Strolling Amok

Pops goes on tour.

Archive for the category “The Defiant”

14 Nov 2014
14 Comments

Standing Pat

An unnecessarily elaborate way to camp, but a wonderfully convenient and enjoyable way to live.

An unnecessarily elaborate way to camp, but a wonderfully convenient and enjoyable way to live.

Having purged tanks at the LTVA dump station Thursday, and stocked up with fresh food on a run to Parker Friday, I’m now ready to get back in the groove and see how long I can leave the Mighty Furd unused in camp. That should be awhile, perhaps longer than it should sit unstarted. I’ll be wiring in a little 10-watt solar panel to keep its battery topped up and desulfated, if only I can track down the special and now spare solar controller reserved for that task. See, I tucked it away someplace safe while it was at the Ford dealer, and now the challenge is to figure out once more where that safe place was. Ever do that? I have to conduct such searches every now and then. It’s here somewhere!

Although the Defiant is decently leveled out nearly a football field away from my nearest neighbor here at the LTVA in Quartzsite, it was necessary to use one of two long boards that I keep specifically for that job. Getting the trailer level is necessary since the fridge/freezer depends on it for efficiency, and the various cabinet doors as well as the bathroom door will want to swing this way or that if it isn’t close to perfect. Using boards under the tires can become a nuisance to set up as well as store however, and one cracked in half Read more…

Posted in Campsites, Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule, Mod Squad, The Defiant and tagged , , ,
14 Oct 2014
6 Comments

Roll-Down Trailer Windows

The window. Fixed.

The window. Fixed.

Just before a major trip to town yesterday, I discovered that the window on the trailer door had somehow slipped down about an inch, opening an impromptu 1/4″x12″ fresh air slot at the top of the window. That explained the draft during the cold, high wind here the day before. Repairs would have to wait though, since a combination laundry and grocery run would prevent taking the time to disassemble the thing and figure out what would be needed to fix it.

So today, I removed the screws squeezing the inner and outer plastic window frames together. Ugh. Small pins molded into both frames that retain the edges of the glass had sheared off at the bottom, letting the glass slowly slide down from its own weight. I’m not sure why, though the door has had an unhappy existence in terms of sag, and takes some shoving now

Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule, Mod Squad, The Defiant and tagged , , , , , ,
01 Aug 2014
15 Comments

The Delusion of Grandeur

The HMS Surprise.

The HMS Surprise.

I’m departing Sandwich, Illinois today for points West, and will likely take just over a week to get to northwest Utah. Unlike previous trips, I won’t be posting day-by-day travelogs since I intend to route my trip along stopping points I’ve used earlier. So, I will post only if I find something uniquely notable along the way.

The departure itself will be as the opportunity presents itself: thunderstorms and frequent rains will hopefully present me with a window of opportunity for one last commune with the dump station a little later. Travel is limited to empty waste tanks only, as the Innsbruck’s frame rails are already bent quite enough from travel with full tanks, apparently. If I can’t dump those tanks, I won’t travel. Since Wunderground Weather at the moment says I’m enjoying clear skies and 3 MPH breezes, it may be entirely up to me to seize any opportunity, since actually it’s pouring both heavy rain and hail in a wind stiff enough that the trailer is bobbing about. That wouldn’t be notable except that the wind is coming in straight from the nose of the trailer. This patch of turf gets pretty soggy with rain, so I may use the Mighty Furd’s 4WD to ease out, just to avoid unnecessarily tearing up the grass.

Having always been a homebody, I’ve found it surprising that I’ve recently felt a growing impatience to get back out west. The quiet urge is not to get back on the road per se, since the peculiar  Read more…

Posted in Navel Gazing, The Defiant, Travelin' Man and tagged ,
13 Jul 2014
9 Comments

The Evelo Aurora, Part 2

This post is a literal continuation of “The Evelo Aurora, Part I” and is incomplete as a standalone article. You will want to read that first to get a more balanced view, if you have not already done so.

The Evelo Aurora, suitably optioned.

The Evelo Aurora, suitably optioned.

There are only two cautions with the Aurora, traits shared by many e-bikes of this type. First, when you stop pedaling, it will take one second for the sensors to detect this and cut power. I mentioned this earlier. There may be some situations where this may briefly surprise you, until you get used to it. That’s easy.

A second trait is more important, and can be more difficult to get used to. It’s common with a normal bike to coast into a slow, tight turn when maneuvering into a confined area or around obstacles. Then you decide to give it half a pedal just to maintain momentum or help it up a sidewalk ramp, or to take a change in paths. On a pedal-assisted e-bike, this ingrained effort to keep things just right is a bad idea, because the motor will dutifully kick back in at whatever assist level you left it set at. This can be exciting, especially if you are carefully balanced in a tight, slow turn. The unexpected surge of power will put some wobble in that balance. The good news is that instinctively tapping either brake will instantly cut power, rescuing the situation, however clumsily. If you have a lot of seat time on a conventional bicycle, it can take awhile to “unlearn” this habit and substitute a touch of throttle in place of pedaling. The throttle feel is fairly mushy, so learning to feed it in is pretty easy.

if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that no major frame component is going to snap off anytime soon. The ample welds are of good quality.

