When, not too long ago, I wrote a column entitled “The Versatile Prusik Hitch,” I figured that any article on the prusik that didn’t include a mention of its use in setting up a Z‑drag would be woefully incomplete. After all, the Z‑drag is a river‑rescue standby, having freed many a pinned boat from a rock’s unwelcome embrace. The reasons for its popularity are easy to see. It offers a 3:1 mechanical advantage — a great help when a party is short‑handed and the river is running high and fast — while requiring only a minimal inventory of gear: a rope, a couple of prusik hitches (readily made up from high‑breaking‑strength cord), two carabiners, and one or two slings.

Here’s what I had to say in the column:

Moving water exerts enormous force, and few paddlers are built like Arnold Schwarzenegger. So the Z‑drag is just the “force multiplier” we ordinary mortals need. In fact, bluewater sailors will note a close resemblance between the Z‑drag and the hauling tackle known as a “Spanish burton.” Both offer a (theoretical) three‑for‑one mechanical advantage. That means you can shift a 300‑pound load with little more effort than it would take to move 100 pounds unaided, though the Z‑drag suffers somewhat in comparison with its maritime counterpart, since carabiners don’t make very good pulleys. Still, even a little help goes a long way in a hard chance, and supplementary pulleys are available to improve the Z‑drag’s performance.

And I illustrated the point with the following sketch:

That was then. This is now. But to be on the safe side, I suppose I’d better reiterate the cautions from my original article. The drawing above is a simplified schematic. You can’t give it a once‑over and then rush out to haul your boat off a rock. Not if you value your life (and boat), anyway. In fact, you can’t learn any of the techniques of whitewater rescue or salvage just by looking at a picture. You have to practice the moves in real life, under the watchful eye of someone who already knows the ropes.

‘Nuff said? I hope so. In any case, back when I wrote the earlier column, I figured I’d pretty much covered the ground I wanted to cover. I’d highlighted an important application of the prusik hitch, while at the same time emphasizing the attendant hazards. In so doing, however, I accepted at face value the claim that the Z‑drag offered a 3:1 mechanical advantage. After all, no less an expert than Charlie Walbridge repeated it without question or caveat. But not all readers were convinced, and David Pitkin was one of the skeptics:

I just read your article on the prusik hitch. You say that you get a three‑to‑one advantage [with the Z‑drag]. [But y]ou need three pulleys to get that three‑to‑one advantage…. [Y]our rig shows only two pulleys, so it gives only two‑to‑one.

There was more in David’s letter, but you get the point. So did I. And it gave me pause. Had I made a mistake? Had Charlie Walbridge? I voiced my misgivings to Farwell, who has greater enthusiasm for engineering calculations than I do. But to my surprise he didn’t rush to blow the dust off his ancient slide rule. Instead, he suggested that we use what he calls “brute‑force methods” and put the Z‑Drag to the test… Read more…

 

 
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Convenient carry-along energy-boosters are vital for anyone who cycles, paddles, and hikes. Everyone has their favorites. I like Hundred-Mile Oatmeal Bars, which are almost a meal in themselves. But I can get tired of sweets after awhile, so like to vary my bonk buster menu with savory foods, too. Baked potatoes are good for that. I just carry them in a plastic bag inside my handlebar bag and nibble on them throughout a ride. But there’s another savory energy booster which even has the sanction of a racing team. Chef Allen Lim of the cycling team Garmin-Chipotle came up with a rice cake recipe that team members eat on the bike during stage races, and they work for me, too. I modified Chef Allen’s recipe a little, and if you want to see his version, watch the video of his technique at the Team Garmin-Chipotle website.

I used short grained rice for this demonstration because it’s what I had on hand, but glutenous rice such as rose rice and sushi rice hold together better as a cake. Here’s the ingredient list:

• • 1 cup very short grained rice
• • 2 cups water
• • pinch salt
• • 2 eggs
• • olive oil
• • ground black pepper
• • grated Parmesan cheese

Steam the rice and take care not to overcook it. When the rice is done, stir in the salt to taste, and spoon the cooked rice into an eight-inch square baking dish.

 
Once the rice cools a little, scramble two eggs in hot olive oil in a small skillet, then slide the eggs onto the rice in the baking dish. Grate in the cheese and grind in the black pepper, then I stir the whole mix together right inside the pan. When the eggs are evenly mixed through, press all the mix together in one end of the pan, so that the cakes is fairly thick.

 
Cover the pan with plastic to so the rice won’t dry out, then put the pan in the refrigerator to cool. After the rice cools through, slice through the packed rice mix to make four bars. Then with a butter knife and a spatula, lift the bars out of the pan and place them each on a sheet of aluminum foil. Press the rice mix with the foil to retain a bar shape as you wrap them into tidy packages. Refrigerate the individually wrapped bars in the refrigerator for storage. When ready to ride, carry the foil-wrapped bars inside plastic, and peel back the foil as you eat them. They’ll hold find for a day’s ride as long as the temperature isn’t too hot.

 
As an alternative, you could try packing the rice mix into small aluminum pie pans before cooling them, then upturn the cooled rice “pies” and carry them in plastic bags. Or you might want to try cooling the rice without bothering to pack them into bar shapes, then roll the chilled rice mix inside tortillas. Then roll the egg-rice tortillas in foil and chill them to be ready for your ride. Yum!

 
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If you think Brooks saddles are works of art, then you’ll love the ones that leather artisan Kara Ginther has embellished. You can see them up close and personal at an exhibit hosted by North Central Cyclery in DeKalb, Illinois. If you are a frequent reader of the Surly Long Haul Trucker & Cross Check forum, you’ll recognize NCC as the Surly-friendly bike shop managed by the knowledgeable and ever-helpful Tobie DePauw, who has shared some of his favorite bike hacks with Outside Up North readers.

So if your travel plans will be taking you into Illinois in early February, stop by NCC to enjoy Kara’s work side by side with some rare Brooks saddles, including the White Swallow, the Shaggy B17, a Bicycle Film Festival Green Swallow, an Alpe de Huez Team Pro, and the new White Team Pro. AND, get this, NCC will be serving wine and cheese at the exhibition’s opening night of February 6, at 6:30 pm. How can you say no to that?

→ North Central Cyclery SaddleWorks Exhibition Announcement

 
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