Fearless on Two Wheels

Tahverlee [00:00:03]:
Welcome to the Bike Life podcast by Warmshowers Foundation, where we will be sharing knowledge, experience, tools, and stories of touring cyclists and hosts from around the world. I'm Tahverlee, the woman behind the scenes at Warmshowers Foundation, the leading platform for cyclists looking for hosts and to connect with a passionate international community. Find out more by visiting us at warmshowers.org. Now onto the show.

Jerry Kopack [00:00:40]:
Hey, everyone. This is Jerry Kopack, the host of Bike Life coming to you from the Rocky Mountains in Breckenridge, Colorado. Today's guest is no stranger to bikes and bike traveling. Emma Karslake is an adventurer, writer, and cycling tour guide and believes that there's no better way to fully immerse yourself in a country's culture than by bike. Hey, Emma. Welcome to Bike Life.

Emma Karslake [00:01:01]:
Hello. Thank you for having me.

Jerry Kopack [00:01:03]:
Now I have to confess here. I laughed a little bit when I read your profile when you wrote, and I quote, I honestly do not know how to travel anymore without a bike. I couldn't agree more. Tell me why you feel this way.

Emma Karslake [00:01:17]:
Yeah. So I mean, to be honest, my first big adventure was on a bike. It was, you know, I'd been on sort of outdoorsy holidays before that, but, after my degree, so I was 21, I left for South America with two friends, and we crossed the continent over six months. So that's a huge, huge adventure. And that sort of just got me hooked. You know, I thought this is the most fun way that I have ever traveled. I still like hiking. I I cycle so much, I have to say, when I hike, I now find it a little bit too slow.

Emma Karslake [00:01:49]:
I I just cycling seems to be the right pace for me. And there are lots of ways to see things, but I just find it better on a bike.

Jerry Kopack [00:01:59]:
Now have you traveled in other modes, say, like, by car, by train, by bus?

Emma Karslake [00:02:04]:
Yeah. I mean and I do both. And, you know, now that I have a bit less free time, I don't always have six months. I I do a lot of hybrid, traveling. So I would take the train for, you know, 500 kilometers and then cycle the next 500 kilometers. So I still feel like I get a big adventure, but I don't have to fly, and I don't have to cycle for the the whole, the whole stretch. So, yeah, definitely. I think I but this is this thing.

Emma Karslake [00:02:34]:
When I travel in a different way, I still have my bike with me. You know, if I travel in a car, I have my my bike in the boot. If I travel by train, I have my bike in a bag. It's just always with me.

Jerry Kopack [00:02:45]:
And I'm guessing you probably feel this way too. But from my experience, you can get in your car, you can get on train, you can still end up at all these amazing places. But when you're traveling by bike, you travel slower, and it's all those connections, those tiny villages or towns that you would have missed along the way that you get to experience on a bike. And I think that's really the true magic of traveling by bicycle.

Emma Karslake [00:03:09]:
Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, when, when you travel in places that aren't very populated, sometimes you you arrive somewhere and you're, you know, looking for water or looking for someone to tell you where it would be a good idea to pitch your tent. And you can tell that sort of people are thinking, you know, why are you here? Like, no one comes here. You're like, well, I'm here. And then you you just meet different people, and you see things that you just wouldn't if you if you had to, be limited by bus stops.

Jerry Kopack [00:03:39]:
So you had mentioned your first trip was with South America. Right?

Emma Karslake [00:03:43]:
Yes. Yeah. It was. So we did, from Ushuaia, the very tip of Argentina, the very the very south of the continent to Lima, Peru. So that's six months, 8,000 kilometers, and four countries. So Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru.

Jerry Kopack [00:04:00]:
Wow. That is a big trip. What was the, what was the motivation with that trip?

Emma Karslake [00:04:06]:
Good question. We had I mean, I I hadn't taken a a gap year before my studies, which is quite common in The UK. And so my my friend from university, we're very close. We did rowing together, so we're very active. She said, let's just take six months off together. I said, sure. She said, would you like to go to South America? I said, sure. I've never been.

