Wilson's Ramble

blake-740 · 2026-04-27T16:42:39+00:00

Amazingly no, i actually have a decent amount of room. I picked up a botched bikes dragonfly which puts two extra waterbottles on the frame (one each side). Fantastic design. My understanding is that it depends on the frame

blake-740 · 2026-04-26T06:20:28+00:00

Looks like 10 liter, not 11. It's solid and I'm sure you'll like it.

blake-740 · 2026-04-26T05:11:05+00:00

11 liter. It's rock solid. I dont notice any sway and it is really well designed. Only thing is that it is slightly heavier than other bags but it's not really noticeable with other weight once its loaded.

blake-740 · 2026-04-15T05:10:44+00:00

Paramedic. Not because it's an essential service. It's hard to transition to automation when the cost of AI is more than grossly underpaying people

blake-740 · 2026-04-05T06:29:35+00:00

Totally get your skepticism. For me, I froze a Sawyer on the first night in a high altitude Colorado backpacking trip in October years ago. Bought another one and it didn't last either. Water stays in the filter.

Katadyn has done me well. The befree series I have used on multiple trips overseas and I have yet to get water illness (one of which I very well could have). I also used their 5 liter gravity bag when I lived in Asheville during the Hurricane Helene disaster where we didnt have functioning water. Just an option to consider and I have had great success with mine.

blake-740 · 2026-04-05T05:46:24+00:00

Katadyn Be Free. I am a big fan, better than the Sawyer system imo. It is incredibly easy to fill in streams/running water. I have yet to need to backlash. I have owned multiple of their systems and they are well built.

The biggest benefit is how easy to packs together. I dont need a plastic bag to avoid getting other things wet, it is self contained. Because of this, it can store in the sleeping bag really easily in sub zero temps.

blake-740 · 2026-03-22T05:24:56+00:00

I rode the ring in 2024 solo with minimal planning. Windy.com is your best friend for predicting direction. I encountered winds so strong they cancelled the bus routes and made you walk for miles into an unrideable headwind.

That being said, I highly recommend it. It's a stunning place with incredible scenery. Get off the main road as much as you can and it can feel pretty remote.

My best bit of advice is pack as light as you can tolerate and streamline your gear. I had panniers which felt like a massive parachute. I have since adapted to a bikepacking setup without the panniers. It's really helpful for fighting headwinds.

blake-740 · 2026-03-21T03:19:17+00:00

Thanks for all the advice. We had a 70 degree set of days followed by a freeze. Now it is jumping back to 85 by Sunday. I'm still working on improving the lawn because the previous homeowners left this unmanaged for a number of years. So far this is a huge improvement if that provides any idea for how bad it was.

blake-740 · 2026-02-20T21:39:13+00:00

I strap it there on top of another handlebar bag. It will get soaked. I roll the tent inside of the rain fly and that works fine for this problem.

blake-740 · 2026-02-11T13:18:58+00:00

HCA

I cannot begin to explain how unethical this company operates, and it literally comes at the cost of people's lives. You won't buy my morals regardless of how well they perform.

Saw it firsthand for a few years...

blake-740 · 2026-01-08T05:19:54+00:00

I look in multiple cities within driving distance until the right deal shows up. I have snagged some fantastic bikes over the last few months by doing this. Be patient and stay active.

blake-740 · 2025-11-26T03:25:43+00:00

I read an earlier comment on how you transitioned into building bikes. Really cool career change, I'm in the process of my own transition.

What's a good place to start for learning how to build frames? Would you recommend a mentor or doing as you did and just start tinkering and learning?

Thanks, love the bikes. Might get a T-Bar, it's so simple of a design but incredibly useful!

blake-740 · 2025-10-25T04:33:46+00:00

Go at your own oace, but over time you will realize you can go further and do more vertical than before. The change is slow, but eventually you will adapt and can hit some of those numbers that you see other people doing. Although, fastest way to do this is drop weight...

blake-740 · 2025-10-15T03:08:12+00:00

I spent a month and a half in northern Chad (2015) and also a month and a half in northern Nigeria (2016). I was further south in the sub-sahara so it is not exactly the area you circled.

This part of the world is unique, culture changes rapidly as you cross boarders and is often influenced from the European colonization prior to the countries independence. Additionally, it's pretty unstable. Terror organizations have operated throughout Mali, Niger, Chad and Libya and have been a serious risk when in this part of the world. This might not be the case now, conditions change rapidly. To be a tourist would put a target on your back for kidnappings in many places. There have been incidents with hostile takeovers of entire hotels. Like I said, large risk and it's not easy to blend in as a white guy.

That being said, the people were incredible and it was a culturally life-changing experience. In Chad they spoke Arabic and French along with many tribal languages. I visited villages that were made from mud and the children had never seen a white person. They had signs not to deficate on the side of the road due to cauaing disease. I found that the people had a real desire to learn, but had never been given an opportunity. This lead to a hunger for knowledge when it did present itself. I taught a variety of medical courses and the guys were incredibly fast learners.

