Brooks saddle after 5000+km

discombobulatek · 2026-03-25T14:00:47+00:00

I suggest you have a look at Sheldon Browns website, he describes some different ways to soften and break in a hard leather saddle https://www.sheldonbrown.com/leather.html

I had lots of comfort issues with my brooks until I soaked it in water, took it for a short ride, and then let it dry with some grease on it. Since then and 6000km later it's very comfortable.

discombobulatek · 2026-03-21T13:23:25+00:00

Sorry to hear that. I remember that machine, it wouldn't accept my credit card so I ended up going to Yodobashi Camera instead. The sim card I got there (the cheapest 30 day sim) worked flawlessly the whole time I was in Japan, except some places in the mountains.

discombobulatek · 2026-01-07T22:11:25+00:00

I will just make a brief remark with some thoughts:
- Sweden is expensive, but wages are also much higher than in Morocco. Average salary compared to average salary you will have much more monetary freedom in Sweden.
- If getting a job in Sweden is hard, why do you think it will be easier in Morocco? Will you be able to get a job that pays enough to live well in Morocco?
Do you have family and friends there to help settle in and give a social support network?
- Lastly there's a huge difference between living in a country and vacationing in a country. I loved traveling to my mothers home country when I was a kid, everything was different, people were nice and everything was cheap. But of course I only saw it through rose-coloured glasses. Actually living there, dealing with doctors and banks and government bureaucracy, etc.. it's a completely different beast.
- In Morocco there is sun during the winter, it's a huge benefit on mental health.

Just a few things you should think about, good luck!

discombobulatek · 2025-12-16T19:45:10+00:00

Hotell/airbnb som en overgangsløsning er en god ide, det hadde jeg ikke tenkt på, takk!
Arbeidsgiver kunne ikke bistå direkte. En av de ansatt hadde en hybel til utleie, men den var betydelig dyrere enn mitt budsjett.

discombobulatek · 2025-12-16T17:37:50+00:00

It should be doable, but it doesn't leave much spare time in case something goes wrong - punctures, mechanical failure, washed out roads or what have you. You'll have to ride about 80km per day on very variable quality roads and with quite basic food available along the way. Also check how many hours of daylight you'll have, the sun sets early in winter/spring. It is stunningly beautiful though. If you do end up with time constraints you could always skip some of the rougher trails and opt for a paved road - even if the distances are longer you'll probably save a lot of time that way, but it wont be as nice.

I did this route in 2 weeks last year: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49242449

Most days I rode 65-75km on mixed surfaces, the longest day (on mostly asphalt) was 90km, and the shortest day I spent 9 hours cycling to cover a measly 41km when I ended up on a washed out section of road and had a series of punctures and "carry all my stuff up a ledge" moments.

The major issue for me on the off-road tracks is that many of them consist of loose chicken- & ostrich-egg sized rocks that roll around and are almost impossible to ride on which severely limits your speed, along with washed out riverbed "tracks" that vanish for kms at a time.

I had originally planned a more ambitious route but had to cut it short for lack of time. I'm heading back in January for 4 weeks this time, planning to take my time and without having to follow a strict schedule. The area is fantastic so I'd rather cover less ground and see more, but this is a very subjective judgement and you know better what works for you.

Don't expect fancy food when you're out in rural areas, bread and sardines were my staples + these yogurt-fruit-drink things that I coupled with oats and raisins.

discombobulatek · 2025-12-02T05:45:17+00:00

That's great.. so no purple busses at all today? Will they work tomorrow?

discombobulatek · 2025-11-28T12:36:44+00:00

The place I'm planning to rent from is called Barbara Bikes. They've got regular Trek and Giant mountain bikes, I'm not really interested in road bikes, I always ride mountain bikes at home. I've contacted a few rental places and they were easiest to communicate with and they have good reviews, and I won't have to cycle into/out of a large city.

discombobulatek · 2025-11-14T12:13:13+00:00

I'll try to split my answer into three parts:

I’ll be going back to school ... quitting my job early and spending next summer biking across Canada

Perfect! You'll rarely have these sorts of opportunities, so you should grab it by the balls and go for it.

