Somehow I stumbled upon your site and now I’m even more eager to do so!

Comment on Asylum Ramble, September 2009 by Susan

Susan — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 03:52:16 +0000

They have repaired the fountain and it now has water in it again and looks brand new. The employees, community and some nursing students raised money to have the fountain repaired.

Comment on Fall 2010 Photos by Spotlight on Riverfront Heritage Bike Path in Kansas City | The Dunes at City Center

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:46:43 +0000

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Comment on Trail of Death Ramble by Shirley Willard

Shirley Willard — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:50:28 +0000

My invitation is for everyone to attend the Trail of Courage Living History Festival at Rochester,Indiana. Since 1976 the Fulton County Historical Society has been preserving history with the festival and honoring the American Indians and other groups that lived in frontier Indiana. It is a big festival that attracts 12,000 to 18,000 people. Everything there is historic to the pre-1840 period. The foods are cooked over wood fires. There are 2 stages with period music and dance all day. This year we will have a memorial service Sat afternoon by the Great Peace Tree for Chief White Eagle who planted the tree in 1988. He died at age 93 in Jan. 2011 and wanted his ashes scattered at the Great Peace Tree. He had been a movie actor and gave programs all over the US and Canada and was very popular and loved, having participated in the Trail of Courage since 1985. We miss him!

Comment on Flower Power by Tim

Tim — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:56:11 +0000

Very nice! It’s funny to me at least that I went through a gardening phase a few years ago before I started riding more in the summers, but that yard knowledge has not translated to the flowers afoot out on the country roads. I think I’ll take some of your inspiration.

Comment on Trail of Death Ramble by JT

JT — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 02:36:27 +0000

I am not sure if that invite was for me? I will be there in spirit for sure. Maybe if I hit the lottery things will change but I usually work 7 days a week. Time off is rare and the money to go somewhere is even more rare. All the best to you.

Comment on About DirtBum by Tor Anderson

Tor Anderson — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 22:07:33 +0000

Saw the website name on one of your biking photos and had to check it out – very cool. I do a fair amount of road biking spring/summer culminating in the MS150 each year but almost no off-road biking. This makes me very much want to spruce up the old mountain bike and get out there. We also do a bit of family camping but have never really combined biking and camping – another thing I’d like to do. My dream is to take a pop-up camper, with a couple bikes on top and travel around the country.

Hope all is well, T.