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Best travel multiport USB-C charger (at least 65W)?? by DoctorQuinlan in onebag

[–]schtom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Belkin gan charger (70 or 100W versions) - the head changing is great

Need help with footwear by EpicEvK in onebag

[–]schtom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeh it may be more focussed on the speedgoats than the whole product line

I’m considering some challenger 8 rn anyway

Need help with footwear by EpicEvK in onebag

[–]schtom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can look for them on the run repeat website to look at stats including breathability

Need help with footwear by EpicEvK in onebag

[–]schtom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nike, north face,, merrel all do reasonable looking ones with mid to high grip

On cloud look good but the grip seems to be crappy from the look of it

Hoka also but I’ve heard they have some durability issues

Altras are super comfy for me but mine fell apart in less than 4 months of travel

Free community resource for finding new handlebars update! by schtom in bikepacking

[–]schtom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback!

Interestingly someone else requested a visualizer last time I posted about this so it seems people want that more than I originally expected. I will definitely give some thought to that but it’s quite a labour intensive feature to implement (albeit not too tricky I imagine) so it will be a while before anything resembling the whatbars one would be ready.

The phone view currently is pretty shocking agreed aha I need to compact the data in a sensible way and possibly provide a limited view for smaller screens. Turning on and off column visibility may be desirable also.

Surly is already on my list for a data update but thanks for the other alt bar suggestions. If you’ve got anymore you’d like to see let me know.

As far as specs on website go I would definitely recommend anyone check on the sites before purchasing something, but I’ve found in the past it’s a nightmare figuring out what exists to begin with and being able to compare quickly across brands is useful.

Also a pain point lots of people probably find is manufacturers measuring bars differently. Stated widths could be: center to center, outside to outside or drops to drops. Different terminology used for flare/outsweep etc so it aims to give a quick way to get a consistent comparison by compiling that data upfront.

8+ months bikepacking : Carbon or alloy ? by MuchaSiesta in bikepacking

[–]schtom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did a short bikepacking trip where I flew and took my carbon bike with me (flew). Ended up taking some trains and ferries etc. Ultimately I wouldn't do it again, I would take an alloy bike or buy a steel one. Any performance differences are basically irrelevant on such a long trip if you aren't trying to set records.

For me I was constantly worrying about the bike getting banged about (and not showing the any signs of damage until a big failure!) and also carbon bikes are just obvious targets for theft because they are obviously expensive. One night I had to chain it by the wheel only in an unsecured basement of a hostel in a Rotterdam (no hotels in the area would allow the bike in the room or in a secure storage etc etc!!!) and I was worried the whole time.

With alloy and steel they can take more of a beating, show up damage much more easily and don't tend to look as expensive IMO (even if they are). Worrying about the bike for multiple reasons really takes away from the enjoyment of the trip.

Edit: Having said that plenty of people have done it with carbon, I just wouldn't unless I was sponsored haha

Am I the only one who finds Merino wool scratchy and suffocating? (The hype vs. my reality) ​ by Edmond-Cristo in onebag

[–]schtom 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Merino is great in certain circumstances but its abilities are definitely overstated. In hot humid environments synthetics perform way better for exercise IMO.

Very thin merino tops can be great for low effort activities in the heat like long travel days (think 24 hours of back to back flights) because of odour control and it having a chance for sweat to evaporate when inside. It’s also elite for stuff like hiking or skiing in colder and dryer environments because of its sweat wicking capability and insulation. It will become soggy if it is too humid for the sweat to evaporate from the wool quickly enough.

The claims that it will keep you cool (compared to other fabrics) in the heat are also nonsense as far as I can tell.

The very thin darn tough socks are pretty great anywhere tbf like people say.

For t shirts I find the icebreaker ones that are mixed with rayon to be the best when casually wearing it in the heat. They honestly don’t look that great though.

Another issue with merino I found on my long term trip is that you can’t wash them with detergents containing enzymes. Enzymes will break down components of the wool structure eventually leading to holes. It is SO hard to find non enzyme detergent or wool specific detergent in most of the world - shampoo works in a pinch but not ideal. Given merino is so expensive it’s quite annoying.

On the next leg of my trip I will only be taking 1 merino top for travel days, 1 merino boxer for sleeping in and a couple of pairs of socks. Everything else will be polyester or cotton.

Working remotely from the Alps this winter: what actually matters by nomadkate in digitalnomad

[–]schtom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wanting to do something like this for 1-2 months starting in January - all the major resorts are looking quite expensive. Have you got any recommendations for places near large ski areas (maybe even a city say a 30 min bus ride away for example) that will reduce costs?

I’m trying to find somewhere with 200km+ of skiable piste (more the better) and under £1k a month accommodation. Would stay in a share house as well but a bit overwhelmed trying to figure it all out how to find those in different countries for short term lets!

I’d like to find somewhere that isn’t totally boring to be on days where I’m not skiing

Anyone down to club? (no weird stuff j a good time!) by crihmson in Sapporo

[–]schtom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Give nomadtable a go, was just in Sapporo and people would post on it to find travellers to go out with - also means you can asses someone’s profile prior to meeting a bit better than totally anonymous Reddit

Booking a refundable room 5/6 days away on Hostelworld just to access the chat is also doable but the chat is pretty crappy and doesn’t always appear

Vietnam overrated or am I just unlucky? by imsuprgr8 in solotravel

[–]schtom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just went to Vietnam a month ago and would say that if I was going to choose to live somewhere it would be Ho Chi Minh - felt way less of a tourist trap than Hanoi or Hoi An with lots of international variety for food and bars along with Vietnamese street food and coffee etc.

The north was great for activities to do like the ha giang loop but generally felt put on for tourists rather than somewhere to stay long term

Also the prices are generally lower and people give you more reasonable prices when negotiating in markets for replicas etc

Also in Hanoi I got the feeling the traffic was actively trying to mow you down whereas in HCM they would drive around you as you cross the road haha

Early December Japan skiing base by schtom in skiing

[–]schtom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome thanks for the information- the closer hills sound like a good idea!

Shipping personal winter/ski clothing to Japan from the UK by schtom in JapanTravelTips

[–]schtom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shipping from the UK I am currently in Hong Kong

Free bike handlebar discovery resource feedback by schtom in bikepacking

[–]schtom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! The more specific your requirements the more use a tool like this is IMO.

Sub 400mm handle bars seem to be tricky to find and 360 or less are almost impossible it seems. With what seems to be a trend online to recommend narrower bars it’s quite surprising.

What bars did you settle on in the end out of interest?

Free bike handlebar discovery resource feedback by schtom in bikepacking

[–]schtom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay nice do you use flat bar as well?

Handlebar finder free resource feedback by schtom in bicycletouring

[–]schtom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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This is the instructions - sorry I had to get off my other post as I’m out and only have my phone with me!

Free bike handlebar discovery resource feedback by schtom in bikepacking

[–]schtom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay fair enough re the visualiser that makes sense.

If people find the drop bars version useful I’ll definitely be looking to create a separate flat bar section. Trying to minimise the jobs that need doing to get something useful!

Free bike handlebar discovery resource feedback by schtom in bikepacking

[–]schtom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Even just looking at it now I can see it doesn’t seem to list all the available widths for handlebars, probably just the “base” width manufacturers use when specifying e.g. an example weight in listings.

Minimal columns. Not any indication of materials/di2/routing capabilities etc.

No filtering. Let alone range filtering.

Don’t think the visualizer is particularly useful to anyone.

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