Pictures of your loaded rigs?
#3701
Senior Member
...update. Just taken delivery of my new tent, so I decided to try a fully-loaded test ride, packing all the gear on my kit list for forthcoming touring plans. Quite impressed with the spare capacity in the Ortlieb panniers, even after getting all my camping gear and cooking gear in. I took this pic at the top of a 17% gradient hill, to test whether I think my compact double gearing (34/50 up front, 11-32 on the back) is up to the task, and I'm pretty confident it will be. Also the bluebells were looking nice.
#3702
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Connecticut
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Bikes: Velo Orange Campeur, 1976 Motobecane Grand Touring
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On an overnight to Monadnock October 2015.
Last edited by mantelclock; 04-14-16 at 08:55 AM. Reason: Date
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#3703
Senior Member
...update. Just taken delivery of my new tent, so I decided to try a fully-loaded test ride, packing all the gear on my kit list for forthcoming touring plans. Quite impressed with the spare capacity in the Ortlieb panniers, even after getting all my camping gear and cooking gear in. I took this pic at the top of a 17% gradient hill, to test whether I think my compact double gearing (34/50 up front, 11-32 on the back) is up to the task, and I'm pretty confident it will be. Also the bluebells were looking nice.
I realize that because you have a road compact crank on your bike, its not an easy change to get lower gearing, short of changing out your rear derailleur and getting a larger rear cassette, so you don't have a lot of easy inexpensive options.
How much does all your stuff weigh? I suspect your total load is less than what mine was (mine probably 40lb) so just be aware of keeping your load at a minimum. I was in my 20s at the time, and was still glad of the lower gearing on that trip, and recall that the west coast trip was harder climbing than biking along most of the Pyrenees the summer previous (longer climbs, but not as steep gradients).
have a good trip, hope it goes well, its a very pretty ride. Bikes with triples have a big advantage for touring and making it easier on your knees, so I guess just take this trip as a learning experience and adjust afterwards for how you see it goes with X gearing and Y bike weight for the types of hills you'll be on. If need be, walking isnt the end of the world and its easier than mashing too slowly which is hard on your knees and not good for long or short term knee stuff.
cheers
#3704
Senior Member
^ Thanks, very useful comments. I've done some research on the route so I've got some idea what to expect, but it's good to hear some first-hand experience. I've not weighed the gear, but without going ultra-lightweight I've been careful with a few key elements, e.g. sub-2kg tent, and I think the clothing is just about down to a bare minimum.
We've got a mini-tour planned in a few weeks, ~200 miles over 3.5 days of riding which will include a fair amount of undulating roads in S England, so this will be a chance to see how the legs are after heavier mileage over consecutive days, sleeping in a tent, etc. It'll also tell me if I can make any adjustments to my kit list - hopefully discarding items rather than adding things I wish I'd taken. I'm a pretty strong cyclist, but new to touring so don't want to take anything for granted. I'm also a keen runner so I want to look after my knees!
We've got a mini-tour planned in a few weeks, ~200 miles over 3.5 days of riding which will include a fair amount of undulating roads in S England, so this will be a chance to see how the legs are after heavier mileage over consecutive days, sleeping in a tent, etc. It'll also tell me if I can make any adjustments to my kit list - hopefully discarding items rather than adding things I wish I'd taken. I'm a pretty strong cyclist, but new to touring so don't want to take anything for granted. I'm also a keen runner so I want to look after my knees!
#3705
Senior Member
^ Thanks, very useful comments. I've done some research on the route so I've got some idea what to expect, but it's good to hear some first-hand experience. I've not weighed the gear, but without going ultra-lightweight I've been careful with a few key elements, e.g. sub-2kg tent, and I think the clothing is just about down to a bare minimum.
We've got a mini-tour planned in a few weeks, ~200 miles over 3.5 days of riding which will include a fair amount of undulating roads in S England, so this will be a chance to see how the legs are after heavier mileage over consecutive days, sleeping in a tent, etc. It'll also tell me if I can make any adjustments to my kit list - hopefully discarding items rather than adding things I wish I'd taken. I'm a pretty strong cyclist, but new to touring so don't want to take anything for granted. I'm also a keen runner so I want to look after my knees!
We've got a mini-tour planned in a few weeks, ~200 miles over 3.5 days of riding which will include a fair amount of undulating roads in S England, so this will be a chance to see how the legs are after heavier mileage over consecutive days, sleeping in a tent, etc. It'll also tell me if I can make any adjustments to my kit list - hopefully discarding items rather than adding things I wish I'd taken. I'm a pretty strong cyclist, but new to touring so don't want to take anything for granted. I'm also a keen runner so I want to look after my knees!
