Do You Carry Books?
#2
bicycle tourist
I take a Kindle.
As far as books go, rarely unless it is something that doesn't render well e.g. a Lonely Planet guide when the black & white Kindle edition is poor but reading material uses the Kindle.
As far as books go, rarely unless it is something that doesn't render well e.g. a Lonely Planet guide when the black & white Kindle edition is poor but reading material uses the Kindle.
#3
#7
aka Timi
No, but not primarily because of the weight, but typically at the end of the day, when I normally read, I am so knackered from riding all day, that I’m happy if I can make food before heading off to the Land of Nod 😴
#8
Senior Member
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Typically no. But on my last tour with an old friend, on past tours there were times he needed a full day of rest, so my last tour with him a year ago brought two. Read one and a half. No for next tour which is solo.
If I am wind bound for a day or two and start to get bored, I may hunt for some wifi and try to find out what is going on in the world.
If I am wind bound for a day or two and start to get bored, I may hunt for some wifi and try to find out what is going on in the world.
#9
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I used to until I found audiobooks to be a suitable alternative.
#10
#11
Senior Member
I always have a paperback with me. Only weighs a few ounces and you can trade them out everywhere.
#12
Senior Member
I carried paper backs in the distant past. I have also carried a kindle. More recently I have been more likely to just listen to audiobooks. If I want to on a whim I can alway pick up a paperback along the way, but it seems to pretty much never happen.
#13
Senior Member
I have a Kobo, which uses similar e-ink as kindle. The experience with it is better than with a smart phone. The screen is bigger and there's no flicker that you'd get from the constant refreshing of a led screen.
Also the kobo is waterproof so taking it to a bathtub is not a problem.
Also the kobo is waterproof so taking it to a bathtub is not a problem.
#14
Mad bike riding scientist
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Yea, I carry actual an actual book. Just one. I pick up something else when I finish one. Depending on the book, sometimes I blow through them in a couple of days.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#15
Today’s paperbacks are really light. I’d take one on a week long trip if it weren’t for the fact that I have old man eyes and need the backlight of my Kindle to read even before dark. I got tired of burning through headlamp batteries reading for hours.
It’s been one of the hardest things I’ve had to accept about aging. I used to have great vision, especially at night. While I was in prep school I was usually on point when we snuck around in the woods to party because I could see any potential trouble well before my friends.
#16
Senior Member
again?
I talk to locals
I talk to locals
#17
Senior Member
#18
Senior Member
Maybe something to consider if you are a candidate for cataract surgery.
#20
Senior Member
There are trade offs. The display on the phone isn't as nice and it requires a lot more battery usage which may be an issue depending on where and how you tour. I never found reading on the phone app particularly satisfactory, but it is lighter since you are likely carrying a phone regardless. I can see it as an great option if you can read it comfortably and charging isn't a big issue. For me it was a fail. I may or may not change my mind about the phone display for reading after my cataract surgery. The battery issue will remain though.
For me it is more likely to be an audiobook app so the battery usage is much less with no need to have the display on.
For me it is more likely to be an audiobook app so the battery usage is much less with no need to have the display on.
#21
Mad bike riding scientist
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So you were touring in 1841? That's when paperbacks were invented. Of course, in 1841, the weight of the book would have been minor compared to the bicycle of that era.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#22
Senior Member
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Posts: 11,568
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
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Are you a candidate for cataract surgery? For many it restores vision to as good or even sometimes better than what it was in their youth. I remember my mom having great eyesight in her 80s and into her 90s after her cataract surgery. After seeing her results back then I looked forward to when I was ready for the surgery. Now at almost age 73, I am hoping for good results from my upcoming cataract surgery. The doc claims my eyesight should be excellent post op.
Maybe something to consider if you are a candidate for cataract surgery.
Maybe something to consider if you are a candidate for cataract surgery.
I am trying to delay cataracts as much as I can. When I go outside, I always have some form of glasses on to reduce UV, even on overcast days I will be wearing something on my eyes. Ten years ago my ophthalmologist told me cataracts were probably ten years away. Now she predicts five more years.
I got laser treatment (PRK) nine years ago, and had 20/20 for a while, but now am wearing glasses again for distance when I drive although I am legal to drive without glasses.
#23
Senior Member
My cataracts are at a 2 and a 3, so ready for surgery, but could wait if I wanted to. It does seem like the change gets faster as time goes on and I definitely noticed a bigger change in the year that lead up to my decision to get the surgery. One eye went from a 2 to a 3 in that year and kind of confirmed my impression. The doc seemed inclined to take my lead on the decision with no particular push as to just how soon to go ahead. The real deciding factor was when I got to the point where I come around corners on the trail in the early morning and be completely blinded by the glare.
#24
I mean today’s paperbacks are noticeably lighter than they were 25 years ago. I’ve actually done some comparisons with older ones I have.
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#25
Are you a candidate for cataract surgery? For many it restores vision to as good or even sometimes better than what it was in their youth. I remember my mom having great eyesight in her 80s and into her 90s after her cataract surgery. After seeing her results back then I looked forward to when I was ready for the surgery. Now at almost age 73, I am hoping for good results from my upcoming cataract surgery. The doc claims my eyesight should be excellent post op.
Maybe something to consider if you are a candidate for cataract surgery.
Maybe something to consider if you are a candidate for cataract surgery.
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