Me bike

In the bored-at-work series, I thought I'd present you my bike. It doesn't have a name and I don't intend give it one, although I do call it my Two-Wheeled Winnebago. Surly copied my idea by naming their Long Haul Trucker that isn't a truck.


It's Peugeot Alpin Pro. Not a "real" Peugeot though. It was made in Canada by Procycle, who I believe is the largest manufacturer in Canada. They also make Mikado and Miele, as well as some other brands, none of them being very high-end. A bike shop owner called Procycle bikes "component racks", which means they're only good to attach component on. I never went back to that shop. So, apart from being bored, why am I writing this, and why do I like this cheap bike? Precisely because it was cheap, it looks good and it gets the job done. I like it even more when I see the current touring bikes offering.

I bought my Winnebago in may 1998. It was the only "road bike" in a sea of mountain bikes. I didn't know much about bikes then. I could only recognize tourers by the third bottle cage mount, mid-fork braze-ons and the general robust look, which could've been explained by the thicker tubes needed for aluminium bikes.

Anyway, I looked at it: Silver grey, the same color I painted an old ten-speed I built out of three bikes. Did the heel-on-pedal-with-leg-extended to check the fit: It did fit. I looked at the price tag: 700$ reduced from 1100$. That's canadian dollars at a time it was worth less than Monopoly money. The salesman said the bike had been sitting in the shop for two years, hence the rebate. I was hooked. I also bought a rear rack, toe-clips, water cages and bottles, and a handlebar bag.


Oh boy was I happy! The ride was so smooth and silent. Everybody asked about the bar-end shifters (people still ask), and I told them they were the latest thing. They were not. I just didn't know about STI. Now I know that barcons are relatively common on touring bikes because they are simple like downtube shifters without having to take the hands off the bar. That was one thing that made me appreciate it more.

Another is the touring geometry. Except for the chain stays, I haven't measured anything on my bike. I did try a few others and I could feel my Peugeot was made for touring while many others are The chainstays make a lot of the touring geometry and my bike's are 44-45cm, depending on how I measure them. Lots of new tourers have shorter stays, which means risk of heel strike against the panniers, a load that's further back instead of on top of the wheel, and a generally lest stable bike.

Yet another thing is the 40 spoke rear wheel. It was bombproof, well, until I damaged the rim. I had a trip coming and I couldn't find a 36 spoke wheel with a 7s hub, never mind a 40 spoke wheel. I don't quite remember why I couldn't just buy a 40h rim and have it laced with the original hub. Did I mention the hub is XT? On that crappy bike? Anyway, I needed a wheel FAST and settled on 32 spokes. I broke a spoke at the end of the first 30km ride, almost in front of the shop. They just ordered another wheel. The shop screwed up a bit in this wheel saga. Now I know them a little more and insist a bit more about what I want and don't want. They also cleared some bad apples. Anyway, the 32 spoke wheel gave me a lot trouble. Broke many spokes. Now I got a Sun CR18 36h on a 9 speed hub with a spacer. Those 9s hubs have so much dish it's scary. The wheel worked well except the spokes loosened so much, the rim was rubbing on the brake pads. I was on tour with a heavy load. I managed to straighten it but it turns a bit oval. Next time I'll find a 40h rim and use my orginal hub.


Perhaps the best "surprise" about my bike is the gearing. I say surprise because I was ignorant back then. My Peugeot came with "mountain bike" gearing. That's 22-32-42 crankset with 11-28 cassette. I actually asked a shop to put larger chainrings. He talked me out of it and I'm glad. That was before I went to Charlevoix and Gaspésie. Funny coz more recently, I've had bike shops saying MTB gearing is too low. Many current touring bikes have a "road triple" with 30-42-52 chainrings. It's way too high for riding any decent hills with a fully loaded bike, day after day.


