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Today October 2021

Most of the GCN presenters are good enough, when they're by themselves. When they're put together, they have to ham it up, which can quickly get very tiresome.
 
This morning I woke up to an email that my work is sending me to Germany! Woot!
So I was planning on taking a bike....
Then my work said - We need you here, then here, then here.... We need you to do x, y, z.
Too many moving parts to take a bike. :(

Hopefully even with Covid, I can find a rental if I have a chance.
 
This morning I woke up to an email that my work is sending me to Germany! Woot!
So I was planning on taking a bike....
Then my work said - We need you here, then here, then here.... We need you to do x, y, z.
Too many moving parts to take a bike. :(
Great! Where are you going? If you tell us, perhaps we can tell you what kind of riding you can do. As a general rule there is a lot more infrastructure and opportunity mountain biking in Germany than in Japan.
Hopefully even with Covid, I can find a rental if I have a chance.
You should be able to find something.
 
For a completely independent review based on nothing but my experience, muc off chain cleaner is nothing compared to "clean spray"!

View attachment 32905

Available in 3 flavors!

Andy
I bought one of these the other day at my local supermarket (I went for the blue one) and cleaned my drive train with it today. It works very well :)

After the chain has dried out I'll treat it with Boeshield T-9 of which I've bought a 118 ml bottle on Amazon, to see how that holds up against the wax-based Squirt Lube that I have been using recently.
 
Great! Where are you going? If you tell us, perhaps we can tell you what kind of riding you can do. As a general rule there is a lot more infrastructure and opportunity mountain biking in Germany than in Japan.

You should be able to find something.
I have been told 4 different locations in the past 12 hours.... ugh.

The last is K-Town. (Kaiserslautern) - That seems to be the one that is sticking. I got somewhat combative with the program manager when he was wishy washy - so he kinda half assed commited to thatn answer. He said he would email me in a couple hours. I am supposed to be getting on a plane in less than 48 hours and they still can't tell me where I am going. Faack.

2130 tonight I talk to my leadership and make plans. The bicycle and rental car are 2 key topics. I need to make sure I can rent something big enough for my EVOC.
 
This morning I woke up to an email that my work is sending me to Germany! Woot!
(...)
Hopefully even with Covid, I can find a rental if I have a chance.
That shouldn't be much of an issue.

But if you have plans to eat out (off-base) and assuming you are vaccinated, it helps to have English language documentation as there are restrictions in place in restaurants.

Sounds like you'll have to quarantine for 14 days when you get back... :-( They're shortening that to 10 days for vaccinated individuals, but only with a PCR test at the end ($$$).
 
That shouldn't be much of an issue.

But if you have plans to eat out (off-base) and assuming you are vaccinated, it helps to have English language documentation as there are restrictions in place in restaurants.

Sounds like you'll have to quarantine for 14 days when you get back... :-( They're shortening that to 10 days for vaccinated individuals, but only with a PCR test at the end ($$$).
I have myvaccination card with my passport and copies of it on my phone - just in case.

Luckily since it is all work related and gov't related - I get to more or less get the test whenever I want/need on a walk-in basis for free. One of the perks of being owned I guess. I still will have the ROM and there is little I can do about that - even my SOFA status can't get me out of that. BUT - it is paid ROM! My bikes will be super clean and I will possibly rack up some huge Zwift gains!!!!
 
This morning I woke up to an email that my work is sending me to Germany! Woot!
So I was planning on taking a bike....
Then my work said - We need you here, then here, then here.... We need you to do x, y, z.
Too many moving parts to take a bike. :(

Hopefully even with Covid, I can find a rental if I have a chance.
You wanna take my Brompton?
 
Sounds like you'll have to quarantine for 14 days when you get back... :-( They're shortening that to 10 days for vaccinated individuals, but only with a PCR test at the end ($$$).
Motherforker, I missed that in the announcement.
I have been told 4 different locations in the past 12 hours.... ugh.

The last is K-Town. (Kaiserslautern) - That seems to be the one that is sticking. I got somewhat combative with the program manager when he was wishy washy - so he kinda half assed commited to thatn answer. He said he would email me in a couple hours. I am supposed to be getting on a plane in less than 48 hours and they still can't tell me where I am going. Faack.

2130 tonight I talk to my leadership and make plans. The bicycle and rental car are 2 key topics. I need to make sure I can rent something big enough for my EVOC.
That sounds supremely annoying.
Kaiserslautern should be fine. I haven't ridden there, but I have been there for a business trip a few years back. The area is very scenic and beautiful (once you get away from Frankfurt :p). @joewein mentioned restaurants, and while he's correct in general, while I was there the restaurants were used to handling US military personell and their families. But I am not sure whether a random restaurant will accept your Japanese Covid vaccination certificate, though.
 
You wanna take my Brompton?
I think I am going to take the Ritchey and just wing it. I will be renting a Passat, so as long as that back seat flops down, I should be good.
Motherforker, I missed that in the announcement.

