Gear Update - June 11, 2025

In this post I discuss changes to my gear since returning home from my cross-country trip last October. See also Complete List of My Gear - Cross Country 2024 and How I Pack My Gear - Cross Country 2024.

I had my shoe maker Uriel Gurgov replace the velcro on my trunk bag used to hold my tent pole with stronger velcro than he had originally used.

In the picture below you can see the original velcro, and also the original zippers on the side pockets that I had Uriel replace with more substantial zippers before I left on my cross-country trip last summer (see Planning Cross Country 2024 - Update June 27, 2024).

While in Portland preparing to leave for my cross-country trip last summer, I added a blue string to the wedgie bag in order to help secure the bag to my seat post.

I had Uriel replace the string with a strip of the same velcro he used on the trunk bag.

Much better, right?

One of my three Voile straps used to secure the spare tire to the bottom of the rack was severed on July 26, 2024, when my rack broke.

I cut off the part of the strap attached to the buckle and brought the buckle and the long portion of the strap home with me, thinking that Uriel could attach the buckle by sewing the end of the strap.

Uriel had the even better idea of using a rivet to attach the buckle to the remaining part of the strap.

Thank you, Uriel Gurgov, for your excellent work!

Since January of this year I've been using cleat adapters from Patrocleats.

The cleat adapters allow me to move my cleats backward almost an inch, which reduces the pressure on my metatarsophalangeal joints. These cleat adapters give me some of the same benefits I got from Catalyst Pedals without any of the disadvantages. (See Gear Update - June 26, 2023 for my review of Catalyst Pedals.)

I replaced the nut on the bolt at the end of the velcro strap (attached to my trunk bag) on which I installed my ROAD iD and the mount for my satellite communicator so that the bolt no longer damages the bag holding my spare tire when it rubs the bag.

The picture below shows the hole created in the bag before I installed the new nut.

One of my off-bike shoes needed yet another repair. I did all the stitching from the inside of the shoe, using fishing line I bought in West Yellowstone last August.

In the picture below you can see how this repair looks from the outside.

I think I'm getting better at repairing my shoes.

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