Emma Karslake [00:04:26]:
And then she said, would you like to be there on a bike? So I sort of said, okay. I'd only been really a cycle commuter before. But you know, you read blogs and you see that everyone does it. That South America is actually, surprisingly beginner friendly in many ways. Lots of lots of beginner tourers do a big trip in South America. You know, there are obstacles like the Andes and and heavy winds, but, the roads or the paths are generally okay. There aren't any wild animals really that you should be scared of. So that is actually quite straightforward while being really scenic and big and open and with lots of different landscapes.

Jerry Kopack [00:05:10]:
I like how you mentioned, like, yeah, there are certain things like, you know, like the Andes. Like, it's like no big deal. Like, the Andes are pretty big.

Emma Karslake [00:05:17]:
The Andes are pretty big. I will say, hands down, the toughest cycling I've done in my life is Cornwall in the Southwest Of The UK because it's just 25% up, 25% down on tiny lanes. So you're either braking for dear life because you don't know what's around the corner, risking overheating your brakes, or going up at a rate that is painfully slow and just physically difficult. For me, going up the Andes was so much easier because it's one long slog, you know, and gradients are lower. If you have if you have low gears and you have time, that's not really as big a deal physically as it sounds, I think.

Jerry Kopack [00:05:58]:
So I'm curious. You live in Europe. You didn't think like your first trip could maybe be across Europe through the Alps or something like that. It's like, I'm gonna go big. Let's go to South America.

Emma Karslake [00:06:10]:
Yeah. I, I think I had no idea. I didn't know any better. I didn't think, and it turned out great. I haven't flown, or even gone to another continent for cycling since because I've definitely had this thought, you know, coming back from this trip, I thought I've almost done Chile all the way south to north, about 4,000 kilometers. And I grew up in France. I studied in The UK, and there are so many regions both in The UK and France I've I've never been to. I don't know what they look like.

Emma Karslake [00:06:41]:
I've never cycled there. And that's just silly. So since, I have focused my cycling on Europe.

Jerry Kopack [00:06:48]:
Okay. I think it's it's I can relate to that because people have asked me how many states have I been to in The US, and it's probably five or six out of the 50, but I probably cycled through 25 countries, which to me seems crazy. But, I think there's just I don't know, this this need to wanna go and adventure and see things that are really, really different from what I'm used to. And maybe that's what motivated you to go to South America.

Emma Karslake [00:07:13]:
I think so. I think it was the sense of, like, a really big adventure. Yeah.

Jerry Kopack [00:07:17]:
Yeah. So I've checked out your website and also your Instagram page, and you offer some really great information on touring and also some quick bike fixes. How did you get started with this?

Emma Karslake [00:07:29]:
So up until when I was about 25, I had a normal desk job. So this is after my South America trip. So I I'd learned really basic things, for fixing my bike on the road. So just, a brake service, and I would like to say a gear service. I was actually pretty bad at adjusting my derailleurs at this time. So definitely brake service. So I had a normal desk job. COVID hit.

Emma Karslake [00:07:56]:
I realized none of it was for me. So I went to my local bike shop. I had a very good relationship with them And, I asked them, would you hire me part time? I've always fixed my own bikes. There's only so much I know at the moment, but I just want to learn more and I'm dedicated. They said no. But they said, we often stay after hours at the workshop. Why don't you just join after your day job? And we'll just show you, you know, workshop tools and how we work in a workshop because it is quite different to working in your living room. So I did that.

Emma Karslake [00:08:28]:
So I went there, like four hours a week, for about two months. And after that I just, I got hired by other workshops who were looking for people. So yeah, ever since I sort of go back to a workshop job when I'm between jobs or preparing an adventure or something, because it's something I really like. It's practical. You you feel like you've got something done by the end of your tasks, and I much prefer it to a desk job.

