3rd – All tubes, dropouts, and little bits for the frame have been ordered.

• Paragon Machine Works rear dropouts. “Machined from 4130 steel, this is a classic dropout, with the relief on the outside. It has two M5 x .8 rack or fender eyelets..”
• Nova road and MTB stays and a Nova MTB 37mm diameter x 1.6mm wall head tube.
• True Temper SuperTherm main tubes 1.25″ top tube, 1.5″ down tube.
• External butted seat tube for 27.2mm post.
• 68mm bottom bracket.

11th – I crashed a few times on my last tour, twice from my front tire slipping out on loose dirt and in loose gravel. I might want to try using a Panaracer Pasela Tourguard 700x32c tire on the front and a Panaracer RiBMo 700×32 on the rear. The Tourguard for tread grooves and a more rounded surface, but it has a thiner sidewall. The RiBMo for its longevity and its high point on the center/being very smooth on paved roads.

13th – Thinking about tour life. How much time is long enough and how long would be too much? Touring to the point that its just living on a bike. The conditioning of living 99% of time out of doors. The everyday standard of interactions with only strangers, the rareness of being with friends (by visiting ones around the country). How to re-enter into a regular (a home and a job) life?

The ideas of taking on a project for the duration. A charity maybe, thought of linking to something positive and just letting the blog redirect them. Kind of minimal but even doing a little bit of good would help. Also thinking about photo projects but if I do it right i’ll just make sure I could take pictures and with my time i just need to think about what to do.

Thinking about not using this blog while touring. To keep only a written journal and then after it all I could post Touring Notes with pictures after I’m done. But the question I keep thinking is – what good does it do to post any of this online? I have been looking at others touring journals on CGOAB and the ones who travel on popular routes and take snapshots of encounters with other tourists. These people in these pictures represent that there are so many that just simply tour. So.. do I want to blog my tour, or just tour?

15th – Canceled that order for the handlebars. Now think I’ll get some real wide Nitto bars.

21st – Summer Solstice. All tubes and bits have arrived for the frame. The issue of fork needs will be addressed later.

23rd – I feel very different than i did after my last tour. New York is a strange place to live, especially when thinking about how long it has been since I’ve got out of the city even for a day. I do want to travel for hundreds of days. But I might be at a point where just one or two would do some good.

24th – One of 3 things. 1, no internet at all, professional old school.  2, internet and blog as i go. But also keep a personal, written notebook that is not relayed to the internet. 3, internet to search things and check email along the way but save all blogging for until after my tour is finished. ?  So stupid to even ask myself this.. but i dont like the internet.. because i grew up without it. But i see that it is useful. but it is a shit hole.  I may just do what i did 2 years ago, email, tweet, limited-expression posts as i go. And keep a notebook for myself.

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” – William G.T. Shedd

Having a thought that since i don’t know much about ACA except that they make maps. But their maps are set routes and not for making your own way. Ive never thought id want to buy a set of maps and do one of their routes but since I’m stuck a home, vs being on tour, i keep looking at touring stuff online and seeing more and more mentions of ACA. I think if i was on a long roaming tour i would like to meet other bikers touring and maybe ride a section of one of their routes to see if the maps are any good. So i might buy some later on. Right now im thinking the most popular single map section, to hopefully meet a high number of other riders. And the least popular section to see what they worked on without a convoy of LHTs in my way. And third, one that a person from ACA would recommend. It’s my hope these 3 maps are of areas nowhere near each other.

Thinking about making a vest. Somewhere I found mention of someone taking a vest to double as a pillow. Seems like a good idea. I’d make a pillow case the right size to fold it twice and keep shape of a pillow.

On the 5th I, and 32,000 others, rode over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on our bicycles. Rad.

Looked at the new Canon EOS SL1 DSLR. Tiny and light, might think about one to take on tour because it has the same lens mount as my SLR. But expensive.

Testing out a pair of Panaracer Pasela Tourguard 700x32c tires on my daily rider.

Picked up a 50t chain ring.

Picked out head tube style. I was thinking about going with a 45×45 headset like what is on my Brooklyn Machine Works track bike but after speaking with Joe we decided on using a Chris King 1-1/8″ NoThreadSet™ on my touring bike. So we will order a head tube to match that.

After looking at my old touring bike we have a rough on the geometry.
Head Tube angle 73.5
Seat Tube angle 72
Wheel Base 41″
BB drop 2.25″

Also made a deposit to order tubes.

I still need to sew the other pannier.