That sounds supremely annoying.
Kaiserslautern should be fine. I haven't ridden there, but I have been there for a business trip a few years back. The area is very scenic and beautiful (once you get away from Frankfurt :p). @joewein mentioned restaurants, and while he's correct in general, while I was there the restaurants were used to handling US military personell and their families. But I am not sure whether a random restaurant will accept your Japanese Covid vaccination certificate, though.
My vaccination is an American Vaccination Card. Most likely the exact same those at Ramstein AF Base have.

Looking at the weather, it will be significatnly cooler - and perfect weather for trail running. So bike for road and trail shoes for off road. Dunno - maybe I will hit a bit.
 
Looking at the baggage fees - $200usd each way for the bike....
Looks like I will be doing a lot or running. I am not even sure if I will have much spare time to ride, so $400 saved and just run.

I can hopefully rent If I feel the urge.
 
Looking at the weather, it will be significantly cooler - and perfect weather for trail running. So bike for road and trail shoes for off road. Dunno - maybe I will hit a bit.
As a rule of thumb, winter comes one month earlier in Germany than in Japan (Kanto) and spring one month later. But a lot of it will depend on whether it will be dry and sunny for a "Golden October" or wet and cold.
 
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I think I am going to take the Ritchey and just wing it. I will be renting a Passat, so as long as that back seat flops down, I should be good.
A Passat Variant would be perfect for that.
My vaccination is an American Vaccination Card. Most likely the exact same those at Ramstein AF Base have.
Cool, great.
Looking at the weather, it will be significatnly cooler - and perfect weather for trail running. So bike for road and trail shoes for off road. Dunno - maybe I will hit a bit.
That's true, but as long as it is relatively dry, it is still great weather for riding, provided you put on the right clothing.
Looking at the baggage fees - $200usd each way for the bike....
Looks like I will be doing a lot or running. I am not even sure if I will have much spare time to ride, so $400 saved and just run.
That's steep. I usually managed to pay of the order of 100–150 € — or free on flights where I had two pieces of luggage included in the ticket.
 
That's steep. I usually managed to pay of the order of 100–150 € — or free on flights where I had two pieces of luggage included in the ticket.
The big charges are a recent thing. In the US, companies removed the "bike specific" restrictions.
But in the last year, I have noticed a new oversize restriction that is just a little bit smaller than an EVOC bag. So - I can protect my bike and pay $200 or I can put it in a smaller less protected and exposed box and try and pass it off at luggage... I ride a 59cm frame, so it would be close to even get it to fit.
 
The big charges are a recent thing. In the US, companies removed the "bike specific" restrictions.
But in the last year, I have noticed a new oversize restriction that is just a little bit smaller than an EVOC bag. So - I can protect my bike and pay $200 or I can put it in a smaller less protected and exposed box and try and pass it off at luggage... I ride a 59cm frame, so it would be close to even get it to fit.
Ugh, I hate that. And it really depends on the airport, some are way stricter than others. In most places they don't measure, but when they do, it pays off to have done your homework. Since you ride larger frames you indeed might be screwed by taking a professional bike case — which makes no sense. What's your experience with Japanese airports here? I have only traveled with a bike inside of Japan once, when I arrived in Narita 6 years ago, I had to check in my bike on the domestic flight. I had to open my bike box at checkin, because they wouldn't believe that I carried any CO2 cartridges with me. That was not great. But I don't think they measured it.

(Fun fact: here in Sendai where they only have I think two international connections (Incheon and Guam), they are super anal retentive as they have zero experience. So technically, they are an international airport, if only barely. They refused my transparent zipper bag on my carry on for my toothbrush, deodorant, etc. because the zipper wasn't transparent. I had to buy a zip loc bag for 10 ¥.)
 
Ugh, I hate that. And it really depends on the airport, some are way stricter than others. In most places they don't measure, but when they do, it pays off to have done your homework. Since you ride larger frames you indeed might be screwed by taking a professional bike case — which makes no sense. What's your experience with Japanese airports here? I have only traveled with a bike inside of Japan once, when I arrived in Narita 6 years ago, I had to check in my bike on the domestic flight. I had to open my bike box at checkin, because they wouldn't believe that I carried any CO2 cartridges with me. That was not great. But I don't think they measured it.

(Fun fact: here in Sendai where they only have I think two international connections (Incheon and Guam), they are super anal retentive as they have zero experience. So technically, they are an international airport, if only barely. They refused my transparent zipper bag on my carry on for my toothbrush, deodorant, etc. because the zipper wasn't transparent. I had to buy a zip loc bag for 10 ¥.)
Domestic flights - oversize bags are only 5000y. So not too big a deal if it happens.
In the past, my friends have mentioned traveling with the bikes for free a lot.
 
Just saw this today. Not sure if it is in place yet.

 
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