Cycling UK Forum

Just back from Norway having fully road-tested my set up, and have resurrected this thread to report that the Nokia bike charger was great for charging all my other USB devices, but not my Nokia phone. This was due to the phone software not the charger unit.


Above is what I took. Just to go through everything
A = USB mains charger with different prongs for different countries (only took the european prongs)
B = USB Male to Female lead with the green and white wires wound together (see below)
C = Nokia DC-14 phone charger.
D = USB lead for my appliances
E = USB battery charger for AA and AAAs
F = battery tester
G = not used, but honourable mention to this USB female adapter that goes on an old style 3.5mm nokia wall charger.
(I also had a USB-->nokia 2mm adapter lead with me for testing.)

The Nokia DC-14 comes with a basic dynamo which I'm sure works but I've already got a dynamo. It also comes with a rubber thing to strap both the phone and the charger around the handlebars but I got rid of that too as I have a bar bag. I modified the cable ends - the white plug connects to a permanent wire on the bike that leads to the dynamo, the other end is the female part of a USB extension lead crimped on, again with white and green wires twisted together.

The things I wanted to charge were: mobile phone (Nokia C2), AA batteries for my camera, Philips GoGear MP3 player, Sony eBook reader.

The USB battery charger topped up AA batteries no problem. The camera tends to consider batteries completely unusable if only slightly off full charge so I wasn't charging them from flat, but a morning's ride would get them usable again.
I didn't really use the MP3 player much but it charged okay.
The eBook reader charged from quarter tank to full tank in a few hours.

When I first tried it out on short rides at home, the phone charged fine. On tour it was a different story. What I wanted to do, and what I could do with all the other devices, is connect them up, put them in the bar bag, then forget about them for a few hours whilst they soaked up charge. The phone had other ideas. It takes a few seconds for it to recognise a 5v feed and start charging. It takes a few nanoseconds for it to decide that there has been an interruption to the 5v input, appear to stop charging, then display a message or two for you to okay.

The 2mm nokia charger connection isn’t a robust connection, but at least 5v to it should only mean one thing – it’s connected to a charger. Unfortunately every time your speed is below 5mph, or you dare to stop to look at the view, or the dynamo skids in wet weather, or you go over a bump and the lead gets jiggled, the phone puts up messages such as “the battery is not fully charged”, “the charger is not supported” and so on. During this time the charging animation is not displayed, so it was not clear whether it was charging or not. And after a couple of minutes of successful charging the screen goes dark and the keyboard locks out anyway, so you can’t easily see whether it’s charging or not.

The microUSB connection to the phone is more robust but not bombproof, but there are even more messages to okay as the phone now assumes it is connected to a computer. “Host not found”, “unable to operate in flight mode” (not true actually), “select USB mode” and so on. I don’t want to be constantly fiddling with my phone when I’m meant to be enjoying a ride. I don’t want the phone strapped to the handlebars, especially when it’s raining. I don’t even want the phone in my map case, which is what I ended up doing so I could keep an eye on it - I could just about make out if it was charging through the plastic and the raindrops.

As I said, the other devices just got on with the business of charging when they felt they had 5v up ‘em. The battery charger flashes to say it’s happy, the MP3 has a basic animation, the eBook has a static picture.


The other half of my USB charging system was the mains charger with euro plug adapter. Norway is a fantastic place to tour for many reasons, one of them is that a lot of public toilets, especially those at ferry terminals, have available plug sockets in them, so I was able to charge the phone whilst loitering. The only slight problem is that for some USB devices to know they’re connected to a wall charger rather than a computer, the green and white data wires in the USB need to be twisted together. You’d think this would be done at the factory in the wall charger, but I’ve bought a couple now where this is not the case, and my little lead (B) gets round this without the need for soldering. (Full explanation at http://www.crystalbard.co.uk/gogreen/a_guide_to_usb_chargers.htm)

If you only want to top up charge on a phone which you keep turned off most of the time anyway, you’re probably better off with a spare battery or two. This would probably extend your range to 2 weeks, and if you’ve not managed to find a way to plug it into the mains in that time yet still have network coverage I want to know where you’re touring so that I can go there too.