Jerry Kopack [00:08:54]:
I can understand that. What are some, some common bike issues that you face in the road, and how easy are they to fix or even prevent?

Emma Karslake [00:09:03]:
I would say the number one thing to prevent any trouble from happening is having a well maintained bike. It it does terrify me the number of people you see touring on bikes that are just about to break in one way or another, and it you know, they might just not know any better. I'd say if you're not good at mechanics, just regularly check into a bike shop, get them to, you know, give you a quote and an assessment and, and get the work done. Then if you want to do stuff yourself, obviously brakes should be the number one thing you learn. It's usually quite straightforward as well. So it's just a good one to start with. And more than fixing things, I think having the capacity to assess things, knowing when a cable looks like it's going to give up, which often just comes through cleaning your bike. When you clean your bike properly, you just notice stuff that you might not notice.

Emma Karslake [00:09:56]:
You know, sometimes at the workshop now where I work, first thing you do is do you just clean the frame when you do a full service. And sometimes you don't go any further because under the dirt, you notice there's a massive crack in the frame, so you don't go further with the service. You know, it's it's really step one is looking at your bike properly. And yeah, just diagnostics, I guess. Gears, brakes. If there's a noise, that's something that really I can't deal with it at all. If there's a constant clicking with my bike when I'm riding, I just want to stop. I would just want to know what it is now.

Emma Karslake [00:10:28]:
And sometimes, I'm quite envious of people who can cycle for hundreds of kilometers with, like, a horrible bottom bracket noise, and they're completely they're blissfully ignorant, you know? And eventually, it'll cause them problems. But I think, wow, that would be nice to be able to keep going when I hear something because I just can't.

Jerry Kopack [00:10:46]:
I think also, a good thing, and you probably found this as well, but, regular chain attention and maintenance. Right? Because a worn out chain can translate into a worn out drive train.

Emma Karslake [00:10:56]:
Yeah. Absolutely. And sort of knowing your riding style as well, I toured with my partner for six months, through Europe, and we would change our chains at completely different rates. And I've just noticed that whenever he changed whenever his chain is gone, his cassette has to go as well. Whereas I can put the same, a different I mean, I can have sort of five chains for one cassette, and it's fine. The shifting is still fine. So I guess it's down to our shifting styles. So using your gears properly, and in a smooth way also does make your drive chain last longer.

Jerry Kopack [00:11:33]:
Yeah. For sure. Have you ever had any any issues on your bike when you've been out on a big tour?

Emma Karslake [00:11:41]:
I've never had massive issues. I mean, I've had, a front derailleur cable that was dangerously frayed. So I just probably had, like, one out of, you know, eight strands or whatever. I just taped up with gaffer tape thinking this is going to do nothing. This is never going to hold. It actually held a 50 kilometers, which was, far enough to get me to the next bike shop, on on a really hilly bit, which was which was the challenge. So that was fine. I've had, not me, but my partner's bike had a spoke broke.

Emma Karslake [00:12:17]:
It was a very wobbly wheel. On my bike, it would have been an issue because I had rim brakes on that bike. He had disc brakes, so we just offloaded a bit of weight from the rear where the spoke had broken, and then we got somewhere, we changed the spoke. I've been fortunate that I've never had anything big happen, but I'm also very careful, you know, to maintain my bike properly, which I think is 90% of the work.

Jerry Kopack [00:12:41]:
I agree. And it's interesting because I've been on some big tours as well. I've never really had any problems because like you, I like to be prevented with my maintenance. But one time, I don't know, seven or eight years ago, I was in India, New Year's Day, and I had a spoke break, and it was in the rear. Had, disc brakes as well, but silly me didn't carry a spare spoke. I thought that the whole world would have my kinds of spokes because India, they have bicycles, they have motorcycles, they have spokes. They have spokes. It turns out the spokes that they had in the shop was either too long or too short.

