[QUOTE=sarahbruce;19727262]I added a Velo Orange rack and Wald 137 basket to the front! My $2 thrift store find camera bag fits perfectly and even has straps to hold it securely to the basket. Did a sort of "test run" this morning with all the bags I would use for a trip or overnight, but only about 2/3 of the actual "gear" inside them. Everything performed wonderfully on a 21mile mix of road/singletrack!
Bruce
That's a very nice setup there! I wish that I had the setup you have to work on a bike (well - and the skills too) to get it dialed into what I want/need. I have a 2007 Trek 7.2FX and it has a really harsh ride. My hands tend to go numb after a several miles, so I added Ergon grips. They didn't help much so I added some bar ends and put my original Trek grips onto them along with the Ergons. That does help with the numbness but nothing I've tried helps with the stiff ride. I've tried letting air out of the tires too. I'm contemplating whether to put my money toward a new or used bike that better suits me - or to keep trying to make the 7,2FX work for me.
I live NW of Tampa and ride mostly paved trails, but just getting to Starkey Park is a rough ride with the sidewalk to road to sidewalk transitions. Plus there are some nice non-paved trails in the park now for bikes that I'd like to give a go at but the 7.2 FX seems to not be the proper bike for that. Starkey Park and the adjoining property are about 16,000 acres so lots to explore there.
I love your camera bag setup and am planning on copying you in the near future as I also love nature photography so combining the 2 hobbies seems perfect!