Rick

i agree that the cages are very stiff and not giving. The 1.5 liter Smart water bottles have a lot of play in those cages. If you look at the picture you can see the bottle in the seat tube cage just fits with the modification hardware and that looseness it needed to force it in.

I went for my second ride with the One Bottle Hydration setup yesterday. I really enjoy the convenience


​​​​​​​ of this setup.

Aushiker

I appreciate that your experience is different to mine. Still, riding with the Extrawheel, I have not found (1) sand has not been a problem, (2) taking the bike and trailer on buses (both go in the luggage bay under the bus), (3) hor have I found riding downhills or (4) or around sharp corners to be an issue. I would have done close to 5,000 km of outback riding, including single track, with my Extrawheel. I have no reason to not to use it again if the tour requires it.

YMMV, of course.

Tourist in MSN

A friend of my does a lot of touring in the desert in western USA, he uses a trailer for the trips where he will need to haul many days worth of water. I do not recall which trailer, it is one with a single wheel, but I think his trailer uses a luggage platform, not panniers. He has a dynohub on his trailer for more power generation.

But I do not think he has ever had to load his bike and trailer on bus or train, I think all trips were out and back from his vehicle.

Here in USA, different transport companies have different rules on luggage and bikes. I am planning a tour in June and July. I start with a bus ride, then a train ride. Bus companies are quite variable for rules, here I only describe the bus company I am using.

On the bus the bike costs an extra $20 if unboxed ($10 if boxed), no more than two bags below in luggage compartment and one small bag in passenger compartment. Then change to a train, need reservation for the bike which goes on a bike rack in a luggage car. The bus allowance for luggage is more stringent than most airlines, although they do allow an unboxed bike on the bus and the bike is not one of the maximum number of luggage items. The train allowance for luggage is quite generous, but if all bike racks in the luggage car are already reserved, I would need to box the bike to get it onto the train and the boxed bike is one of my two allowed checked items.

I think in both cases, a trailer would be problematic. On the bus, they might allow a trailer if it is in a bike box, but I do not think they would allow both a trailer and a bike on the same bus because if the bus is nearly full, their luggage bay size is limited. On the train, if a trailer could be boxed or bagged to meet their generous checked luggage dimensions, that might work as one piece of luggage but the bike is the other checked piece of luggage, meaning all your other pieces of luggage would have to be carry on in size and number.

mev

Not all trailers are the same. I have three different trailers for different purposes and can see why the Extrawheel works best in your situation as described above.
- I have a Burley Travoy that I use for grocery shopping. Fine around town but two wheels higher center wouldn't work as well for outback touring.
- I have a Bob that I use for slightly heavier loads. It is fine, though doesn't track as well.
- I have used my Extrawheel on longer touring trips, including a trip in the Indian Himalaya (Leh to Srinagar) and in the US (Portland to Colorado). It traveled fine with my from US and Indian airlines as well as on the bus. The tracking is very close to the rear wheel. I have the same wheel size as my other wheels and can swap panniers or otherwise move things around.

My preference is riding with four panniers instead of a trailer. However, I can see situations where either I don't have front panniers or want to carry something extra that I concur with your description above.

I had ridden my mountain bike on a supported rde across Africa. Just after a recovery ride was to fly into Portland Oregon and cycle to Colorado. I wanted to carry more than I would in two panniers and didn't want to mess with a rack around the suspension fork. So an Extrawheel trailer worked quite well for the this trip.

Aushiker

@Tourist in MSN For what it is worth, I have flown with my Surly Long Haul Trucker and Extrawheel in the one bike box with six panniers (not all full).

The Extrawheel is not much wider than a wheel; hence, it has never been a problem for buses. Yes, I have to book and pay for the bike, which is always carried at the driver's discretion (basically, no luggage space, no bike carried). I believe that the general rule is only two bikes per bus, but that has never been a problem for me. I always load/unload the bike to minimise the hassle for the driver.

I have not tried trains as the few trains we have here, as a rule, do not take bicycles (which has in the past left me with two days on a bus to get home (including an overnight stay). The second day was nearly 12 hours ... ouch.

robow

If it works for you, that's all that counts but I'm with Stuart on this one, electrolytes in my two water bottle cages and ice water in my camelback. I have found nothing keeps my water colder for longer than stuffing that camel back with as much ice as possible and then topping off with water. With one exception, a friend of mine who tours a lot with his son carry actual metal insulated thermoses in their panniers but that's too much weight for me.

Tourist in MSN

The half liter bottles are slightly undersized for bottle cages. I need to add spacers for a tighter fit. But I only carry these near home, not on a tour.



How else are you going to carry your iced coffee?

robow

Iced coffee, you're killin' me here, ha. My buddy carries those great big thermoses that couldn't begin to fit in a water bottle cage. You would enjoy touring with him because he always brings a coffee press as well.

mev

Must have been a considerable ride away from water sources. I cycled ~19400km around Australia in 2001 but stayed on sealed roads. The guideline I started from was 1 liter per 20km and 2 liters for an overnight. That meant the most I needed to carry was 16 liters for the 286 km gap between Overland Roadhouse and Sandfire Roadhouse so less than half of what you carried. As it turned out there was at least one water source I passed - and also grey nomads who offered water along the way - so I could have brought less but that was uncertain.

Tourist in MSN

Bike touring, I leave the french press at home. But I bring it on some canoe trips.

Aushiker

Yep, it was. This was inland in the Gasycone region, all dirt riding. It was about five days between water supply and 20 days to the next opportunity to resupply.