bjorke

Wondering if anyone has done this.

Why not a NWT? Because I already have a Pocket Rocket!

I'm considering trying both the BF and my minivelo as lightweight tourers, wondering if people have much experience on the BF in terms of gotchas etc. I'm thinking at most a ride, say, from San Jose to Santa Barbara (~300mi) -- at least for the foreseeable future.

Any insights would be most appreciated!
thanks

fietsbob

Like any bike its about Gearing for the hills and carrying gear..

If you have their suitcase trailer , It should be fine.. stick an extra tire in
since it will be an odd size most everywhere.
and put your stuff in a duffle bag for when the bike fills the suitcase.
duffle can go in the suitcase with the contents, on the road..

Foldable Two

This was on Bike Friday's YAK just today:

https://mx.bikefriday.com/pipermail/y...er/022781.html

Lou

bjorke

Seems a bit extreme -- custom-made trailer?

Maybe I should reconsider using my Travoy...

Boudicca

I think it depends on what sort of touring. I wouldn't like to load my PR up with tent and camping stuff and go seriously off road with it but I would have no hesitation about using it for a credit card tour, probably just itch back panniers.

In fact spouse and I were planning that for last month, on the packed gravel Katy Trail, but the tour got cancelled because I got sick. Well, touring buddies went along without us, but they rented bikes.

prathmann

I've used my Pocket Rocket on a number of tours - including one from SF to Santa Barbara. Usually I carry my camping stuff in panniers on the rear rack but I have used the BF trailer/suitcase combo a few times when I needed the suitcase for a flight at either or both ends of the trip. For trips down the coast I've taken along the soft carry bag for returning via train or bus so I wouldn't need to tow the trailer. As others have mentioned, if you have the 451mm tire size it's a good idea to bring a spare since very few bike shops stock that size. So far I've never had to use my spare, but it's quite small when you fold it using the usual 3-loop method (fits in one of the small outer pockets of one of my panniers) so it's worth it for the peace of mind. For touring with significant weight on the rear rack I prefer to use the Primo Comet 1 3/8" tire on the rear wheel instead of the stock 1 1/8" tire size.

Don't know what gearing arrangement you have on yours. Mine came with 50t/60t chain rings and an 11-28 cassette. That didn't give me quite low enough gearing and the 50/60 rings seemed too close together. So I switched the 50t with a 42t and that's worked out better.

BigWickerJim

I traveled from Portland to San Francisco this summer on my NWT. My wife came with me on her Crusoe.

We flew into Portland with the bikes in the suitcase and gear in duffle bags. We then unpacked the bikes and loaded up our panniers. Once that was done we shipped our near empty suitcases down to San Francisco via USPS using general delivery.

We had them fully loaded with camping gear and the whole works. We had no major problems other then the odd creek that was solved by tightening up crank arms, seat posts, etc. The only thing we noticed is that the small diameter wheels are not terrific on rough dirt roads or badly broken up pavement, but we didn't encounter much of that anyways.

I can't really think of much in the way of gotchas, but let me know if you have any questions. I'm not familiar with the Pocket Rocket model so 'your milage may vary'.

bjorke

Great answers! Glad I asked... I had quite forgotten my Travoy, which I usually think of as my office laundry cart My Osprey backpack fits it perfectly, I'll have to try that first -- backpack + Travoy + probably a handlebar bag, should be more than enough for a quickie down to Pacific Grove as practice. Thanks again!

pacificcyclist

Pocket Rocket will do just fine. The recommendation for NWT is due to the use of 406 wheels, so tire selections are better than the 451 wheels on the rocket if your sole purpose is to tour loaded. Otherwise, the rocket works just as well with a rear rack.

pacificcyclist

I had toured with a Travoy as well as my Maya cycle trailer and the best setup thus I found is 2 small Ortlieb panniers upfront and a trailer at the rear for expedition trips. Light trips, I use a rear waterproof 40L compression bag for my clothes and light camping gear strapped to the top rack. You will notice reduced aero-drag compared to conventional 2 big rear panniers setup, especially cycling along the Pacific Coast Hwy!
I was skeptical at first, but after reading Jan Heine of Bicycle Quarterly on the effects of aerodynamics and then put his findings to the test, he was right.

Only downside is on the uphill, but a slight. With a Travoy, you can to attack a hill without any stability issues as opposed to 2 or 4 loaded heavy panniers. The Mu SL I tour with now has a low 20" gear, so no problem towing any steep hills.

invisiblehand

I've known a few people that toured with Pocket Rockets. Supposedly slightly different geometry and you'll have skinnier tires than a typical NWT, but there is no reason you can't tour with it. And yes, even a light trailer can carry more than enough for a tour of decent length.

This is probably an unneeded reminder but ...

Remember that you're touring with 451 wheels. Consequently, I recommend you bring a good supply of tubes and perhaps a spare (folding) tire.

Tourist in MSN

I did a 350 mile tour a few months ago, three people used Bike Fridays, two of them used the suitcase trailer and only carried a small amount of weight on the bike.

mattlavallee

I've done a couple of tours on mine with racks/panniers. I had to get the BF front rack but to save a few $ was able to take the Tubus Cargo from my "real" touring bike (which has since been sold) and put it on the PR. I felt a little flex with about a 35 lb load but nothing to cause concern. I did have a tire failure (stock rear) on the road up in BC, was luckily and surprisingly within walking distance to a mostly-BMX bike shop that actually had a 451 Kenda Small Block 8 on the shelf. I would definitely bring a spare on future rides though.