I was interested to read that fuel tanks must have the cap securely fastened and be wrapped in absorbent material etc etc. After arguing in vain in New Zealand once against having a used but dry trangia burner confiscated I was advised to carry burner and fuel bottles with lids off as there was no chance of a build up of explosive fumes that way. I guess as long as EJ have a policy document and there's an appearance of Things Being Done to Make Things Safe, everyone is happy. (Not that I would put a bike on an Easyjet flight due to their policy of insisting on bike bags; and I would never use Ryanair due to their general nastiness esp with respect to disabled people.)

But as Helen says: get a print out, wave it in their faces.

I'm off to Norway soon and spent a while looking at maps. I've gone for the Freytag & Berndt Road & Leisure Series. The southern two maps (which would get you as far north as Trondheim) are 1:250K, the northern two are 1:400K. Google ISBN 9783707903164. It's hard to find a decent sample picture so have a look at: http://s1112.photobucket.com/albums/k499/c3b2a1/c3b2a1/?action=view&current=Nogmapsample.jpg

A friend lent me some of the Statens Kartverk Sykkel Guides so I've done a direct comparison with one of my 1:250K maps. A few minor roads are missing from the F&Bs but only a few and it wouldn't ruin my day. On the other hand loads of roads are missing from the sykkel guides if you deviate from the narrow map corridor, if you see what I mean. But they are guides not maps.

One other thing which I only discovered the other week is that you can get maps laminated by the people that do the Ordnance Survey tough maps: http://www.aqua3.com/services.asp which I've done and can recommend wholeheartedly. I've also tried Nikwax Map proof, which is a good way to destroy a new map IMHO.

Something I've thought about doing: the latest version of the HS33 lever and master cylinder has a two-bolt clamp. I wonder if they would fit side on with some rubber hood covers from somewhere. There may or may not be enough room for your hand to be comfortable, however. I did a quick survey of all the mtb brake levers in the house and with some there would be enough room and with some there wouldn't. A 2009 HS33 lever looked promising.

Alternatively, I'm "+1" for tektro CR520s (or the identical but cheaper Colorado brand ones) which work really well if you swap the brake pads as per Chris Juden's glowing review. As I understood it the science boiled down to having the straddle cable as low as possible. Then although they might feel a bit spongey compared to a hydraulic setup that's the best mechanical advantage for a cable brake.

+1 Rohloff, +1 Thorn Raven Tour

If you've got the cash, buy the rohloff you won't regret it. I'm nearing my second Rohloff birthday next month, and the outlay is a distant memory. It doesn't make the hills any easier, though.

Things to add:

Yes gears 1-7 are noisier than gears 8-14, but if you ride your bike up a hill whilst listening to your iPod they magically no longer feel draggy and inefficient, and this realisation persists even when not listening to music. You get used to the whirring sound pretty quickly and it's the sound of something working properly rather than the mashing and grinding of a chain being forced to do something against its will that you get with a derailleur system. The noisiness was the thing that worried me most about buying the rohloff as I hate noises that shouldn't be there. I think this issue is overplayed, especially by people who want a rohloff but can't afford one.

An eccentric bottom bracket for chain adjustment (as on a Thorn) seems to me a better system to the rohloff oem sliding dropouts (as on Mrs Hufty's custom Bob Jackson, also an excellent bike) as you don't have to adjust the brakes when you adjust the chain tension. Having said that, you don't need to adjust the chain tension that often.

As a drop bar kind of person, I have the shifter on a thorn utility bar http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-accessory-bar-t-shaped-55-mm-extension-0-deg-prod11041/. I hacked one of the horns off so that I can have the shifter at an angle - if you're riding on the tops and just let your right arm go, your hand flops round naturally to the shifter. I thought this would be better than having it on the end of the bar with a hubjub extension as you don't have to move your weight when you change gear. Also google the mittelmeyer rohloff gear changer for drop handlebars. Mrs Hufty has butterfly bars.

I have one of these from Alpkit http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16269&category_id=295 (as well as four panniers and a bar bag - ahem). It has a nice drape to it if you take out the back pad. And it's waterproof yay.

This could work as a daypack option http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/86 if you want a proper pack, or if not how about just a bag for life from Morrisons?

