one less car news

This week's reviews stem from our tour this summer.

I reviewed Topeak's Bikamper EXP tent


and Cole did an update on Gerber's LMF 2 Knife.


check them out here: http://www.1lesscar.com/reviews.html

we're still looking for a reader story for tomorrow, so if you've got a story about you and your iron/aluminum/carbon fiber horse, we want to hear about it- and you'll get FREE STICKERS!!!

I know you guys love free stuff. We want to give you some stickers! All you have to do is send us a short story about bicycling- we prefer true stories, with a picture if possible to be published every Friday!
Send them to me- brandon at 1lesscar dotcom and be sure to include your address! Reviews on Wednesday!!!

The asterisked numbers (the little star looking things) in the story below are my two cents & are at the bottom of the story. Without further ado, here's Cole with a short recap of our summer tour:It’s now been two weeks since my childhood friend and I took off on our annual bike tour. *1 I guess it's annual- it’s the second year in a row. As soon as we got back, I started to type up a story about it but never finished. I'm happy I didn’t finish it then because it gave me time to think about what we had done and how it affected me. *2
The route was nothing huge. *3 It wasn't across the country or through India but simply from Chicago to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where we picked up the oldest car ferry *4 running on Lake Michigan *5 and then rode from the ferry dock in Ludington, MI, to my traveling partner Brandon's house in Frankfort, Michigan. *6
In theory, the whole trip was five days long. We left on a Sunday and arrived on Thursday. During that time we rode in oppressive heat *7, on limestone trails *8 for waaay to many miles resulting in us looking like we had been wading in cocaine. *9 I pulled my spd out of my shoe. *10 There was a pretty good storm one night- We found out Brandon’s tent was about as sweet as it looked (and that’s not that sweet). *11 Raccoons stole our pita bread, our dried pineapple, and a banana.
Then we were two hours late on the ferry, because they decided that it would be a good idea to carry 3 large semis with parts *12 of those new giant windmills that are going to save the world. We climbed the .5 mile, 11% grade hill. *13 We fixed some crappy ass fenders with a few glue-less patches. *14 We got fresh fruit from roadside stands. *15 We rode so long we literally fell down. *16 We found out that a natural bug spray that cost $6.00 may actually attract mosquitos. We thought better of staying with the guy who said “the hell with that, you'll be sleeping with me” *17 and then continued on about his dossiers and the 45,000 in his safe- he never did say 45,000 what. *18
We learned self registration did not apply to us. *19 We learned that Kodak batteries that cost $.99 don't last long in a gps. *20 We used Google Maps bike route and think it's pretty rad. Brandon lost his hat…more than once. *21 We tested a crap load of gear for reviews. *22 But most of all, we got to hang out together and just leave our problems and lives behind. *23 It was such a good time to just be with a close friend and have no real place to be, to wake up and know all you have to do is ride 'til you are tired. *24
The night we finished, I was tired, sore, and ready to be off my bike, but the next morning when my alarm went off at 6:30 am I was bummed I had to turn it off. *25

-Cole

brandon's notes:
*1 i wrote the title for this post before reading cole's story. crazy...that's what's rad about an old friend, and I couldn't ask for a better one.
*2 thinking time is good. my dad died a week before & i needed to get away. perfect!
*3 that's what she said! sorry, i love that stupid joke. i swear we rode farther this year though. and my route started earlier- taking an automobile from Frankfort to Holland, MI, then Amtrak from there to Chicago, then bike, boat, bike...
*4 i also love trains. what we know today as car ferries used to haul rail cars, not automobiles. the ferry is also a steam ship running on coal.
*5 not a big fan of getting in water, but i did go in that lake twice this year. splashing around with my niece made it totally worth it. i'ved lived by it my entire life, but can't swim. sucks.
*6 we took the long, HILLY, scenic route. beautiful.
*7 we managed to do this during the hottest days of the year, 2 years in a row. nice!
*8 everything was covered in limestone. i don't know how much i ate just from my water bottle.
*9 or asbestos, but right on! no serious partying took place. sorry.
*10 we need some shoes!!!
*11 it looked sweet on the interwebs, but not so much. review coming soon. needless to say i want a different tent. i'll name names *cough*topeak*cough* later...
*12 three sections of pipe, four trailers per piece with the piece in between. money hungry ferry owners should run freight separate, but it did all work out in the end.
*13 NOT cool or any fun at all. period. accomplished, yet why do i feel like i'm making mountains outta mole hills?
*14 thank you Topeak...for real! no thanks SKS...
*15 mmm...baby love your peaches... your plumbs. all that. good, good fruit.
*16 i did fall down at the top of a hill. i fell a few other times too. don't know why, but i crash a lot. i blame it on bad gravity.
*17 which is odd, because sketchy or not I'm usually up for adventure. looking back it felt a little House of 1000 Corpsesish... but yeah buddy!!!
*18 i always attract the town crazy/goon/challenged in any way people for some reason
*19 free is key...
*20 ...but sometimes you get what you pay for
*21 and somehow it was always on me. go figure.
*22 lots of reviews on the way!!!
*23 long overdue, and i missed my old lady & my dog (always do). ...but yeah- I couldn't ask for a better friend.
*24 i couldn't have said it better myself.
*25 some tours feel like they just shouldn't end yet. so far it's been two in a row, and I can't wait to hit the road again!!!

I'd also like to thank the handful of people who ordered shirts & stickers while we were on the road so we could eat, and the following companies for making this possible for me: Raleigh, Arkel, Old Man Mountain, Topeak, Kelty, Profile Design, Axiom, Bern, Pace, and SOG. Most of all, I'd like to thank Cole for taking the risk to start OLC in the first place and making things like this trip happen. It wouldn't have happened without him.