What's original:
- Frame (6061-t6 aluminium)
- Handlebars (too narrow but bearable)
- STX-RC front and rear derailers
- Front wheel (Sun Rim CR16 36h with Parallax hub)
- Brake levers (Shimano RSX)
- Bar-ends shifters (DuraAce)
- Seatpost

What was replaced/added
- Fork (changed after crash)
- Crankset (normal wear, once changed big ring, then whole crankset + bottom bracket)
- Cassette (normal wear, current is SRAM 12-32)
- Cables, brake pads chain and tires (currently SRAM chain, Koolstop pads and Schwalbe Marathon XR tires)
- Tubus Logo rear rack + B&M Toplight 4D
- Old Man Mountain AC Lowride front rack
- Fenders (Zefal + Gilles Berthoud mudflap on front)
- Saddle (abnormal ass wear, original too narrow, second too squishy, current: Brooks B17)
- Mountain Myrricle mirror (broke one due to bad mounting)
- Topeak Road Morph pump (mounted on some other mini-pump mount)
- SPD pedals (Shimano M545)
- Headset (current: Shimano 105)

Charlevoix by bike

The following is a slightly edited response to a question I got in a private message at Bike Forums. It describes a few route options through the Charlevoix region. I have photos from a trip in 2005 posted here.

- Road 360 from Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré to St-Tite-des-Caps. Rolling hills, short and steep. I took another route because I already had done this one, but this is the best IMPO (in many people's opinion). You can take highway 138 which is a long uphill with the high-speed traffic. Good route for coming back though. Very fast downhills. There's a third option, involving a bunch of smaller roads and highway 138. I took that third option because I'm a masochist.

- Highway 138 from St-Tite-des-Caps to Baie-St-Paul is the only option. It goes up, then is somewhat flat, up at over 700m of altitude, down, up again and down to sea level. Lots of wild camping opportunities between the two villages. Baie-St-Paul has a well-known hostel with a green roof way up some crazy hill. Never been there myself. There's also a big, but nice campsite further down the 138. Unless you're about to bonk or want to be in Baie-St-Paul in the morning, I'd suggest pushing towards île-aux-Coudres.

- Highway 362 eastbound from Baie-St-Paul. Scenic route. Very hilly, could have more shoulders. About 10km east of Baie-St-Paul, it's the village named "Misère" (Misery). It's just a few houses. There's a small road leading to the free ferry to île-aux-Coudres. A very twisty 2km at 20% with a stop at the bottom. I'd probably walk it. Camping Sylvie on the island is nice and cheap. After climbing the hill out of the marina, it's on the right on the main road. You'll come across a grocery store. Riding around the island is a real charm. Good place for a rest day.

- After the island, you have to climb that wall you can see from the boat (you'll understand). It's not bad... only 10 and 18%. The climb leads into the village of Les Éboulements.

- La Malbaie is where you have to decide wether to keep on going along the coast (and Tadoussac) or go inland. The coast is hilly (surprise!) with a good shoulder all the way to Tadoussac. High trafic too. My 2005 route went inland since the coast becomes "more of the same" after a while and you're not even close to the coast between St-Siméon and Tadoussac.

For the inland route:

- Follow the bike path in La Malbaie, you'll come across a shopping center with Canadian Tire and all, until you rejoin highway 138 and a bridge across Malbaie river. Cross that bridge and take a left. You'll be following the river on the quiet road. A popular campsite is in the area (camping Fraser). Cross the river again on a street I forget the name and get on the 138 west. Climb that big ass hill, then the other one and follow the directions for St-Aimé-des-Lacs and parc des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-rivière-Malbaie (Hautes-Gorges for friends). The park is a dead end but well-worth it. The village is the last resupply point. There is a convenience store in the park but choice is very limited and it's expensive. I believe there's a restaurant at the dam. (see sepaq.com). Good place for a rest day. L'Acropole des Draveurs is a classic trail there. Very steep. Anecdote: It was so windy when I got there, rain (and sleet) was coming from undeneath!



- Going out of the park, take rang St-Thomas, unpaved for about 2.5km. If it's raining and muddy, you can continue on the main road and take chemin du Lac Nairme, which is all paved. As long as you go towards Notre-Dame-des-Monts.

- From Notre-Dame, the route takes a few short roads to Rang St-Jean-Baptiste, which takes you to St-Urbain-de-Charlevoix. This whole stretch is one my favorite in all Québec so far. Very hilly (of course), very quiet. A place few tourists get to see.

- Once you reach highway 381 In St-Urbain, there's a grocery store on your left (Axep), last resupply point for those wanting to ride highway 381 towards the Saguenay region.

