Jamis Aurora + Brooks + TE advice = Happy

[roguedog]

hey slash,

whew.. thanks. relieved in many ways. sounds like you know what you're doing. just didn't want someone hurting themselves somewhere down the line, especially as you embark on a great journey!

saw your bike.. really beautiful jamis. i like it. didn't know they made 'em w/ disks now. i love, love my brooks. keep at it and it'll eventually become your own butt couch i think i've got like 5k-7k on mine. course it's not for everyone but i love mine.

and thank you, thank you for the link to anne mustoe. must read. i read beryl markham's book about being a female aviator in the early days of flying and that was a great read!

man.. is there something about english women? i've always wondered that. especially during the turn of the 20th century.. what makes 'em wanna leave the comforts of house and home to go off to africa??

i guess american women were doing the same by leaving civilzation and heading off to homesteads. but i can understand that whole, "trying to make a better life thing" or "wanting something of my own" impetus.

i'm not sure the stimulus to leave comfortable houses w/ indoor plumbing and hot water and go harking off to some wild, undeveloped country.

hmm.. sorry. see! your blog has got my mind awandering! thanks

yes, i'm a wimp and i like my b n b's. can you tell? (someone pass me a home baked scone, plz)

[shootingstar]

i guess american women were doing the same by leaving civilzation and heading off to homesteads. but i can understand that whole, "trying to make a better life thing" or "wanting something of my own" impetus.

i'm not sure the stimulus to leave comfortable houses w/ indoor plumbing and hot water and go harking off to some wild, undeveloped country.

hmm.. sorry. see! your blog has got my mind awandering! thanks

yes, i'm a wimp and i like my b n b's. can you tell? (someone pass me a home baked scone, plz)

Slash tell us about your trip soon. HOpe the weather will be good for you.

Rogue, I used to pride myself for being a bit "tough" ..um....about 17 yrs. ago.
I didn't start camping and cycling until I was 32 yrs. I came from a non-camping family. It's a cultural thing..to "rough it". If one's family came from a developing country and were already poor in the rural areas, camping is the last thing they want to do/to learn when they get to North America. My parents came from homes in China that used firewood/similar for cooking.

But last time I camped was well over 12 yrs. ago.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

SLash,
it sounds like you are really getting a feel for dialing in the details of fit and comfort tailored to YOU and YOUR body. We are all built differently and our bikes are different too.
Unless you are truly uncomfortable, I'd suggest now that you ride for a while without changing anything. From my own experiences I found that letting myself ride for a good long while a certain way allowed me to more clearly sense what little thing(s) might need changing. If I changed and tweaked often, it was much harder to tell when something was improved or not. If there is pain of course, that requires more immediate attention.

Great that you are happy with the changes you made so far...and congratulations on having a beautiful new Jamis!

[SLash]

SLash,
it sounds like you are really getting a feel for dialing in the details of fit and comfort tailored to YOU and YOUR body. We are all built differently and our bikes are different too.
Unless you are truly uncomfortable, I'd suggest now that you ride for a while without changing anything. From my own experiences I found that letting myself ride for a good long while a certain way allowed me to more clearly sense what little thing(s) might need changing. If I changed and tweaked often, it was much harder to tell when something was improved or not. If there is pain of course, that requires more immediate attention.

Great that you are happy with the changes you made so far...and congratulations on having a beautiful new Jamis!

Lisa, this is excellent advice and I'll follow it. I'm glad you suggested it. I know my fit if not there, is damn close and I could easily make it worse by tweaking and re-tweaking.

Thanks!

[SLash]

hey slash,

whew.. thanks. relieved in many ways. sounds like you know what you're doing. just didn't want someone hurting themselves somewhere down the line, especially as you embark on a great journey!

saw your bike.. really beautiful jamis. i like it. didn't know they made 'em w/ disks now. i love, love my brooks. keep at it and it'll eventually become your own butt couch i think i've got like 5k-7k on mine. course it's not for everyone but i love mine.

and thank you, thank you for the link to anne mustoe. must read. i read beryl markham's book about being a female aviator in the early days of flying and that was a great read!

man.. is there something about english women? i've always wondered that. especially during the turn of the 20th century.. what makes 'em wanna leave the comforts of house and home to go off to africa??

i guess american women were doing the same by leaving civilzation and heading off to homesteads. but i can understand that whole, "trying to make a better life thing" or "wanting something of my own" impetus.

i'm not sure the stimulus to leave comfortable houses w/ indoor plumbing and hot water and go harking off to some wild, undeveloped country.

hmm.. sorry. see! your blog has got my mind awandering! thanks

yes, i'm a wimp and i like my b n b's. can you tell? (someone pass me a home baked scone, plz)

Roguedog,

I agree completely, I am beyond amazed at what Anne Mustoe did! I love her books and I just hate that I didn't discover her until after she had died. That sounds silly, it's not like I was going to meet her or anything, but it just seems like such a loss that she's not with us anymore. It's just sad.

I think you would really enjoy her books. I'm reading the 2nd one now and will be taking it on our trip. She inspires me, everytime I feel wimpy or whiney on the bike I think of her and see how ridiculous whatever I'm complaining about is.

Another good book that your post made me think about (women and their/our courage and spirit) was Gail Collin's book, "America's Women, Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines". It's excellent.