I was, and still am a skinny fellow, so probably that didnt help, but do at least be wary, for you and your partner, and take care of your knees.
Have fun with the mini tour. I have family over there, in Worthing and in mid Wales, so I know that you will be meeting "undulating" thats a given.
as you mention having done research for that trip, thats one thing with that route, there is a ton of good info out there for the route, where to camp, stores etc etc, heck even when I did it long ago pre-internet, there was good info about it that made it logistically straightforward to do and to know what to expect when and where.
For both your mini tour and the big trip, I would recommend setting lower mileages the first few days, it helps get the legs into the whole "riding a heavy bike" thing, a bit more enjoyable Ive found. Also, getting out in the morning at a good time to give yourselves more hours to cover a given distance (to a set State Park for example) is a big help in not having to push it just that little too much for too long-again, for both the fun factor and the physical.
In the end, after not too many days you two will find the rythmn and distances that work well for you, thats the important thing, ride your own ride that works for you.
cheers
#3706
Senior Member
For both your mini tour and the big trip, I would recommend setting lower mileages the first few days, it helps get the legs into the whole "riding a heavy bike" thing, a bit more enjoyable Ive found. Also, getting out in the morning at a good time to give yourselves more hours to cover a given distance (to a set State Park for example) is a big help in not having to push it just that little too much for too long-again, for both the fun factor and the physical.
In the end, after not too many days you two will find the rythmn and distances that work well for you, thats the important thing, ride your own ride that works for you.
cheers
In the end, after not too many days you two will find the rythmn and distances that work well for you, thats the important thing, ride your own ride that works for you.
cheers
#3710
Banned.
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I posted a few months back. At the time I think I had a trailer with my bike. I've gotten rid of enough stuff that the trailer wont be coming with anymore. This, with the addition of one smaller bag on top of the two Sea to Summit bags, is what will be going with me on my Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine ride. Also missing is one water bottle. I leave on May 1.
Cheers
Cheers
#3711
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62cm Bianchi Randonneur. 64cm is more my size but oh well. Previous owner rattle canned it black, bummer. Rigged up an old Suntour MTB crank that was in a parts bin at the bike shop. 42/32/22, with 13-32 on the back. SUPER easy gearing, so sweet when carrying weight up big climbs. Fork was one of the recalled ones, so put a generic chrome unicrown one on there. Nitto Technomic/Noodle cockpit. Old Shimano 600 levers. New-ish Shimano shifters. Brooks B17. Front rack is Old Man Mountain, rear is Jandd (the extra long one). Wheels are old 36h Campy hi flange > open pros that a friend built for me, they've stayed so solid for many years now. 700x28 gatorskins. SKS fenders. Crane brass bell, love that thing. Ugly black thing on the seat post is a mount for a surfboard trailer, looks like crap on there but its really hard to install/remove so there it will stay. It is the Camping Bike. Photo from a 200mi tour thru big sur last week, cambria>monterey and then back, 3 days up 3 days back. Northbound was super rough with the headwinds, but southbound mission (tailwind!!) was unreal...
Last edited by burnsadam; 04-19-16 at 10:04 PM.
#3715
Senior Member
stefan, los gemeldos otro vez ;-)
(are you Spanish, German, French? no need to answer if you don't want to, I've just wondered at times)
(are you Spanish, German, French? no need to answer if you don't want to, I've just wondered at times)
#3716
Senior Member
having toured with 6 and 7 speeds, having 9 or 10 is nice just cuz the jumps between gears is much easier for those specific headwind/inclines where one gear is a bit high, the other a bit low , sort of thing.
Don't know if you have other bikes but for other than an expeditiony type trip, I would absolutely go 10 speed next time (8,9 is what I ride now).
Don't know if you have other bikes but for other than an expeditiony type trip, I would absolutely go 10 speed next time (8,9 is what I ride now).
#3718
Senior Member
de acuerdo ;-)
like I said, have wondered. Being multilingual is a real gift isn't it? English, French and (sort of) Spanish for me, makes it easier when traveling and meeting people. I consider myself very lucky to have been exposed to French and Spanish when I was younger.
chus.
like I said, have wondered. Being multilingual is a real gift isn't it? English, French and (sort of) Spanish for me, makes it easier when traveling and meeting people. I consider myself very lucky to have been exposed to French and Spanish when I was younger.
chus.
#3721
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