If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that no major frame component is going to snap off anytime soon. The ample welds are of good quality.

Fit and finish are very good for its price level, and I didn’t have to correct or adjust anything, which surprised me. Weld quality is excellent, and so is paintwork. The only two pouty moments I had involve Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule, The Defiant and tagged , ,
10 Jul 2014
22 Comments

The Evelo Aurora Arrives, Part 1

The Evelo Aurora, BC. (Before Change.)

The Evelo Aurora, BC. (Before Change.)

Even with the momentary hitch in ordering my Evelo Aurora due to a frame color change, the bike arrived via FedEx six days after ordering – not all that bad. It shipped partially disassembled in one carton, a carton which showed signs of manhandling. It was punched through in a non-critical area, but I was still understandably concerned that something might be bent by the lack of finesse in handling the 70-pound monster. Evelo added my comment to the roster, and told me that they are already in the process of upgrading their packaging to thwart the gorillas. It’s obviously in their own best interests to limit the risk of damage.

Off to a worrysome start.

Off to a worrysome start.

But my concern was groundless, as the only damage was elsewhere, a few minor paint scuffs in the bike’s shiny black rear rack frame. I’d be doing worse to it, in time. The bike comes almost ready to go, and all you need to do is mount the front wheel, stick the handlebars on, and screw in the pedals. There are no tedious adjustments that involve functionality. The needed tools are supplied with the bike, along with a basic assembly and user manual. For those who dislike following printed instructions, Evelo promotes viewing their online assembly video for each model.

Although I spent a college summer assembling cheap bikes in a sweatshop decades ago, I took Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule, The Defiant and tagged , , , , ,
09 Jul 2014
13 Comments

Defiant Exposed!

New reader Greg just sent me a Google Maps link which shows that the invincible Defiant has been captured in its native habitat in Tusayan, Arizona during a satellite photo session this past Spring. I at first thought it wasn’t, because of too many panels being displayed, but the “extras” are merely shadows of the real ones. But no, it’s my rig, complete with the correct reversed orientation, wrinkled roof, and the Mighty Red Furd with its tonneau bed cover in place. Amazing, huh? I should have been outside nude sunbathing and waving, but too many people driving past would be veering off into the ditch to vomit.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.968187,-112.11822&num=1&t=h&z=20

Posted in Campsites, Daily Life, The Defiant and tagged
30 Jun 2014
11 Comments

The E-bike Dilemma

Nope, I didn't choose this one. It's a home-brewed, bike-based electric motorcycle with pedals that's been clocked at 66 MPH. What - do you want to live forever?

Nope, I didn’t choose this one. It’s a home-brewed, bike-based electric motorcycle with pedals that’s been clocked at 66 MPH. What – do you want to live forever?

Choosing an e-bike is normally easy. You know how you want to use it, then pick something that will do the job for you, hop on, and go. But when you need to chop, blend, baste, puree, knead, bake, and broil, you’re forced to prioritize for the base features that can’t be changed, and then alter what you can change to come as close as possible to what you need.

I’ve already outlined a rather tedious and overly-long list of tasks, must-haves and wants in my previous article. I won’t dupe that here, thank your lucky stars. I’ll only mention Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule, Mod Squad, Navel Gazing, The Defiant and tagged , , ,
27 Jun 2014
11 Comments

Adieu, Old Friend

The ol' Raleigh MT200, with mods that help me stay on it longer.

The ol’ Raleigh MT200, with mods that help me stay on it longer.

Well, I’ve been trying to use my 1993 Raleigh MT200 as my pack mule over the last two years, as you may know. The goal is to avoid using the $45,000 Ford diesel pickup for errands and grocery shopping trips, campsite scouting and area exploration. I simply won’t be able to afford to replace it unless I’m willing to give up some other costly activity like, oh, say, eating.

The trouble with using the Raleigh has been that my bad ticker limits my range even on level pavement, and I’ve found precious little of that in my travels. As a result, I’ve had to use the Ford for too many short trips that a bicycle could normally handle, and that kind of driving adds up mileage in short order. This violates the Defiant’s Prime Directive, which is purposed to preserve the vehicle over the long haul, as well as decrease fuel and repair costs to a minimum. It also violates my doctor’s directive to get sustained exercise at controlled levels. For me, daily walking is okay a few times, but then gets monotonous. Something in my DNA wants to cover ground.

My realization that the Raleigh wasn’t going to cut the mustard came in Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule, Mod Squad, Navel Gazing, The Defiant and tagged ,

Post Navigation

Newer Entries →