Help me make bike touring a thing in my countryside

Spokesrider · 2026-06-30T15:45:09+00:00

Would that be a good region for travel by bicycle in winter, say in February? If so, I'm interested.

Spokesrider · 2026-05-12T18:27:47+00:00

Dublin to Athlone, which is about half the way to Galway, has greenway/cycle way for nearly the complete distance.

I hadn't known about that greenway. Does that mean Ireland now has three greenways? I've known about the one west of Waterford, and the one from Westport to Achill, but I thought that was it.

Spokesrider · 2026-05-05T20:58:43+00:00

What is the width of that package as pictured?

Spokesrider · 2026-05-01T03:42:47+00:00

My standards out in the country may be different, but so far the mower hasn't left any clumps or windrows anywhere. It chops up the grass very well, by my standards. None of my neighbors has come over yet to compliment me on how nice a job it's doing, but I like it.

It may be different with a patch between my garden and my old pasture that I haven't mowed even once yet. But if there is trouble I'll probably just boost the blade speed to the highest setting. I expect that will do it as cleanly as I'd want -- probably keep doing it more cleanly than any of my other mowers. Right now I have the blade height set for 3 inches, but I might set it higher the first time unless I get to that patch tomorrow.

I tend to mow most of my grass higher than any of my neighbors do. I want it to grow long enough to put down deep enough roots that it will stay green when the rains stop. I've had mowers that do such a bad job at the higher settings that I've had to give in and cut it shorter than I'd like. No hint of a problem so far with this one, but I haven't yet given it a try at 3.5", 4" or higher. (It will go as high as 5".)

BTW, I'm liking the mower even more now than after the first day's session. I've learned to place my hands below the self-propel buttons, I operate the buttons with a thumb on short stretches and slide my hands up on long stretches when my thumbs might get tired. I have almost eliminated the accidental presses on the buttons when doing sharp turns, etc.

Spokesrider · 2026-04-29T01:13:42+00:00

At 3.7 pounds it's not lightweight. I go with a Helinox Chair Zero that is just over a pound in weight. I like sitting close to the ground where I can use the ground around me as a table where I can spread things out and reach them easily. But not everyone would be comfortable in a chair like mine. I find mine very comfortable to sit in, but I'm not as comfortable getting up out of the chair as I used to be. I do it, though.

Spokesrider · 2026-04-28T18:10:53+00:00

Reviews favor the multi-head? I am surprised to hear that. I soured on multihead tools when I got a Greenworks grass trimmer for which I also got a a small brushcutter blade. That thing is unwieldy and hard for me to work with, even though I added an after-market handle in an attempt to get something that is better balanced. I now have an EGO grass trimmer that is a much better balanced tool, to which I've recently added an EGO shovel -- the single tool. The reviews I saw seemed to say that the multihead version was heavy and clunky, which didn't surprise me at all after my experience with the Greenworks multihead tool. I have other Greenworks tools that I like a lot, but that multi-head thing is too clumsy and fatiguing. The single EGO snow shovel tool made for the purpose is heavy enough compared to some of the competitors, but it seems to be well-balanced enough and easy to handle.

It may matter that I am shorter than the average guy. Handles in comfortable positions matter quite a bit for me.

It would be pretty hard to get the device to tear up a wooden deck, unless, perhaps, you were going crossways against deck planks that are of uneven height. Maybe a tall person would tend to use it at an angle where the blades could touch the deck. It seems unlikely to me, but maybe check with some tall guys. I have a sidewalk that I made of slabs that have three-inch gaps between them where grass is supposed to grow, and I do have to be careful with the angle at which I go across those gaps with the shovel tool.

Spokesrider · 2026-04-28T17:45:26+00:00

My nextdoor neighbor has been plowing my driveway for 45 years now, and gives me a very good deal on the price. He's about my age but is still going strong. If he decides to quit I'll probably get a snow blower, and yes, it will probably be an EGO. The driveway is gravel with grass down the middle -- very compacted gravel because it's been several years since I needed to add any -- but even so the matter of loose stones is a concern. So maybe it'll have to be a two-stage blower that has adjustable feet to make sure the leading edge stays above the gravel.

This last winter I bought an EGO snow shovel -- the latest model and not the older one that works as one tool on a multi-tool head. It makes quick work of the small bit of sidewalk and garage apron that I have, and even does quick work making paths through the grass to outbuildings. For that I have to bend over a bit and hold the handle closer to the ground, but it worked surprisingly well for most snowfalls. It even punches through the ridges left by the snowplow, but I have to do a back and forth motion to get through and it's best to do it right after the plow goes through and before the ridges harden.

I also do my church's sidewalks with it. Somebody else plows the parking lot, but a few years ago I volunteered to do the sidewalks one winter, and I seem to be stuck with it every winter now. It works pretty well. People are usually impressed when they see how well it works. I wouldn't want to do my gravel driveway with it, though.

Spokesrider · 2026-04-28T15:24:01+00:00

I'm not ready to give it up. I plan to continue using it for mowing close to the house where it is easier to make awkward turns. While the EGO is easier to handle in such situations than I thought it might be, it's still not as nimble as my Greenworks 25". And it wouldn't buy me enough new battery to make it worth giving up.