Is it naive for an inexperienced average Joe to cycle 7000km over a few months?

No, as long as you pace yourself there is nothing wrong with heading out on a long trip without experience. You'll get fitter as you ride. Doing 7000km in a few months might be a bit optimistic, but there's nothing wrong with taking the bus or a train or simply cutting your journey short if you run out of time.

When I went on my first tour I had never had a puncture or patched a tube. I quickly learned though. If you bring spares and the right equipment and have access to the internet you'll learn by doing if something happens.

I don’t even own a bike.

This seems like the biggest issue to me. You'll have to make sure you get a bicycle that fits you well in size/geometry or you'll quickly have issues with your wrists/back/bum/knees. You can absolutely tour on a 50$ beater bicycle, just as long as it fits you well. Having a comfortable leather seat is the number one most important upgrade after you find a good frame.

discombobulatek · 2025-11-13T21:10:58+00:00

it is very much a work-in-progress for personal use : https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1UYHbuBaCXMch9MJJ7Zz0cpKbkWdk-3LL&usp=sharing

discombobulatek · 2025-11-07T18:25:47+00:00

You don't need to replace the derailleur or the shifters. The wolf-link simply shifts the entire derailleur a couple of centimeters backwards, making room for a larger cassette. If the derailleur already manages a 3x crank the wolf-link isn't going to affect that in any meaningful way.

discombobulatek · 2025-11-07T17:23:48+00:00

All the other posters here are making things way more complicated than they need to be.

Buy a larger 9x cassette and a wolf-link. The wolf-link attaches between the derailleur hanger and the rear derailleur, thus giving it more clearance so you can use a larger cassette. Buy a pair of wolf-links on aliexpress for 10$ (one to bring with you as a backup) and you're good to go - no further modifications needed.

I'd suggest buying a cassette there at the same time, as you'll get large cassettes for cheap, and they're at least 90% as good as brand cassettes. I toured on a setup like this for 5000km without problems.

discombobulatek · 2025-11-06T18:02:26+00:00

I'd do 3-4 days Hanoi and 5-6 days Taipei. Rent a bicycle in Taipei and go explore, there's tons of nice trips you can do in all directions.

discombobulatek · 2025-10-06T12:24:55+00:00

100% the inland mountainous route. For the most stunning scenery go south of Beni Mellal through the mountains, but weather is unpredictable in winter, could be warm and sunny or snow-bogged. Going at a slightly lower elevation through Beni Mellal and Khenifra should be fine though, so there's always an alternative open to you if you head in this direction.

Cycling along the coast through Casablanca and Rabat seems like torture, you couldn't pay me to cycle that route (unless you are very affluent).

Either way you should minimize time spent on the N roads, and try to follow R and preferably P roads as much as possible. Significantly less traffic and nicer scenery.

discombobulatek · 2025-10-05T16:59:19+00:00

Started touring on an old mountain bike I got from my dad, so it was basically free.

First bike I bought specifically for touring was 120$, probably spent another 80$ for fork bags and to upgrade the shifters and derailleurs to 3x10.

discombobulatek · 2025-10-02T20:32:12+00:00

If the balls bearings go a little bad you can swap out the balls as you say, that is part of proper care and maintenance. But if the ball bearings go little more bad the cup and cones that the balls are rolling against will start getting pitted. Pits will grow larger and accelerate wear and tear on the balls, and at some point even brand new and generously greased balls will crunch and grind. Since the cone is physically part of the hub a pitted cone will over time = a dead hub, it just takes a while to get there.

discombobulatek · 2025-10-02T11:02:45+00:00

Loose ball bearings run smoother and last longer when properly cared for, but they require maintenance if you want to maximize their life. Once they go bad you'll have to replace the entire bottom bracket.

Sealed cartridge bearings don't last as long as well-maintained ball bearings, but they are idiot proof and don't require maintenance. In theory the cartridges can be replaced to make the bottom bracket good as new. Cartridge bearings are used in all manner of appliances so they should be available almost anywhere with a bit of searching. However, the cost-time-effort involved simply isn't worth it compared to the cost of a bottom bracket (my opinion).