Jerry Kopack [00:13:15]:
And while you can't make a too long spoke sorry, a too short spoke longer, you can make a too long spoke shorter. And this mechanic was genius. He bent the end of it and threaded it through and tension it down and got my wheel to basically function for the next, I don't know, thousand kilometers until I got to a proper bike shop because I was pretty remote. And it completely saved my entire trip because without that, I would've been on a very long, long sixteen hour bus ride to some place where they have spokes. So, good learning tip there is to just, as you said, just be really proactive and preventative with all of your bike maintenance.

Emma Karslake [00:13:55]:
Yeah. I mean, on spokes, I'd say two things. One, I wouldn't go touring with, you know, especially long long distance and heavy loaded touring with wheels that don't have, you know, a considerable number of smoke of spokes in general. The more the more spokes there are on the wheel, the stronger the the stronger it is. So that's one thing. I do carry spokes that fit my wheels. So just like three or four spokes, front and back, just to know that I carry the right size. I can go to a bike shop and just hand them over a spoke even if I don't have any tools and they can do it.

Emma Karslake [00:14:32]:
But one tool that I haven't used yet, but I I sort of hope I'll use it one day, is an emergency spoke. It's a Kevlar spoke, so it's a little rope, with a spoke nipple at the end. And the idea is that even if the spoke that breaks is on the cassette side, which you would need tools to, to change. And even if you know what you're doing, no one carries that kind of tool touring. I think no one no one carries them. So anyway, because it's a string, you can you can pull it through the hole, and then after that, tension it. So it's an emergency spoke. It kind of gets you to your next stop, but it is a proper spoke.

Emma Karslake [00:15:11]:
Like you can definitely over tension it and, and do damage to, to the rim if you're not careful. So that's sort of my favorite tool. I have it with me, when I do long trips. I haven't used it yet, but it would be quite fun to use one day.

Jerry Kopack [00:15:26]:
I have not heard of that, but it sounds genius. And it's just it's like, like a string. So just kinda you can just roll it up and throw it in a in a back?

Emma Karslake [00:15:34]:
Yes. I mean, the, the box for it is sort of I don't know. The size of my thumb. There's just a little rope with a spoke nipple. Yeah.

Jerry Kopack [00:15:43]:
Wow. That's huge. And you just tension it down and it holds your your rim in alignment.

Emma Karslake [00:15:47]:
Yeah.

Jerry Kopack [00:15:48]:
God. That's that is so cool. I'm gonna check into that because that is a great tool to have. Like, broken spokes aren't as common as say worn out brake pads or worn out chains, but that's a good tool to have. That doesn't take up a whole lot of space.

Emma Karslake [00:16:00]:
Yeah. Definitely.

Jerry Kopack [00:16:01]:
So I wanna shift gears here, and apologies for the stupid pun. But a big reason in that I wanted to talk to you today is because a lot of your experiences with solo female travel. And I know part of your ambition is to really empower other women to get out there because this is important stuff. So personally, I've traveled solo myself, but I also traveled with my partner. And I've seen that it's a much different experience for me than it is for her. So what do you think are some of the differences for women and maybe specifically solo women?

Emma Karslake [00:16:31]:
You know, I think women in everyday life, navigate quite a lot of anxiety and fear, you know. Like, every woman will know the feeling of going back late at night and not feeling very safe, but, you know, it's something that you have to do because you can't stop yourself from living. So I think that's really, like, the number one is women do feel insecurity quite a lot, I think, in general, and probably more than men. So I think that translates into into touring solo for sure. But in the same way, I think, you know, the number one question you get when you're touring solo as a woman is, are you not scared? You know? You're touring solo as a woman. And I I took a really long time to sort of understand the question and figure out what I should reply. And I think my answer is no no more than usual. You know? Not to be dramatic, but I think some it's often a question that men ask.

