Enhancements and repairs to our coach.
The door for our half-bathroom was sticking. I investigated, and determined that the issue was that the hinges were bent; here’s an old hinge after being removed:
So I removed the door to replace the hinges:
The old hinges were non-mortise, i.e. designed for surface mounting. But I determined that there was enough room for regular hinges, so bought some of a similar size (with a removable pin, for safety):
An installed hinge:
The half bath door works much better now:
One of the use-cases for getting a logo designed for Sinclair Trails was to put it on our coach.
Here’s me adding the logo sticker to our slide-out, above the states map:
The Sinclair Trails logo sticker; looks really good, I think:
Above the map:
We also got another sticker with the SinclairTrails.com website and social name (e.g. Twitter and Facebook):
The stickers:
One of several criteria when choosing an RV was that we needed to keep working as we travel, so we wanted a desk (or two). So soon after we bought our coach, we removed the couches, and replaced one with a desk:
From the start, I used a lap tray with my laptop, sitting in my living room chair, while Jenn used the desk. Over time, she decided that she didn’t need the second screen, and ultimately didn’t need the desk either.
So we removed the desk, while temporarily leaving its drawers:
We might get some custom furniture to go there in due course, but in the meantime we decided to replace the desk with IKEA KALLAX drawers and cupboards; a very flexible system that we’ve enjoyed in the past.
Here are the drawers being assembled:
To prevent the drawers from sliding open when the coach is in motion, I added roller catches:
The new drawers next to the old ones, while transferring the contents:
Next I assembled IKEA KALLAX cupboards; the bottom-right cubby is a cat bed for Paladin:
I got brackets to connect the two units, for extra stability:
The two brackets on the back are covered in self-adhesive felt, to avoid scratching the wall:
I also added a bracket to mount the units to the wall:
The drawers and cupboards:
Related, I added velcro to Jenn’s laptops and laptop stand, so they stay put while driving:
She uses the laptop stand on the dining table when she has meetings, or uses a lap tray in her living room chair like me.
Another useful addition to our campsites: we purchased a 9×9 CLAM pop-up screen tent, to provide shade and/or protection from bugs.
It’s pretty compact folded up in its bag:
It pops up quickly by pulling tabs in the center of each wall:
Popped up, with wind and sun panels attached, and tie-down ropes attached, sitting on a new outdoor mat:
With our chairs and small table inside:
We also got a combo light and fan that can hang from the ceiling, or sit on the table:
On our site:
We brought Paladin outside in his harness and leash; only the second time he’s been outside, so he was a bit unsure about it:
Eating dinner in the tent:
Back in November last year we purchased a portable propane fire pit, which we carried around in the back of our truck for several months without using it, for various reasons — mostly because we tend to go inside in evenings (remember that we’re not on vacation, but living our life on the road), and when we do sit outside, it’s usually too warm to need a fire.
But having enjoyed the wood fire in Bend, we finally got around to using our fire pit at Stub Stewart:
Here it is, with the cover on, looking a bit dusty:
Connected to the propane cylinder:
Let there be light!
A GIF of it on high:
And a GIF of it on low, with me working on my laptop next to the fire:
Another GIF, while watching YouTube videos on another day:
For several months, we had been thinking about getting bikes to aid in our RV travels. Another option to get around large campgrounds, and to explore surrounding areas.
We wanted ebikes, i.e. with a pedal assist and/or throttle motor, to make it easier to cope with hills and such.
And we didn’t want to have to deal with a bike rack, if possible, both due to being extra hassle, and more of a security risk if we’re parked somewhere with bikes on the back of our truck.
We (mainly Jenn) spent quite some time researching the options, including a spreadsheet comparing the specs for several candidate models.
Fortunately, we found the perfect bikes for us: the Lectric XP 2.0 ebikes. They are affordable folding bikes, certainly not high-end, but with enough features for our needs and experience levels. They are very popular, perhaps especially with RVers, so you may have seen them riding around.
And importantly, they fold up small enough to fit in the bed of our truck under the tonneau cover. So we can travel around with them securely out-of-sight.
Some stats: the bikes are class 2 ebikes, i.e. include pedal assist and throttle, limited to 20 MPH, though can be changed to class 1 (pedal assist only) or class 3 (up to 28 MPH) via preferences. They have a 500W (850W peak) motor, 5 levels of pedal assist, with a base range of 45 miles per charge. They have 20” wheels with 3” wide tires, front suspension, disc brakes, 7 gears, backlit LCD display, and weigh 64 lb. They are 67 x 25 x 47” when unfolded, and 37 x 18 x 28” when folded.