Just to go against the consensus: I tried bar end shifters and didn't get on with them at all. If you're doing a gear change that requires front and rear derailleurs you have to move both hands to the ends of the drops and back, whereas with down tube shifters you can operate both with the same hand. Plus they stick out, plus there's all that extra cable.

+1 merino, +1 Chocolate Fish. Their designs are not aimed at the fashion market, the vests are long in the body, the long johns are long in the leg. Poor website though! Other merino base layers are available.

freebooter wrote:I saw those recently (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=37897) and thought they might be an alternative to a full size one but wasn't sure how useable it would be without the main Topeak tool it is designed for. It looks like it screws on to the tool and then uses the allen key to turn.

You don't have to have the Topeak multitool. You need an M5 allen key to screw in the link extractor, and whatever else you have to hand to stop the body of the tool rotating. There's a circular hole in the centre of the silver nut (where you would expect the thread to be) which you can put an M4 allen key into for example. Or an 8mm spanner will grip the nut properly and you won't have to take your allen key set to pieces. It's easy enough to use but obviously it's not a workshop tool.


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My other suggestions for things for a travel toolkit which I don't think have been mentioned before in this thread:

8/10mm open ended midget spanner
offset screwdriver (cross head/flat)
Loctite
electrical tape
heat shrink for keeping cable ends tidy
if you want to fix drive side spokes yourself, a cassette lock ring remover (hypercracker or NBT)
sewing awl and thread
self extracting crank bolt (in the toolkit rather than in the crank but can't think why I thought I'd need one)
pound note or dollar bill for tyre wall splits although toothpaste tube easier to find

nmnm wrote:Still researching lightest (emergency use) chain tool.

One of these weighs next to nothing: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=37897. You use it with two different size allen keys, or allen key + spanner.

I've always used 3/4 length thermarests. The theory is you put stuff under your legs to insulate them from the ground. For backpacking this is fine - just use your rucksack. But in my experience panniers aren't easy to get comfortable on, tend to separate in the night leaving a cold bit where your knees are, and gradually get your sleeping bag covered in road grime. I've never found a jacket provides enough insulation (imho of course). I'm looking at new sleeping mats at the moment and will probably take the weight penalty on the chin and go for a full length one. Not decided between trad thermarest v neo air trek though!

I'm 6'0, tend to sleep on my side, and prefer colder camping eg spring summer autumn UK and Northern Europe - if it's warm it's not such an issue.

Incidently, I always put the thermarest under the groundsheet that way you don't get condensation in the tent.

I for one have not heard of band brakes before and had to google them to get pictures up. I don't know if they're available in the UK even, maybe on older tandems as drag brakes? I take my chances that both brakes won't fail at the same time, so I will always have one working brake and my feet to bring me to a halt. Although I did crash into a wall on a downhill in the Lake District once because I had the wrong brake pads for steel rims and it was raining.

Also have a look at http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6672.0 for English language details of a home made charger. Parts list on page 4, an enjoyable thread! I was just about to buy a dymotec from germany and all the electronics stuff from maplins when I saw this Nokia charger - so hurrah I'm spared lots of work. It's not arrived yet - only ordered it last night - but my first modification will be to cut off the 2mm nokia plug and put on a USB socket. Last year I got adapter cables so everything standardised to USB - phone, battery charger, mp3, (camera takes AAs). I then got a mains plug to USB adapter where you can slide different prong sets in for UK/Europe. Am a bit over-excited about this charger - it had better work! No more leaving my mobile unattended in the shower block, no more having to talk to strange motorhome people, no more being fleeced for a full hookup just to charge a battery! No more I tell you no more! Will post a review later, especially if it fries something.

One other bit of advice: don't carry the burner in the pans in case it leaks a bit - I have a separate tupperware tub. Whatever they put in the meths it doesn't take much to ruin your cup of tea.

I think Edwards had something like this in mind:

(This is currently part of an ebay auction if you search for bar bag)

I made something similar to this...

...because I wanted a superlight barbag and I had a spare Rixen & Kaul handlebar mount. I bent it out of 6mm aluminium rod using a plumber's mini bender and the edge of the table. Have to say after several "prototypes" it would have been cheaper to buy it rather than get through loads of rod.