Emma Karslake [00:17:31]:
And I think it's because maybe they don't have the sort of same sphere, and they don't realize that we navigate, you know, low load of level phase pretty much every day. And I think it doesn't take much to to throw yourself into cycle touring. And when you ask yourself, you know, what is it that I'm scared of? I think that diminishes your fears as well because it's easy to sort of have vague fears, and think I'm just afraid of doing this. But if you really get into it and and ask yourself, what is it that you're scared of and how likely is it to happen? More importantly, is it more likely to happen than in your home environment? You'll find that that probably diminishes a lot of your worries.

Tahverlee [00:18:19]:
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Jerry Kopack [00:19:05]:
What, what kind of steps did you go through when you set off on your on your first trip by yourself?

Emma Karslake [00:19:13]:
So I had been touring with people for, you know, a few years. And then it was sort of this was during my, six month tour with my partner through Europe. He had to go back, for some job stuff, and an event he'd signed up for. So I had the choice of, like, pausing my touring completely for a week, go you know, going with him to his parent nice parent's house for a week and having a break, or crossing Ireland on my bike because that was sort of on the route and I'd always wanted to cycle through Ireland. And I thought it would just be such a shame to decide to just follow him and leave Ireland behind. I'm so close. I have all the gear. I have the time, which is very precious resource.

Emma Karslake [00:19:56]:
So I'll just do it. And so it was, I did it. It was great. And you know, once you've done it once, the initial fear I think goes. And so now I do it a lot, in general. I just have, I have quite a lot of time because I've chosen to have more time and less money, basically. So I I don't have a single friend who has half as much time as I do. So if I want to do my adventures, at some point, I have to just be okay with doing it on my own.

Jerry Kopack [00:20:26]:
Yeah. I I totally understand that. Does your partner feel jealous that you're out there, touring?

Emma Karslake [00:20:34]:
Sometimes. I think, I mean, for me, the the camping and sleeping in random places every night is half of the fun. Yeah. I think for him, a bit less so. I think he likes his, traditional typical type of comfort a bit more. So I don't think he envies all all dimensions of it.

Jerry Kopack [00:20:53]:
So getting back to the, the the solo female aspect of it and some of the the barriers to this, do you feel like outside of, say, like, the the mental, roadblocks that there are maybe some physical ones? Like, maybe women don't feel like they have maybe the right knowledge of bikes or the right gear or anything like that?

Emma Karslake [00:21:13]:
Yeah. I mean, it's a question of confidence. You know, lots of people, men and women, go out, without any knowledge of bikes, and some people, are stressed out by it. Some people are not stressed out by it. Yeah. It's really just a question of confidence. And I don't think much knowledge is required. I think there's also there's always a plan b in life, you know.

Emma Karslake [00:21:37]:
If things don't go your way, life doesn't stop there and then on the side of that road. You'll get to a village somehow. You'll hitchhike. Someone will offer you a ride. You'll actually manage to rig something that sounds horrible, but will let you roll to the next village. I think people really sometimes get stuck on, like, the first obstacle, and don't walk themselves through the steps of what what would be all my options if I ran into a problem. And soon enough, you see that they are options.

Jerry Kopack [00:22:04]:
Yeah. And so for women who are starting out, men are starting now, anyone who's starting out in in bike touring, I think the gear can be a bit intimidating. Maybe the fear, like, I don't have the right bike. Something happens. I don't know how to work on it. What tips would you tell someone, men or women, solo, in a group starting out?

Emma Karslake [00:22:25]:
I mean, there are lots of resources online, lots of blogs that share their kit list, which is a blessing and a curse because you can easily find a kit list, but you'll also find 200 kit lists, and they're all a bit different. And if you if you're a beginner, you don't know which one to trust, you know? I would say experiment with smaller trips. If you're stressed out about that, you know, go for a weekend. Cycle from your house to a friend's house 50 kilometers away and start by camping in their garden. So if you realize your tent really isn't appropriate at all, then you can just go in, you have the key. You know, just do things that are at your level of comfort and that level will increase. And then you can you can step up, your, yeah, your level of adventuredness. And, you know, on a weekend trip, the worst that can happen if you don't have the right gear is that you get a bit cold or a bit wet.

