You guys ROCK! Thank you so much! I need to get to know my bike pretty well, and I knew I came to the right people to help me do that!!

I'm dumping that job on Blast and ClarkTx the next time we meet up at Hydes Cafe in Old Town Spring, Tx. I KNOW I can trust their opinions!!!

Back to bikes --Came back from my afternoon walk today and saw the neighbor in his garage working on his carbon fiber road bike getting it ready for a 100 mile ride on Saturday -- long ride. He volunteered that for comfort during long bike rides, thin-wall chromoly steel was the way to go. Yes!! We also agreed that as good as it is, aluminum alloy is the least comfortable.

Of the three materials, aluminum has the hardest ride and is the least comfortable. CF is not as comfortable as chromoly, but it's way lighter, strong, and dampens a lot of the vibrations you feel w/ aluminum alloy frames. I suppose if you ride with a peloton and need to keep up, speed & reduced weight trump comfort.

Were I in the market for a road bike, my first choice would be a Surly LHT; my second choice would be a TREK 520 -- both frames are chromoly steel.

I agree completely with your choices.
both frames have a vast reputation...

Well it's not the material, but the frame design that really makes a noticable difference. You can make most materials stiffer or more flexible depending how how it's made.

As for cylcing, don't think too much about it. Just don't ride too hard to sweat (or if there is a shower, use that), keep your pants out of the chainring, have lighting on the bike and leave on time. Oh and your pants will start to wear the your crotch.

For cooling, I take a large triangular cotton (Do rag) bandage, soak it in water, drop the point down my back, between my t shirt & outside shirt. I then bring the two other points up on each side of my neck, loosely cross the two ends and push them down the inside and front of my shirt. This usually keeps me cooled down for 2 hours whether I am sitting in a hot cockpit on a tarmac waiting for take off clearance or biking, or hiking. It's usually very hot and a high humidity here in South Louisiana and the evaporative cooling is a life saver.

I have been working a lighter set-up. Something a little more discreet. I'm not preparing for the apocalypse, after all, just an extension or postponement of my trip home. (Bugging-in at home is always Disaster Plan #1.)

Instead of carrying the pack detailed above, I've put my purse in a backpack, along with my water bottle and a few other essentials. It's a smaller, more discreet pack and it think I've got it all covered. (FWIW: 35 L down to 25L, and a black pack instead of orange.) There is less cooking, no change of clothes and less of everyhing in this set-up.)

As always, comments, ridicule and suggestions for budget-friendly improvements are most welcome!


Added Essentials, easy to access:

-spare house, bike lock and car keys on braided paracord lanyard
-local and transit maps
-Thinsulate wool/fleece beanie
-insulated mechanics gloves
-trail mix
-granola bar
-1 x Mr.Noodles
-hot and cold drink mixes
-srirachia sauce
-1 collapsible cup (=2 cups)
-1 LMF spork
-1 x lip balm
-1 x bandanna
-1 x kid's washcloth
-pocket pack of Kleenex
-1 maxi pad
-1 kids pull-up diaper
- toiletries kit: toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, moisturizer, Purelle, tampons, maxi pad, tylenol, advil, small pack of wipes, tea light candle
-emergency rain poncho
-9 LED AAA flashlight
-a couple of tampons
-cough drops


My EDC Purse Contents

Attached to the outside:
24 oz Kleen Kanteen (kept in a pair of wool socks as bottle insulator)

Outside Pocket:
Hard case with prescription glasses, clip-on sunglasses and mini screwdriver

Top Convenience Pocket:
lip balm
tylenol & advil
7 LED AAA flashlight & 1 set of extra batteries
Jet lighter
tissues
cough drops

Front Pocket:
2 chemical body/hand warmers
silk hankie
emergency disposable poncho
small with tin tampons & mini maxi pad

Main Compartment:
Wallet (with cash, coins, bus tickets, bank cards, ID, etc.)
LM Wave (with cotton balls, jute twine, Maglite Solitare and extra battery in sheath)
2 Heat Sheets blankets
2 Clif bars
chewing gum
duct tape
bandana
cotton hankie
silk liner gloves
note book
lip balm

2nd Main Compartment:
Key Chain with SAK Farmer, LED, ferro rod, mini bic, Fox 40, 3 days of Rx meds
Pen, Sharpie, pencil, mini screwdriver kit

deck of cards
Esbit stove and fuel tabs
1L Platypus
Jute twine and paracord
hair elastic
Bic lighter
duct tape
tampons, pads and a note from my kids in a ziplock

FAK (gauze pads, prep pads, pressure bandage, mini maxi pads, bandaids, OTC meds, cough drops, H2O tabs, coffee, tea and sugar, mini bic, SOL mini fishing kit, safety pins)

Extra ziplock bags

Back Pocket:
garbage bags


Notes:

*I'll add a sweater and/or rain jacket on days when the weather is decidedly not cold and/or wet. (It's Spring so we can expect a total mixed bag of weather.)
*I'll have my MP3 player, headphones and charger kit in my pocket
*A new cell phone and charging kit is on my shopping list
*I am going to keep a complete change of clothes, including shoes, at work

I carry rather more food and water - and keep half my ghb in my work locker. you might add a paper list of contacts, uber app or similar, bus/area maps and some lights/ reflective to be seen if you are walking at night.