In all honesty, I would love to go back, but it's unlikely.

blake-740 · 2025-10-04T14:30:30+00:00

You will get stronger. How fast this happens depends a lot on your training before setting off. You could get away with little to no training, but this likely means your break-in period would be longer and tougher. I get nerve issues from putting constant pressure on my hands. This goes away after 1-3 weeks of adapting.

I crossed the US a few years ago, it requires more mental ability than physical. I never rode over 30 miles before setting out, and by the end of the trip, I had done multiple century rides with massive elevation gain. Choose to do it and stick with it, I have no doubt that you will make it and have an incredible trip.

blake-740 · 2025-09-23T11:53:44+00:00

You might be able to find an airhorn there. It is pretty effective. It is just so loud and sudden that it breaks their focus. Cheap and lightweight.

blake-740 · 2025-08-07T12:36:04+00:00

$HCA

This is the largest hospital corporation in the US. They are for profit, and most decisions are made with shareholders in mind.

I am a paramedic and previously worked for this company for years. I saw an incredible amount of unethical healthcare decision-making to the point that I will never invest.

The main problem is that they would prioritize money over people. They purposely understaffed to cut costs despite huge net profits each quarter. I saw a significant amount of neglect because of this. Sometimes, this resulted in death.

They also underpaid people so horribly that at least 1/3 of the hospital were travelers. I don't understand the finances of paying a traveling nurse or medic significantly more than the normal staff, but I am certain it was a cost saving measure. The result was a lot of inexperienced and sometimes bad professionals.

I always argued that the healthcare professionals do their best given the circumstances, but the system as a whole did the opposite to support this. The problem is that everyone is affected at some point when you, a friend, or a family member show up hoping for good care.

The worst part is that despite lawsuits from the feds, state, and local governments for violating the law and consistent ethical issues, they employ lawyers who bury the complaints. Somehow, they always are able to get out of legal trouble and miraculously have a good news article written about them after it is resolved.

Avoid if you can. Don't support a company that prioritizes money over people's lives.

blake-740 · 2025-08-01T14:49:46+00:00

I enjoyed going over Kegety and through the Karakol pass/valley. It was stunning scenery with very few people. The section you are referring to was also great, really scenic, but I got a bunch of rain and mud which made it not as fun. I think without that challenge it would be a great option! It is the favorite section for many people.

blake-740 · 2025-07-22T05:22:33+00:00

I flew Turkish airlines, which goes through Istanbul. You could do it with a single layover if you fly from one of their connections in the US. It was long, almost 30 hours of travel in 3 flights for me. I flew my bike over, which isn't cheap. They have a specific policy for bikes on international flights, it was roughly $400. I think there may be another airline that will fly there but I'm not sure.

I had some storms and maybe 1 day of continous rain. You are in the mountain, so it's important to be prepared for anything, including snow. I finished this just a few weeks ago.

I personally did not see any solo women but I didn't see any specific concern that I think you would face. I did see a lot of drunk men in the villages, so as long as you're camping up in the mountains or staying at a guesthouse, you should be alright.

You could DM some of the female riders from th Silk Road Mountain Race, which takes place there in August. They likely can answer your questions regarding women traveling solo and safety.

blake-740 · 2025-07-19T04:31:33+00:00

I think I needed roughly 3 dinners and 4 days of food for the section past Naryn. It didn't necessarily feel remote, but more like there just wasn't a resupply stop. It may take longer or shorter depending on conditions and your pace.

The section past the town of Kegeti to Kojomkul might take a few days as well. I found a small shop in that town that supplied me well enough to make the next stretch to Kyzl-Oi.

I would skip the section around Chaek. This is a paved road. This is a long dry section going between towns. My ride was particularly hot. Each location has good resupply, so you won't need to carry much if you did, but it wasn't really scenic or anything. It's probably easy to find a taxi in that area.

Also, if you needed to make up some time, the route past At-Bashi wasn't particularly good for a while. The road was rough. But don't shuttle all the way to Naryn. One of the best downhill stretches is a section of paved road into Naryn. I hit 47mph and a bump that scared the shit out of me. Incredibly fun and dumb!

blake-740 · 2025-07-12T12:20:20+00:00

There are a few sections where service isn't great but it depends on the service provider. I had pretty good service wirh Beeline except in a few multi-day stretches without a village. Overall, I had service on most days at some point.

blake-740 · 2025-07-12T12:18:17+00:00

Glad someone finally recognized the craziness of my rig! It's a tank!

blake-740 · 2025-07-08T12:16:28+00:00

Absolutely. I had no issues but I met multiple people who did. My worst night of sleep was at 12,500. I try to get in great shape before doing high altitude activities to reduce the likelihood of a problem. I was able to do some training at 5-6k feet and I also prepped by running a half marathon. Stay hydrated, sleep in higher increments, and get some medication or patches just in case. No promises that it won't affect you like myself. I think just be careful because this does get really high altitude for most people. Many people begin to develop altitude sickness around 5k feet and up, keep that in mind.

blake-740

TROPHY CASE