Emma Karslake [00:23:18]:
It's not nice, but it's not horrible. And if you're on a six bike, six month bike trip, you just buy stuff. I think that's the most, important advice that anyone has given me. It was before my first bike trip, and I was in a decathlon, a big sports store. And we were sort of racking our brains, like, what should we buy and what if we forget this? And this lady came up to us and she was like, you know there are shops in Chile. Right? Like, don't buy everything in the shop. If you're missing something, you know, take a little detour. You'll buy something there.

Emma Karslake [00:23:51]:
Because overpacking is the number one mistake. I think very few people underpack. Ah. You'd be hard pressed to find them. So I would say pack at a level that seems minimal, and you can add stuff to it if you're missing things.

Jerry Kopack [00:24:06]:
So interesting you mentioned overpacking. So I think a lot of people that is sort of a a fear because, like, I don't wanna have or be out there and not have something. And what if or if only I had this, I'd be better off. When you started traveling, did you quickly offload some things? Did you realize, like, hey. I really don't need this anymore. I can get rid of this.

Emma Karslake [00:24:26]:
No. Very proudly. I've never I've never dumped anything.

Jerry Kopack [00:24:29]:
Wow.

Emma Karslake [00:24:30]:
We had been warned by people. You know, we've had we had had chats with people who'd done similar trips. We'd spread blogs. Overpacking is number one mistake. Everyone told us that. So we were very lightweight, actually. And we did buy extra stuff on the way. I I think in a way, that was perfectly reasonable.

Emma Karslake [00:24:49]:
You know, we left with sort of high-tech cooking pots, you know, nice Teflon, nice, plastic handles. But then we were in the middle of Patagonia, and we thought, oh, we can make big fires here to, you know, cook for four easily, but we have this silly little pot that only fits on our, on our camping stove, and gas is quite expensive. So we went to the first metal shop, as they call it, and bought this massive, massive cooking pot that looked like a canteen pot, but it was the right size to fit in one of my panniers. And that became the kitchen. We put all the kitchen stuff in the big pot, and we always cooked on this huge pot. Sometimes we used it to do laundry over the fire, and it was fantastic. It was light. It was basic.

Emma Karslake [00:25:30]:
It was cheap. We didn't know we needed it before. It was there, and it did the whole trip. I think that is the right way to approach it, to take the, you know, the minimum stuff and then figure out what you need on top of it later.

Jerry Kopack [00:25:43]:
Yeah. That's interesting and such a refreshing approach, I think, for people to hear as well. Because, again, I think they go into this with this fear mindset. Like, I don't know what's out there. And I'm sure you've come across people with front and rear panniers and a frame bag and a backpack. And pretty soon, their whole bike setup weighs 60 kilos, if not more. And, yeah, you you have everything that you need. You're very self sufficient, but think of how much that weight really impedes your progress, especially if you're in a hilly or mountainous terrain.

Emma Karslake [00:26:14]:
Yeah. I mean, I'd say two things. One, it doesn't matter how much you pack. You can't literally pack everything. So one day you will think, oh, maybe I'm missing this. You know? So trying to pack for everything is just impossible. The second thing is, you know, everyone has their own worries, and you can overpack in one area and be a light packer in another area. That's fine.

Emma Karslake [00:26:40]:
Like, I have really bad, circulation in my extremities, So I always have more socks and more gloves than others. That's my thing. And I'm fine with it. That's that's what makes me feel like I'm safe. You know? I have more tools than others. One, because I know how to use them. That's another common thing. Like, don't bring tools that you have no idea how to use.