On with the pictures. The Lectric bikes are only sold online, so we had them shipped to our mailbox, and picked them up when in the Portland area. Here’s the carton for my bike, plus a couple of cargo packages, in the bed of our truck:
Unboxing:
The charger and manual:
Bike with packaging:
Folded bike:
Unfolded bike:
The display:
My bike by our coach. The battery is hidden inside the frame, and can be charged inside or out of the bike. Here it’s charging inside:
A closer view of the charging port:
I installed a Lectric-branded folding lock:
The bike folded, showing the battery in its compartment on the right; it is held in place by a bolt that requires a key to unlock, for security:
The battery:
Here’s the key in the bike, plus the bike lock key and an Apple AirTag:
The bike again:
My first ride on the bike:
My first mile of riding on the odometer:
The folded bike on the truck tailgate:
In the truck bed; on its side isn’t ideal, but I added a bunch of packaging materials from the box as padding to protect it:
It fits under the tonneau cover:
I added mirrors to the handlebars:
And a phone holder:
Also a cargo rack on the back:
It is mounted with thumb screws, so it can be easily removed when folding the bike in the back of the truck:
The cargo rack was useful for taking the trash out at a campground without nearby garbage bins:
To personalize the bike a bit, I added an Apple sticker on the rear fender:
And Dejal stickers on the sides:
Plus Sinclair Trails stickers:
I also added a tool bag:
We bought Sena smart helmets, that include Bluetooth audio and mesh communication, so Jenn and I can easily talk to each other while riding together, without interfering with hearing other noises around us. Very handy:
Jenn’s bike was delivered a couple of weeks after mine. While my bike is a step-over, hers is a step-through model. Here’s her bike’s box:
Unboxing her bike:
Partially folded bike (without the seat):
Her battery:
Like on mine, I taped an Apple AirTag to the end of the battery, so it’s hidden inside the frame and can’t be removed, which will let us locate the bike if it is ever stolen (or we just can’t remember where we parked it):
We got the comfort seats for both bikes (though mine has only just arrived, so not shown in the pics). Here’s the comfort one and the one that came with her bike, still wrapped:
Jenn’s bike:
As hoped (based on the measurements), both bikes do fit in the bed of our truck:
With some room for our screen tent, rug, and other stuff:
Another addition, a compact bell on my bike:
Both bikes at a campground:
Riding our bikes is lots of fun! We’re very happy with them.
A quick update on the three-stage water filters we got a few months ago; it was time to change the filters. Here you can see the difference between the old and new filters; they definitely seem to be doing some good!
Our coach has a ceiling fan in the bedroom, which is nice when it’s warm:
But it has been squeaking when turning in the blowing down direction (but not when in reverse). I asked the Tiffin techs about it at the rally, and they said it’s a common issue, and the solution was to replace the motor. So I ordered a replacement:
I started the repair by removing the nut and washers holding the blades:
Then removed the motor cover:
And dismounted the motor:
I then cut the wires to remove the old motor, dismounted the retaining cord, and attached the new motor:
Then I connected the wires, and mounted the new motor to the ceiling. But when I went to attach the cover, it turned out that the cover holes didn’t quite line up with those in the new motor:
So I used a couple of washers to adjust the position:
Washers between the ceiling and motor, to make the cover holes line up:
Covered:
The blades reattached:
All better!
Here’s a GIF of it working:
The window next to the passenger seat in our coach got stuck, as the left-side latch pin stopped working. So I ordered a replacement latch for it. Here’s the window:
The first step in replacing it was to remove the handle, attached by a couple of screws underneath:
This is the latch knob exposed underneath:
Removing the plastic cover (that just snaps off), you can see latch pins that hold the window closed and in various open positions on either side of the window; they are connected to the knob by a lightweight bit of plastic:
A closer look at the left latch pin:
Closer still, you can see the broken connection; that tiny bit of plastic coming out of the latch should be connected to the slightly wider bit of plastic leading to the knob:
I bought a couple of replacement latch pins from Tiffin (so I’d have a spare in case another window latch breaks in the future):
I removed the broken latch:
A new one on top, compared to the broken one on bottom:
The replaced latch:
Both latch pins and the knob:
I then replaced the cover and handle, and all finished:
A couple of months ago I wrote a post on our cellular internet options, where I mentioned that we recently got Starlink satellite as an additional option.
Starlink is a satellite-based service from SpaceX, that uses thousands of small satellites in a low Earth orbit to blanket most of the globe. Older satellite systems use geostationary satellites, that orbit at the same rate as the planet rotation to stay in the same relative position in the sky all the time, which requires that they are further out, resulting in higher latency, i.e. slower response times. By using lots of satellites orbiting much lower down, Starlink can be much more responsive.
We don’t use Starlink all the time, but in some situations it is the best option, e.g. when we are in an area with no or limited cell coverage. For example, at a recent park we had no T-Mobile or AT&T coverage, only Verizon — but we have limited data available via that network. So we set up the Starlink dish for unlimited data.
The speed can vary widely, anything from 1 to 120 Mbps down, and 1 to 20 Mbps up, with ping times of about 30 to 120 ms, which is comparable to cellular connections. Not bad for a sky connection.
We got residential Starlink, with portability to let us access the network while roaming around. Starlink now offers a RV-specific plan, though it isn’t any better a plan; actually it’s worse, as the data rate can be more limited.
Here’s our unboxing:
The dish and stand:
Below that, the router and cable:
The dish set up in our coach; the marks on it suggest that it was refurbished, something that I gather was fairly common:
I put the Starlink router on the edge of a basement compartment, below a power outlet; the cord goes out the bottom of the door:
The rectangular Starlink dish; in typical SpaceX and Elon Musk fashion, it is named “Dishy McFlatface”:
When setting it up in a breezy environment, I secure it to the ground using long screws and washer-like discs (that came from stakes; screws are easier to deal with than hammering in stakes):
I also got the Starlink Ethernet adapter, though don’t currently use it, since routing an Ethernet cable is extra hassle; I just connect to the Starlink router’s Wi-Fi via the Pepwave modem; perhaps not quite as fast, but convenient:
(One day I want to figure out a way to permanently route an Ethernet cable from the basement to the internet cupboard, but I haven’t thought of anything satisfactory yet.)
When positioning the Starlink dish, its app has a handy tool to check the visibility; you can point the phone camera at the sky to get a visualization and report of obstructions, to help find the best spot:
I initially stored the dish in the original box, but a better solution was suggested in the Starlink for RVers and other mobile users group on Facebook: a Husky 12-gallon container is a perfect size to fit the dish along with the packaging material, simply by cutting off the bottom part of the packaging, like so:
The dish and stand then fits in nicely:
And the cable on top (and some people put the router there too, but I keep it in my basement compartment):
The closed container:
I keep the Starlink container in a basement compartment, safely stored until next needed:
Starlink is a great option when there isn’t cellular service.