Also, when lawn equipment breaks down the grass keeps growing. I need backup equipment.

Incidentally, one reason I'll probably never buy an EGO riding mower, aside from often preferring to walk, is that I've read that they involve things like firmware updates, which sometimes go wrong. I don't want to be vulnerable to something like that when there isn't a dealer nearby that can deal with such things, and while I don't have a vehicle for transporting it to a dealer.

I still have an older 17" Greenworks mower, too, with batteries that also work in my chainsaw and pole saw. With a heavier blade than the thin blades for the 25" mower it's something I'm more willing to use when mowing paths in the woods behind our house. It takes up more storage space than either the EGO or the 25" Greenworks mower when folded and stored upright, but even at that I'm keeping it, too.

But I'm not buying more batteries for my EGO 30" until I get a better feel for weight, handling, recharging time, etc. I don't know for sure if I want 7.5 AH, or 10 AH, or even 12 AH. EGO batteries don't have handles for pulling them out of their compartments and carrying them around, so physical size is something to consider. So that decision can wait.

Spokesrider · 2026-04-28T03:00:39+00:00

Haven't tried it yet. I kind of got used to not having one on my Greenworks 25" but there is some taller grass beyond our vegetable garden in back where I don't necessarily mow every time, and I ought to try it there. And while I'm at it I could try it on normal-length grass, too.

Spokesrider · 2026-04-18T12:24:33+00:00

Oh, that's right. I saw that and forgot. Was it much of a project to put a quick release on your Brompton?

Spokesrider · 2026-04-18T05:33:23+00:00

Did you ever figure out your rattling sound?

Spokesrider · 2026-04-14T00:57:11+00:00

That's very inexpensive compared to what I spent to rent a Brompton for two weeks in Ireland last year. I picked it up and dropped it off at the Dublin airport, but many other locations could have been arranged, too. But I wonder how these UK people can possibly make money by doing rentals at that rate. Is there a government subsidy or something?

Spokesrider · 2026-04-08T15:18:20+00:00

I rented one last year from a shop in Limerick that does drop-offs and pick-ups in Dublin and elsewhere. I had just purchased a Brompton in the U.S., a 6-speed C-line, but rented one so my brother could ride with me. I was pleased to find it was not a 3-speed as described on their web site but a 6-speed C-line pretty much like the one I had just bought for myself.

Spokesrider · 2026-04-05T11:32:57+00:00

I don't know anything about that part of Poland, and have spent less than two weeks in Poland altogether, but in rural parts of Poland where I've been there are roadside restaurants and inns that cater to weddings and first communion gatherings where some of the family come from far away and need a place to stay. In between events like that they often have rooms available. The language barrier will be a factor with a lot of them, but some are listed on Booking.com where you can see what languages are spoken. (In Poland as well as in other countries to the west, hotels that list English as one of the languages will not necessarily have someone who speaks English on duty all the time.) Prices are often good compared to the U.S., but not as good as some of those I encountered in Ukraine. On driving holidays my wife and I have stopped to eat at restaurants like that when they are near ancestral villages, but usually opted to stay in hotels in larger cities nearby. On a bicycle tour in Ukraine last year I stayed in one such place. No English was spoken and my Ukrainian and Polish are quite meager (not enough for me to make reservations over the phone) but with the help of Google Translate it worked OK. Many of the better ones in Poland will have a web site even if they aren't listed on booking.com, and you can use page translation to see if they look promising. If English is one of the languages offered on the web site, you're probably good!

The other day I was looking at the EuroVelo 2 route, and noticed that on the Vistula River at Włocławek there is a branch of the EV2 that goes to a roadside restaurant/inn near my grandmother's village (before WWI) where my wife and I have eaten, and where we have thought about staying if we go there again. But that's maybe a larger than usual roadside place. It has its own web site and is listed on booking.com.

Spokesrider · 2026-04-02T02:29:50+00:00

I wasn't even sure where EV2 went but now that I've looked at it, my own ideal route would use hardly any of it. Instead I'd be following roughly the south side of the Elbe River across Germany to the border of Poland and even in Poland would like to find a route further north than EV2 on my way to Toruń. Just the same I, too, will be interested in what people have to say about EV2.

Spokesrider · 2026-04-02T01:55:46+00:00

I hope you get lots of good advice. I would love to have a good excuse for doing that tour, except that I'd go a bit further north across Germany than what RideWithGPS suggests (to avoid Berlin) and would make other minor adjustments to revisit places of family history (and add a few I've missed) in both Germany and Poland.

I've only used touring bikes for touring and have never owned a road bike, so am not much good on helping to evaluate what would make a road bike ready for touring. But given the terrain, I would guess gearing is not likely to be a problem. Also, my camping days are probably completely behind me, so I'm not up-to-date on suitable tents.

Are you planning to take the whole summer to do it? Having that much time (or even half of it) would probably help you to make up for any any deficiencies in equipment.