- Highway 381 is very wild, no services except for Grands-Jardins park. There's a campsite at the park's entrance. Have the right amount for the little enveloppe unless you want to climb the 19% to the booth at the Lac-des-Cygnes trailhead. That trail is great if you're looking for a day off the bike. I wouldn't walk it with SPD shoes though. Another idea is to climb the hill, hike the trail and bike a little more before camp. Don't forget quarters for the showers as well.

2007 plans - Atlantic Canada (hopefully)

I try to keep the content informative, perhaps even entertaining, but I was told you're supposed to update a blog regularly even if you don't even anything to say. Well, I'm a little bored so here are my trip ideas for 2007...

One month cycling atlantic Canada, or Tour de Gulf as I like to call it. The gulf of St-Lawrence, that is. This is one of two 2-month trips I've had in mind for a while, the other being Calgary-Anchorage. The original idea was to take a cruise downriver with the Relais Nordik from Rimouski to Anticosti island, bike the island, catch the boat 1½ week later on its way back upriver, stop in Sept-Îles, ride east on highway 138 and catch the boat again a few days later (downriver) in Natashquan and stay on it until Blanc-Sablon. I checked all the dates and everything would work out nicely. Then take the ferry across to Newfoundland, ride down the west coast, ferry to Sidney NS, around Cape Breton, then on to mainland NovaScotia, across to PEI, then across the Confederation bridge to New Brunswick and up the coast and back home by train.

There are a few minor problems with this route, like having to be on the St-Lawrence North Coast in the summer. I don't want to be kidnapped by a mosquito. Another is riding south in Newfoundland, against the prevailing winds. Yet another is not being able to enjoy the beaches of NS, PEI and NB to the fullest because I'd probably be there in the fall. I caught myself searching info for Costa Rica the other day. Must be a sign that I should take my vacation when there are no risk of freezing temperature. The biggest problem though is leaving work for 2 months. Other than paying for the trip, bills keep coming in while money is not. Besides, I've already had to cut a three week trip before because of lack of personnal, I can't see how I could leave for 2 months.

I turned that itinerary around, cut the Quebec part (North Coast and Anticosti), figured I could do a bit more mileage per day and it should be doable in a month. I'd drive to Rimouski, hop on a train to Bathurst, cycle down the coast, jump in the ocean, cross the confederation bridge, jump in the ocean again, ferry to NS, around Cape Breton, ferry to Newfie Land, cycle north on the west coast, across to Blanc-Sablon and back to Rimouski with the Relais Nordik. It's roughly 2000km in 31 days, including 4 days of car/train/boat. That means little room for rest days. Best would be from mid-augist to mid september but I'll have to check with the other guys at work.

Wether this trip comes to reality or not, I have a few other trips I have in mind. We work long hours so we have long week-ends (3-4½ days) and since we're only 4 at the office, it's easy to exchange shifts to extend the week-end even longer (not easy to leave for an extended period though. lol). Some 4-5 days ideas:

1- Montréal > Québec > Magog (Sherbrooke) loop, or triangle as some call it. ~700km in 5 days. Very flat and lots of boring parts but I'd have places to stop for three nights, meaning no need for camping gear or expensive lodging. Makes a nice preparation for an atlantic Canada tour.

2- Toronto > Montreal. I doubt I'll do this one, especially if Via Rail insist on boxing my bike.

3- MTL > Ottawa > MTL. ~500km in 4-5 days. I've done it last year. Nice ride, flat, a bit boring. Another high mileage-per-day ride. Riding in Gatineau parkand Ottawa is an absolute delight.

3- Charlevoix. Either as a 4-5 day tour or several day trips. Some of the most gorgeous scenery in Quebec. I want to ride up a 2km 20% coz I'm insane.

4- Véloroute des Bleuets during summer. 256km of bike paths and nice shoulders. I've done it in the fall and felt I missed something. I'd like to do it in the summer, taking it easy. A more "cultural" trip than my usual "natural".

5- Tour of Saguenay. ~330km of hills. I just did it this year so I doubt I'll do it again but I really enjoyed it.

There are a few backpacking trip I have in mind as well:

1- La Grande Traversée, Gaspésie park, ~100km. It's possible to hike smaller sections of 3 days, which is what I would do.

2- Saguenay park. Don't remember the trail's name. It's on the south short.

3- Laurentian trail, Mauricie park, ~75km. If the atlantic bike tour flops, I will definately do this trail during fall colors.

There you go.