2002-09-28

A useful tip

Here's a tip I learned from Mike Paull on our Globeriders trip. Carry a battery-powered air compressor with you. It doesn't take up much space and sure beats cranking a hand pump. Mine is a $10 unit purchased from Walmart. Unscrew the oversized plastic case and throw it out. The essential working parts consist of a 12-volt electric motor connected to a simple piston pump. I have replaced the cigarette lighter adapter with a BMW adapter. It all fits inside a small Tupperware box!

You can make this even smaller by shortening the length of the air hose and removing the power switch.

A word of caution: The pump gets hot when operating. It can burn you if you touch it. Put a couple of zip ties on it to serve as a simple handle and be careful.

I had intended to make this before I left home but couldn't find an air pump that came without a pressure gauge (though John tells me you can remove the gauge and cap it with a nut.)

My tool kit and set of spares have improved dramatically since the Globeriders trip. Just a few of the improvements: I wear a Leatherman instead of a knife. I have both front and rear spare tubes (rather than just the front.) I carry two spare master links. There is a small voltmeter in my toolkit (as well as plenty of spare wire, eletrical tape and an assortment of connectors.)

These changes are a direct result of personal experience and, I am certain, my toolkit will continue to improve over time. Live and learn.

Then again, the most fascinating experiences are usually the result of the most desparate situations. If I had a spare rear tube in Saratov, Russia I wouldn't have stayed overnight with the Russian professional boxing champion, wouldn't have been helped by Captain America, pissed off the other Globeriders, grabbed at a police checkpoint and interrogated by the KGB, mistaken for being with the FBI and, finally, I wouldn't be an honorary French policeman!