-Brandon

Either way, t-shirts are on sale!!! That's right- only $15.00 each!!! Not sure how long it's gonna last- Cole and I were thinking through the upcoming holiday, so that gives you a week!

While you're deciding on what shirts & stuff to get, you might notice that I made a new catalog to make shopping with us a little easier!

Also, the next 20 people that place an order of $30 or more will receive a free pack of Topeak's Flypaper- it's their glueless patch kit that includes 6 patches in a nice & small plastic carrying case! For more info on Topeak's flypaper, check out our reviews...

Thanks for sticking with us! Check back in a couple days for this week's reviews!

See you soon!

-Brandon

hey all-

check it- this week we've got a fresh handlebar bag from our friends at Banjo Brothers and a sweet little cycling computer from our friends at Topeak!

also, don't forget to enter to win the Bianchi San Jose Pro!!! all you have to do is sign up for the One Less Car newsletter via the site...a simple two step process could get you a $1000 Bianchi! Not to mention you'll be the first to know what's happening & what's going on with us...subscribers get all the bennies!

so here's a sample of the reviews- click the READ MORE links to read more!

Banjo Brothers 01067 handlebar bag

If you are a regular follower of our reviews you my have read the review about the Banjo Brothers back pack and how much of fans we are of Banjo Brothers. They really are a great company that makes smart, well thought out, quailty stuff.

I was heading out on tour and need a handle bar bag, so I asked Banjo Brothers, and they weremore then happy to send one for me to test out. I belive the 01067 is the flagship model of the handle bar bags. They offer a few different models, but this seems to be at the top. READ MORE...

Topeak Panoram V10 Wireless Cycling Computer

Topeak's Panaram V10 cycling computer is pretty rad- 10 functions in all, the V10 takes care of al the necessities. Personally, I think it only has 9 functions, but if you wanna throw in the low battery indicator as a "function", then it's 10. But actually, it is a pretty nice feature- the V10 is fully programable, so when it comes time to switch batteries, you can write down your stats and plug them back in- and you'll know when to do so ahead of time! So I'm counting the low battery indicator. I said it takes care of all of the necessities and I guess it really does! READ MORE...


and we've got a bike coming from the folks at Day 6 Bicycles, wheels from Aerospoke, and more on the way! Stay tuned...follow the blog!

-brandon

Besides our own slick shirts and accessories, we also do weekly reviews! This week, Cole reviews the ETA Power MF Stove from North American Gear, and I reviewed a couple of brand spankin' new goodies from Topeak- their Ratchet Rocket RX and their Flypaper Glueless Patch Kit! We've got a lot of great stuff to review in the next upcoming weeks, so check back soon! Word on the street is we might be auctioning off a new BIANCHI soon! No purchase necessary...details on that are coming really soon!!! So yeah- there's a lot going on around here, and it's all good...

the reviews:

North American Gear ETA Power™ MF stove

I am by no means an expert about backpacking stoves, but on my last tour i was freezing in the rain, eating a pb&j, thinking how much some warm food would really help me out. Well, we'll call that tour a learning experience, and it taught me I need a stove.

North American Gear was kind enough to send me the ETA Power MF stove. I was given a lot of choice, and I knew I wanted a mutlifuel because who knows where I'll end up, and having the ability to burn LP gas and liquid fuels- such as white gas, gasoline/petrol, kerosene/paraffin, and if necessary even diesel, makes this the perfect stove in my eyes. read more...

Topeak Ratchet Rocket RX

I never had the pleasure of using the original Ratchet Rocket, and the RX is a slimmed down, lighter version of it with an added tool. Hands down, this is one of the raddest multi-tools I've got my hands on as of late. About the size of...hmm...unfortunately everything that comes to mind right now is firearm related (I live in the country on a bunch of land in the middle of nowhere, so you gotta give me a little slack!), so let's see- it's smaller than a candy bar, fits in the palm of your hand (unless you have REALLY small hands), and is about the size of a standard cell phone (non flip), and way skinnier but a tad heavier.

The Ratchet Rocket RX measures (L x W x H) 3.9” x 1.5” x 0.7”. With 12 tools and only weighing 120g (.26 lbs.), that's not too shabby at all. And for even more convenience than this multi-tool already has to offer, it also comes with a pretty rad poly soft shell case that has an extra pocket for the optional chain tool (or a pack of Topeak's Flypaper: Glueless Patch Kit perfectly!) and also sports a belt loop. Put it on your belt & save the room in your pack- or leave the pack at home- the Ratchet Rocket RX won't weigh you down a bit. If you ride regularly, or distances, or have ever gotten a flat a ways away from home or a gas station and didn't have the tools to fix your flat and you had to walk your bike, you probably know the importance of carrying a few tools with you, some patches, and a pump. The Ratchet Rocket RX covers the first- we'll get to the rest later. read more...

Topeak Flypaper Glueless Patch Kit

We've got one more product from Topeak for you this week- Topeak's Flypaper- their glueless patch kit. Quick, clean, and easy- no worries, no mess, and no fuss. They work great for road bikes as well as mountain bikes and everything in between. read more...

Taking it easy this week- it's been a long week. but it's all a set
up- let me break it down like this:
This week, we've got Topeak's Super Tourist DX Tubular Rack w/disc mounts for ya, because next week we've got panniers from Arkel and Queen Bee Creations! Also, somehow I screwed up the link for brandon's winter whip from a few weeks back, so if ya didn't get to check that out, it's fixed. so is the whip. Now, grab your favorite beverage, sit back, relax, and enjoy the review!