Emma Karslake [00:26:59]:
You're not going to use them. I have more tools than others because I like to be prepared mechanically. So those are my two things. I am I'm a heavy packer in terms of mechanics and gloves and socks. The rest, I'm a lightweight packer. So, you know, even if you're careful, if not over packing, you can sort of make sure that it works with your personal anxieties.

Jerry Kopack [00:27:20]:
So speaking of tools, what are some of the things you bring? Like, for a long trip for South America, 6 Months, do you bring chains, do you bring tubes, do you bring brake pads? What kind of stuff do you carry?

Emma Karslake [00:27:33]:
Yeah. For a long trip, definitely brake pads. My touring bike that I've used for long trips is a really bog standard. It's sort of like a cheaper version of the the German, what's it called, Farad what is it called? That's that's that's the brand. It means bike, but that's also the the bike. So steel frame, v brakes. So basically, any any bike shop and sometimes, sort of corner shops or metal shops, have your brake pads, so that's super useful. When I was touring with my partner, he has sort of like a mix and mix and match mix and match bike.

Emma Karslake [00:28:18]:
So, he has two different pairs of pads for his disc brakes at the front and at the back. We carried more spares of his than mine because I knew that I could find my model anywhere, but his would be more of a faff. So we carried more spares for his. Cables, I think I probably yeah. Long long time touring, I probably have one brake cable, one, gear cable. I think that is over packing because you can tell when a cable is going to give, but that's what makes me feel good. Tubes, tubes and patches, patching in the tubes works really well. I would probably have two tubes because there are situations where you can't patch it, like if there's a problem in the valve.

Emma Karslake [00:28:57]:
And then, some of my tubes have six patches on it, and that's fine. I have really good ties as well. So I mean, really thick. So it's rare that I do puncture. I would carry my special spoke. I would carry a tiny bottle of oil. There are some really tiny bottles, again, sort of like thumb size. So I just fill those up.

Emma Karslake [00:29:17]:
I have a really good multi tool. I like my multi tool. It has, the usual stuff, but also, it does have, a spoke key on it. It has a chain tool on it. So I feel it's quite complete even though it's small. And my chain itself, whatever the the brand of chain I have on my bike, I always I don't use a quick link. I use, Wipperman Connex link, which is a German brand. The link itself is compatible with all the brands.

Emma Karslake [00:29:47]:
The cool stuff the cool thing is the hole instead of being sort of this h shape on a quick link, sort of looks like a potato. That's the only way I can describe it, or squash hard. And you can undo it and do it just by hand, literally with your fingers. Wow. So it's really good. I've I sometimes remove my chain when I'm touring, go to a public toilet, clean it in the sink, put it back on, done. And it's just it's efficient and it's easy. So I think that's a good one too.

Jerry Kopack [00:30:17]:
What do you use to clean your chain with? Like just regular dish soap or special solvents?

Emma Karslake [00:30:21]:
Yeah. Soap and water. I would I wouldn't ever carry any cleaning stuff.

Jerry Kopack [00:30:25]:
Sure.

Emma Karslake [00:30:26]:
I mean, I did. I did during my six month trip, but I think that was over packing. You know, I had to pack a packet of degreaser. You can just use dish soap. It's fine.

Jerry Kopack [00:30:34]:
Yeah. The the world has soap. Right?

Emma Karslake [00:30:37]:
Yeah. Exactly.

Jerry Kopack [00:30:38]:
So for any women out there who are listening, who maybe you're dreaming about getting into a trip, but maybe feel like this maybe a bit intimidated either because the technical aspects of the route planning, what kind of, quick tips would you give them?

Emma Karslake [00:30:52]:
I would say, really think about what it is you're scared of. And if it's something that you can't shake off, then just prepare yourself for for that thing. And, you know, you can overpack or over prepare for that. Just make yourself a bit more comfortable about what you're insecure about. And then just you know, you don't have to start with the six months bike trip on the other side of the planet. You can start with a little thing and just work your way up, and your level of comfort will go up with it. But just just try it. Just try.

