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 and 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.