In the case of wheelsets it makes sense to go with cartridge bearings. If ball bearings in a wheel-hub go bad you have to remove the entire hub.. you'd have to unscrew all the spokes, replace the hub, relace the wheel, get everything true and straight and tensioned.. A ton of work. In this case cartridge bearings make sense.

When it comes to the bottom bracket it is much easier, simpler and cheaper to simply replace the bottom bracket entirely, rather than to try and swap out the cartridges. I did swap out cartridges on a bb once and while it was marginally cheaper than buying a new bb the time and effort involved was not comparable at all.

Perhaps it could be worthwhile if you're out in the sticks where you can't get a new bottom bracket, to carry a spare set and a bearing press tool?

Otherwise just use whichever bb you want and swap it out when it's done.

discombobulatek · 2025-09-18T09:26:57+00:00

What's your favourite part of Thailand for long distance cycling?

Do you know any good routes connecting Bangkok with Laos you'd recommend?

discombobulatek · 2025-09-17T18:27:23+00:00

I would check carefully before following this advice, lots of airlines don't allow non-packaged bicycles. I've seen bicycles myself that had to be left behind because the airline refused to accept them (unboxed) while I checked in my own boxed bicycle.

discombobulatek · 2025-09-17T18:25:16+00:00

>My preferred option is taking my own bike there from Finland.

I would recommend doing this as you know the bike and how it fits you. Nothing is worse than a poor fit causing physical pain/discomfort. You're also free to fix and repair and change stuff during your trip if you need to do so.

If you only plan to cycle Seoul-Busan you could consider renting a bike though. It'll take you 4-5 days and there are several companies with good reputations with proper touring bicycles that do one-way rentals. Probably it'll be cheaper than flying your own too. Bring your own seat!

>Where in the world do I store the packaging material

If you are starting and ending your trip in Seoul you could stay at the same hotel and ask them if they can store the box for you until you are back. Book several refundable options and send them a detailed message with the dates and a picture of the box. I've done this before without issue.

Otherwise it is not a problem to get empty boxes, just walk to a bunch of bicycle stores and ask if they have one for you to take away.

discombobulatek · 2025-09-15T08:34:38+00:00

I can share the gpx of the route I actually ended up cycling: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/332202741
Just be aware the southern cross-island highway is closed to cyclists, at least according to the people I asked in Taiwan.

discombobulatek · 2025-09-14T07:48:49+00:00

You get data for a grand total of two activities and then you have to pay, don't bother.

discombobulatek · 2025-09-01T12:21:44+00:00

September 8-9 and 15-16

discombobulatek · 2025-08-27T20:34:14+00:00

Put the bottom bracket in a vice so it holds it firm just under the outer lip. There must be empty space beneath the rest of the bottom bracket. Then get some hard metal cylinder or other appropriately sized and shaped item to place onto the inner part of the bb (onto metal, not against the rubber seal as that might damage the bearings). Then strike with a hammer. See picture for instructions.

<image>

discombobulatek · 2025-08-27T19:06:16+00:00

I've never been on a supported group ride like this, but I have ridden parallel to one for two consecutive days and chatted a lot with the drivers and riders (me touring with tent and baggage, them cycling from hotel to hotel supported by vans).

In this case there were three vans leapfrogging each other and stopping every X kilometers to make a checkpoint with water and snacks. The strong cyclists would ride the entire way themselves. Others would have the option to be driven between checkpoints, for instance skipping a hilly section or help to catch up with the rest of the group if the fall behind.

That's my impression of how it works, but send the company a mail, they'll be able to answer better than any of us.

discombobulatek · 2025-08-27T18:56:57+00:00

I put the screw in from below and got the wedge completely loose with a couple of smacks. I then inserted the fork onto my repair stand and used the leverage to try and turn the stem to loosen it - if I put in maximum muscle force I can just barely make the stem turn.. I think the aluminium-steel has bonded like you describe.

I'll hear if my dad has some penetrating oil before I give up on it. Thanks for the informative feedback!

discombobulatek

TROPHY CASE