Emma Karslake [00:31:26]:
See see how it goes.

Jerry Kopack [00:31:28]:
Have you ever done what a friend told me this is called, like, a credit card trip? Meaning instead of carrying all your camping gear, you just back from like one hostel or one hotel to a hotel and sort of bounce that way as a good way to start things off too?

Emma Karslake [00:31:40]:
Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. I think there is, yeah. Someone from my, my road bike club, was shocked when I used the term credit card touring. But it is quite common for for people who do sort of more hybrid modes of, of camping and stuff. I think it's great. I think for a first trip, if you do credit card touring, I wouldn't make it too long.

Emma Karslake [00:32:04]:
Just because sometimes things happen, you're tired, there's weather issues. The limits with credit card touring is that you have to make it from a to b, and sometimes that can become a bit stressful. Another way to do it is to actually make the the actual distance as a crow flies from a to b small, but to route lots of detours. And then if you're in a pickle or you think I'm so tired, I I do not want to cycle another six hours to my hotel, just take the shortcut that you can take. But it's it's easy to be too ambitious and to to put yourself in a situation where things are harder than they need to be. So I would say just give yourself a way out.

Jerry Kopack [00:32:47]:
I think that's a great tip because you make a a really, important point there that if you have camping gear, you can just ride as far as you feel comfortable or as you're tired or the weather and like, well, I got everything I need. I can just stop here. Whereas if you are doing credit card, you kinda do have to get to that next place. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So wrapping up, what's on your bucket list? Where where are you heading to next?

Emma Karslake [00:33:14]:
Exciting, actually. I'm breaching my rule of, touring only, through train and, bikes. I'm going to Vermont and, Canada in the summer because one of my best friends getting married there. So I thought if I take the plane across the ocean, I'll make it a big trip. So I'll do one month, a loop from Montreal to Vermont and back to Montreal. Okay. On my own, and so I have to come with bears. So that's my big fear.

Emma Karslake [00:33:40]:
I'll definitely be over packing and over reading about bears.

Jerry Kopack [00:33:44]:
Right. Bear spray for sure, which the old they'll sell that in most shops over there for sure.

Emma Karslake [00:33:50]:
Yeah. I'm not buying my best spray. That's that's something I know you buy over there.

Jerry Kopack [00:33:55]:
Oh, wow. Well, so for people who are out there listening to the story today, this has been really an inspirational informational talk. How can people connect with you for more tips and advice?

Emma Karslake [00:34:06]:
Yeah. I have a website on which I write, write a blog post and I'll link to my articles that get published. That's emmacarslake.com. That's myname.com. Also, I have an Instagram account, which is what I'm doing at the moment, sometimes it's very mechanics heavy, sometimes it's touring heavy. And that's emma underscore up underscore cycles, emma upcycles.

Jerry Kopack [00:34:30]:
And what does that mean, upcycles?

Emma Karslake [00:34:33]:
So my Instagram account actually started as, a sort of front for my Etsy business, which was, embroidering inner tubes. So I made sort of key rings or ornaments, so lots of things with inner tubes. So the idea was to upcycle the inner tubes.

Jerry Kopack [00:34:49]:
I love that. Environmentally focused. That's terrific stuff. Emma, thank you so much for your time and and for sharing your stories. And for everyone else, if you enjoyed our conversation today with Emma Karslake, please give us a like on your social channels or just tell some of your friends. These stories will hopefully inspire you to set up on your own bicycle adventure and maybe make the world feel a little bit smaller one pedal stroke at a time. My name is Jerry Kopack, and until next time, keep riding.

Tahverlee [00:35:19]:
Thank you for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed the show as much as we enjoyed making it. Wherever you are listening, please leave us a rating and a review as it helps us reach more cyclists and hosts around the world. Visit us at warmshowers.org to become a part of our community or on Instagram at warmshowers_org. If you would like to be a guest on the show or submit a question, please make sure to email us at podcast@warmshowers.org.