Spending an evening with Cathryn..

[Bigtallfatbloke]

...Hi Cathryn, I have spent this evening reading about your and Richards adventures over on crazyguyon a bike. Great journal of what was clearly a wonderful trip. Very enjoyable read and some great pics. ...I was just getting to like Richard until I read he is a Utd fan....oh well

Can I please ask you about the stems you both have..especially on 'ironside'...they look shorter than the stem on my galaxy..did you change them...do you know what they are ?

Interesting thing that easyjet said about wrapping the pedals..I will remembe rthat one if I cant get mine off at the airport

 

[Cathryn]

What a lovely thread title!!

I'm so glad you're enjoying the journal - I'm loving writing it up, it's made the trip last longer and at present has staved off the post holiday blues!! It was an awesome trip, we loved every second except the Easyjet pedals thing! Never EVER don't take a good spanner with you!

I can't answer the stem question at present so will go and have a look at Ironside tonight and get back to you. I seem to remember adding some spacers on the stem but will check with Richard and have a good look at the SuperGalaxy himself.

Richard is nice...don't hold the Utd thing against him!!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I have never used an internet cafe before. How easy is it to use from the point of view of saving pics from a camera to a memory stick/uploading them to the journal etc?
I may try to keep some kind of journal as well if it's not to much hassle/cost?
I wont carry a laptop though.
Put the Man U thing down to me being a jealous Chelski fan

 

[Cathryn]

OH that explains it!!

We had mixed results downloading photos to a memory stick...two places let us do it easily, two didn't...but both times the hotel helped us on their computer as we picked a quiet time to go and ask nicely. I think you would be able to download photos direct to the website but it takes me roughly 45 mins to do a page on crazy guy if I download 15 photos...which could be expensive.

I wrote a good old fashioned paper diary and am in the process of writing it up bit by bit. What I like about keeping a journal, apart from being able to share it and keep it for posterity is that it really focuses you on noticing things and trying to remember smells and sights and feelings.

Rich and I felt that if/when we do TransAmerica (not yet) we would carry a very lightweight laptop...the Assus EE is getting amazing reviews. In the evening, if you don't want to drink yourself to oblivion or go out clubbing, there isn't that much to do and we could easily have done the journal on tour.

 

[John Ponting]

BTFB

could you just carry a 'usb card reader' for the memory card in your camera? Plug that in @internet_cafe and upload to somewhere like photobucket and do the hard work when you get home.

Alternatively, buy a few extra memory cards for the camera and swap around when they fill up. Then do the hardwork when you get home. Memory cards are readily available in France (so presumably Germany) so you can always top up while you are away. Or visit a photo shop in Germany and get card pics transferred to CD; then post CD home and keep card with you. Belt & Braces.

e.g. the card in my camera holds about 1000 pictures and I have 1 in camera and 3 in the bag at the moment. I do it this way after my brother had a total loss of pictures (and humour) when touring the Great Lakes in USE; he diligently uploaded from camera to laptop each evening; all was well until the hard drive in the laptop failed. All he had to show was the last card full.

 

[John Ponting]

Cathryn, the journal is shaping up very well. You so obviously enjoyed the trip - your enthusiasm shows though the words.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I think I will go with a paper 'journal' and do all the PC stuff when I get back. I have a small minolta and 2 cards so I wont run out of 'film' so to speak. However my son does have a cheap memory stick which weighs nothing so i may borrow it so that if I need to I can use a 'cafe' to take the pics from the camera onto the memory stick, even if just for back up porpoises. Th eonly thing about a paper journal is that th epaper weighs a lot...I suppose i will learn how to write small...in fact I may have to re learn how to write, it's been so long since I used a pen instead of a pc!

If my trip goes well and I am able to do another long trip i will also take a small laptop ...erm if I can find the cash after shelling out on a new bianchi when I ge thome..

Trans America sounds bloody excellent...a life changing experience for sure.

,,by the way, I have just been outside for 2 hours trying to remove my shimano spd's from my bike...I got one off but the other seems to have been welded on or something. So far I have broken one spanner and one hammer in the process!

 

[domtyler]

Damn!! Thought was going to be some sort of competition!

 

[John Ponting]

Damn!! Thought was going to be some sort of competition!

... AS IN, 2ND PRIZE IS 2 EVENINGS WITH ...

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

..now now chaps..ladies present and all that...

 

[John Ponting]

Good job Cathryn knows we all love her really - but she deserves a bit of stick for putting many of us (me included) to shame with her cycling exploits.

 

[Cathryn]

I did think there was a competition when I first saw the thread title

Transamerica is a good way off yet unfortunately. Other things need to be done first...unless I get made redundant in the next month or so, which, as far as I'm aware, isn't likely. But in this climate you never know!!

John, thanks for the comment on the journal - we're nearly there now. I struggle not to bang on about how brilliant it was...because it was!!

And BTFB, in answer to the original question - Richard said he did buy a seperate stem as the original one was too small. His bike is a 55" frame and the new stem is by 'system EX'. It's black with a silver top, I couldn't see any sizings on it but I suspect if you phone Spa Cycles they could help....or shout and I'll do some measuring etc.

 

[Cathryn]

Good job Cathryn knows we all love her really - but she deserves a bit of stick for putting many of us (me included) to shame with her cycling exploits.

I'm the one put to shame actually...I've been fully intending to go out tonight in the sunshine for a pootle round Leeds but am about to slope off to the pub for a cheeky glass of wine. I have no disciplin if I don't have something to aim towards!! Whereas you lot go out ALL THE TIME!!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

You should turn to the west and aim for America...thats what I would do.
Thanks for stem info.

 

[Cathryn]

Don't tempt me. A glass of vino down and all I want to do is load up them yellow panniers!!