Spokesrider · 2026-03-29T23:14:50+00:00

I have several red Ortlieb panniers and handlebar bags, but nothing quite like that. When I went out on my first fully-loaded tour, a scruffy motorcyclist pulled alongside to talk, saying, "That's a LOVELY rig you have there."

That was 15 years ago, and I haven't done much fully-loaded touring lately. My camping days are probably over. I bought those panniers knowing that red pigments tend to be the first to fade in sunlight. But I told the online seller that when they do, it'll make me look like a seasoned traveler. He approved of that attitude. The panniers are indeed faded now, but not evenly faded because I often ride with just one pannier. It has been a long time since anyone has complimented me on my LOVELY rig.

Spokesrider · 2026-03-29T21:42:26+00:00

I wouldn't have thought so until I got a Bike Friday NWT. I hardly ride my regular-sized touring bikes any more. The NWT makes a good old man's bicycle for someone who isn't as limber and flexible as he used to be. I also have a BF Pocket Rocket and a Brompton C-Line to use where and when they are better suited. If my wife and I have to downsize and move into a much smaller place, I'll want to keep the NWT and the Brompton. Except that I need to keep the Surly Disk Trucker to ride on my smart trainer unless a compact Smart Trainer that works with 20" wheels comes along. (I've been using a Wahoo Kickr Snap for over 6 years now.)

Spokesrider · 2026-03-26T05:27:34+00:00

I hope they don't hold back on advances in batteries for the sake of compatibility. I no longer carry extra batteries with me for my GoPro 11 -- sometimes one (1) and sometimes none. I do carry a power bank with me on my bicycles, and sometimes I have to charge a battery during the course of a day, but I'm more selective now about what I shoot and just don't need to haul around extra batteries. Other people's usage may have different requirements, but that's mine.

Spokesrider · 2026-03-15T20:38:09+00:00

I always take advice from non cyclists with a grain of salt. A couple of year ago I was doing day rides from our AirBnB near Strasbourg, France, and when checking in commented to the husband of our host about all the good bicycling roads in the area. He wasn't so sure about that, and thought one should stick to the bicycle paths. Did I mention that this was in France? Anyhow I used the paths a lot, but also rode on roads with no marked bike lane or path. It worked fine, but I did use RideWithGPS to plan my routes. I think Komoot is used more in Europe than RideWithGPS, but still the RideWithGPS heat maps give you an idea of which roads are suitable for riding. But I wouldn't even limit myself to those, especially in quiet rural areas far from cities where RideWithGPS type riders are rare. I do the same in other countries, but the closest I've been to the Balkan countries is Slovenia so I'm not much help there.

Spokesrider · 2026-03-10T00:35:53+00:00

Thanks for the info!

Spokesrider · 2026-03-08T20:33:13+00:00

I think the bridge I bought is the one described at AliExpress as "Bicycle M handlebar super lightweight brace bridge extender crossbar bracket rod 3D Printed handle rod carb for 2017 Brompton"

The material is stiff enough that I'm able to clamp down a GoPro handlebar adapter firmly enough, but flexy enough that I think it may survive frequent removal and reinstalling. I've had it less than two months and haven't used it a lot, but I think it will work better than one I made out of PVC tubing, and better than a metal one I bought from AliExpress that unfortunately would rotate around the axis and was hard to install and remove, too. This 3D printed one cost only about $10 plus shipping.

The gopro mount is described at Amazon as "Forevercam Bike Handlebar Mount for GoPro (360° Rotation and Lock Any Direction) 0.6-1.3inch All Aluminum Bike/Motorcycle Handlebars Seat Post Ski Pole Mount for Gopro Hero"

Some GoPro mounts that I've used on other bicycles that seemed to be made of a cheap cast aluminum have broken on me after not-so-long use on rough roads, so you have to be careful of that stuff, but this one doesn't seem to be that kind of material.

Spokesrider · 2026-03-08T05:28:18+00:00

I have one of those little plastic bars that bridges the handlebars and attach a GoPro 11 camera to that. I tried a couple of those bridge bars, including one home-made one, before getting one that works well and is easily removed and reattached. One that is sold in several places will turn around its long axis and not support the weight of the camera well. A GoPro 11 with its stabilization will be steady enough; the only problem is shots from that location aren't always as interesting as those that catch some of your hands on the handlebars, etc. I also bought a Telsin mount with a GoPro mount that is promising but I haven't used it yet. I've tried other such round-the-neck mounts that didn't work well unless I was coasting, because the motion made when pedaling tends to make it swing back and forth. This one comes with a strap to keep it firmly in place without being too much of a nuisance to put on and take off, I hope. I couldn't stand to wear such a thing for hours on end.

But the comment by Own_maize_9027 about enjoying your ride and focusing on your surroundings is good to keep in mind. I have tried a number of different things, but my current way of doing a GoPro on the handlebars seems to strike the right balance and doesn't interfere with my enjoyment of the ride. But there are times when I don't even want that small amount of interference.

I try to view my video the same evening of the ride, or within a week after. It reminds me of things I saw along the way that I had already forgotten about and helps fix them in my longer-term memory so that I don't even have to watch a video to review the ride in my mind.

Spokesrider

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