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A stranger had recommended this bike shop to me some time ago but it was not until my friend Greg mentioned it to me that I decided to make the trek to Phillipsburg, NJ to give them a try. I took an afternoon ride to get my bike Tuned-Up. It took about an hour while Russ meticulously adjusted my brakes, shifters, cleaned the chain, etc . I even had a hot cup of coffee while I waited and browsed through an excellent selection of Bianchi bikes. The final cost. $45.00 that was well spent and was well worth ride. Cycle Funattic is located at:

403 Main St.
Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
Phone: 908-454-0432.
www.cyclefunattic.com

My first planned ride of the year will be to Nockamixon State Park. It will be for two nights and is not that far from my house. It will be unsupported and I will make the ride alone. I think this will be a good way to jump start the year. No date has been set but its a safe bet that when the snow goes I go. As soon as I decide on the route I plan to take I will publish it to this post. I will also bore you with complete pictures of the trip!

So I grabbed a bag of trail mix and a couple of honey and oat granola bars and set off on a 17 mile bicycle ride around Bethlehem. It was around 40 degrees today and I everyone was looking at me like I was crazy. Which I am.  Anyway, here are a few pictures of Bethlehem that I took during my ride.

I added to my Novara Safari a nüvi® 500 GPS and I used a RAM handlebar mount RAP-274-1-GA32 to attach it to my bike. There are some really good reviews about the nüvi® 500 so I will point you to one of my favorites at GPS magazine instead of boring you with one of my own. I choose nüvi® 500 for 2 reasons. 1st I needed a durable GPS with a bicycle mode for long range navigation and 2 it had to be water proof. I did not need all the fancy stuff that the Garmin Edge® 605 or Edge® 705 has to offer. I do want to make one point about the nüvi® 500 that has change since the review in GPS magazine appeared. GPS magazine states “No text-to-speech; doesn’t speak names of actual streets, just generic “turn left” or “turn right” instructions”. This is no longer true. If you’ve been looking for a single GPS solution for the car, hiking, bicycle, and possibly boat, the nüvi 500 is the best option to date. The nüvi 500 has a suggested retail price of $499 but you can purchased a refurbished one like I did for $210.

One last note: For those of you who are wondering how I plan to keep the nüvi® 500 charged out in the middle of nowhere take a look at PowerFilm (Portable Solor Chargers). I will get back with you on how this turns out but, so far its looking real good.

This is in response to the number of inquires I received in regards to the panniers I use on my Novara Safari. I use the Axiom Champlain Panniers. The specs are as follows:

• Rear-specific double pannier
• Reinforced with 1000 Denier water resistant polyester fabric
• 3M reflective safety strip for increased night visibility
• Top mounted shock cord for extra storage
• 3mm Polystyrene Stiffener for rigid back panels
• 4 easy-access exterior pockets
• #5 self healing Nylon Zippers (with tassel to eliminate rattling zipper pulls)
• Compression strap system for larger loads
• Includes rain cover and spare hardware
• Dimensions: 50 x 44 x 16 cm ( 20″ x 17″ x 6″)
• Volume: 65L – 3667 cubic inches

Before I go any further you will see in most my pictures a third bag that sits behind my seat. That is a Topeak Trunk Bag so please just ignore it.

Axiom Champlain Panniers are well made and quite large. In fact so large that I do not require front panniers although for the sake of balance many riders would not recommend this. I believe each bag holds up to 30lbs. The large main compartment is entered through the top of the bag which exposes a drawl cord that keeps all your stuff nicely secured inside.

There are four exterior pockets on each bag. 2 small pockets one which is mesh. A 3rd one that most notable is located at the rear of the bag and will hold a 32 oz Nalgene bottle. The last is a zippered compartment located on the top and back of each bag where the included rain covers are stored.

At the bottom of each bag (facing the ground) has a rubberized lower splash plates for durability. There is also a 3 compression strap system for larger loads. One that runs horizontal to the bag and two that run vertical.

The bags secure to your rear rack rack using 2 hangers, a bungee cord that hooks to the bottom of your rack, and a rotating lock that keeps your bags securely attach to your rack even on the roughest roads.

If you have any questions just leave a comment and I will respond to it.