All Tales From The Road since the beginning of times:

What’s new this month on FarOutRide.com?

1- We re-edited our Water System article so it’s easier to understand and more thorough:

We also added a comprehensive water system diagram and tutorial to our store :

1- High-Resolution Water System Diagram (printable pdf):

 

2- Our “Water System Tutorial in 17 Steps” that contains additional hints on where to apply sealant and how to test the system for leaks 

2- We upgraded our solar charger & monitor

We upgraded from a Bogart SC-2030 PWM to the Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100|30 charge controller. While we cannot quantify the exact improvements (we would have to setup 2 systems simultaneously with the exact same panel size and orientation, same battery type and size, same SOC, etc.), we immediately noticed some improvements:

• The maximum charging current we have ever seen with the Bogart is 16 amps; within one week after installing the Victron we observed up to 24A charging current! And this is using the exact same setup (battery, solar panels, etc.) except for the charge controller… impressive, but that make sense:
  • Theoretical Max Charge Current with PWM: (Power Panels) / (Voltage Panels) = 320W / 18.5V = 17.3A
  • Theoretical Max Charge Current with MPPT: (Power Panels / (Voltage Battery) = 320W / 12.4V = 25.8A
  • If the battery was very low, even more charge current would occur with the MPPT (but not the PWM): 320W/11.5V = 27.8A
• We also noticed more power earlier in the morning and during overcast weather.
• More info about “PWM” vs “MPPT” here: Which solar charger to choose

Here is our in-depth review:

3- New “Vanlife How-To’s” page

We replaced “The Ride” page (which had barely no visits) for “Vanlife How-To’s” page. After (almost) a year living in the van, I guess we can say living in a van is “normal” for us now! So we’re working on a series of articles to share what we learnt: how to find water & campsites, how to stay connected, how we’re insured (medical and van), how to deal with mailing and physical addresses, etc. Make sure to subscribe to our mailing list to get notification of new How To’s!

4- Vanlife Actual Cost

Previous months here: faroutride.com/vanlife-actual-cost

Tales from the Road

Tenth & Eleventh month map:

“Le vélo de montagne rapporte des millions de dollars à Squamish”

We were on Vancouver Island and we got a call from a friend asking if we could help for Radio-Canada (it’s the national public broadcaster, in french) topo about mountain biking tourism in Squamish; of course we said NO. We’re not really good at being filmed. She insisted. We’re not really good at saying no.

And here’s the end result (click to watch):

Message to the trail builders out there: if using the name “Far Out” for a trail, please make it double-black, steep and gnarly. K bye.

Pro Tip: Comparing yourself with pro-riders (@yoannbarelli) will make you slower, much slower 🙁

Another Pro Tip: Don’t let your guard down; injuries happen in stupid-easy sections too (most of the time, in fact)!

Here I just washed out on loose dirt; no story to tell, no pushing the limits, just loose dirt. I got up after the crash and thought “I’m down for at least 2 weeks”. I didn’t know it yet, but I had a teared tendon and I would spend the next 2 months shuttling Isabelle around! Look at my little ignorant face…

Healing good and fast is a priority if I want to go back on my bike ASAP, therefore we’re cancelling our little Alaska road trip so I can be followed by a physiotherapist here in Squamish…

More than ever, it’s time to focus on things I CAN do rather than things I CANNOT do. Even in desperate times, there are opportunities to be had! Here are some opportunities:

1- Work on more new great articles for this website:

2- Watch Isabelle upgrade the van 😂 :

3- See a show of Will Haven (listen here on Spotify), one of my favorite band:

4- Work on Isabelle’s skills

It’s new Five Tens day! Isabelle and I both swear by the Five Tens Freerider Pro. And yeah, we both ride flats and we love it.

5- Make dinner and take the time to enjoy the view

6- Life is like a flight of beer, drink it or else it gets flat

7- Hike the Chief in Squamish. Rest. Repeat.

8- Go for a swim

Isabelle Mach 5.7 weird geometry is really not ideal for the steep and gnarly of BC… so it’s time to upgrade. She did her homework and will bring home one of these bad boys:

And the winner is… the SANTA CRUZ BRONSON 2019 🙂

Too hot in Squamish? It’s time to leave the sea and drive up to the sky…

Anyone else in here can’t get enough of Poke Bowls?! Fresh sliced veggies, sushi-grade marinated tuna, tossed on wild rice, topped with roasted sesame seeds and umami-packed sauces. 🤤😍 Feel-good meal of the moment! And it’s easy to make in a van!

Squamish / Whistler / Pemberton Favorite Mountain Biking Trails

After riding the area for like 5 months, I guess we should work on a “Mountain Biker’s Guide To…” article similar to that one:

TO BE CONTINUED…

All Tales From The Road since the beginning of times: