Lukas World Bike Tour: from Ukraine to Georgia

I’ve recently got a new update from Lukas who is biking around the world with Nokia and Ovi. After his adventures in Germany, Switzerland, France, Czech Republic and Romania, this time we are following him on his route from Ukraine to Georgia. Have you ever been there? Or, do you ...

I’ve recently got a new update from Lukas who is biking around the world with Nokia and Ovi.
After his adventures in Germany, Switzerland, France, Czech Republic and Romania, this time we are following him on his route from Ukraine to Georgia.

Have you ever been there? Or, do you happen to live in one of those countries? I think they are definitively quite interesting places and I’m totally jealous of Lukas

But with his regular updates I just feel like being there too!

-Pino (@haikus)

Greifswald. Named after a German town, it’s the largest railroad ferry in the world, and it’s also the vessel which currently takes me and my bicycle from Ukraine to Georgia. As I have two more days to rest my legs before I arrive to – as the Lonely Planet guide puts it a country which has to be the most beautiful on earth – it’s a good chance to tell you a bit about the Nokia Bike Charger Kit and how I use it on my world tour.

Firstly I want to point out, that for a longer bike touring, especially if your phone has many useful qualities such as navigation and music player, the battery power plays a big role. That is why a bike charger is very essential device to me, and not only practically but also mentally, when I’m able to use applications according to my needs without any stress.

The set up is relatively easy: just two keys are needed to attach the dynamo to the front fork (I put some elastic band between metal parts to keep the bike unscratched), bearing on mind that the distance of the spinning part should be far enough from the front wheel – further it is, more tension it gives to the dynamo. For safety reasons I twisted the wires around brake cables, attached the charger to a free spot on a handle bar and voilà.

As for the time being the phone I’m equipped with, Nokia N97 mini, isn’t compatible with the Nokia Bike Charger Kit, but I can charge my dc-extra battery instead, and forward the energy to my mobile. I simply place the extra power to the rubber stand, plug it in, and start pedaling.

So long do I have to pedal to see some progress? Good question, which obviously depends on how fast I pedal (which can of course depend on the terrain I pedal on). But because I basically spend whole day on a saddle, I’ve had time to test different riding tempos and here’s what I’ve figured out: the most effective way to use the charger is, when having a straight flat road, wind in back or a slight downhill (in steep downhill the speed is unnecessary high, tires can wear out and the dynamo overheats). This way the speed keeps around 20-25 km/h, pedaling is almost effortless and battery charges at the same time. On uphill, steep downhill, bad roads or on heavy traffic I advice to release the dynamo and wait for the next opportunity to click it on again. By following this pattern I’ve noticed, that in one hour I manage to charge my dc-battery up to the half.

Ferry passes by rocky Crimea and my sailing over the black sea is approaching to its half as well. My body is thanking me for the rest it is having, and my mind wonders if the beauty of Georgia puts up with its reputation.

-Lukas

Source : http://blog.ovi.com/2010/09/30/lukas-world-bike-to...