Camel

That GPS mount is a really great idea, no problems with vibration mucking up the electronics I take it?

Rambo

here is a better look at it from earlier in the summer. (see attachment)

I also have a mount on my motorcycle. I did experience some problems with vibration. The unit would just shut off for not reason, or thats what I thought. Turns out, the batteries were losing contact for a brief moment, just a split second, and it would shut off.

I called garmin to ask them about this. They knew right away what the problem was. They asked me to send it back so they could put new (redesigned) battery contacts in it. Since then I haven't had any problems with it.

Camel

Geeze isn't that neat. I'm considering asking for one, what with holiday time around the corner.

funbun

Wow that is neat. I gotta get meeee one theeese!!! Where did you get yours, btw?

Rambo

i bought mine from gpsdiscount.com

I was a little skeptical of the site at first but it was recommended to me by lots of local geocachers that I trusted. I took their word and was happy with the unit, shipping, and everything. saved over 100 bucks on the unit buying from them.

Its great to have on the bike too. I went ahead and got the topo maps for it. Its awesome having a color topo map infront of me while I'm exploring country roads, and off road.

Camel

Hey thanks for the info Rambo. I'll have to do some research, but do you think there are many GPS maps available covering central+eastern europe? I'm considering my next tour around the Czech Republic next summer. Of course one would also be very handy here at home (riding/hiking) as well. There was also a decent e-mail thread from the randoneuring(?sp) e-mail list over the weekend which noted ups+downs of various new models (memory, battery time, mounting etc).

blgarrett

I pack ultralite. I traveled with my man six weeks all over Europe. We pack very lite and do not like wind drag. You have to carry your bike up and down stairs and panniers must come off is the bike car is crowded. if you take a train. No panniers for us and garbage bags for rain covers. Cheap and easy to get over your gear when the rains come. This is his Giant Lite Tour, fully loaded for camping those six weeks. My Fuji Fold made by Redloff was being used to dry my laundry while in Belgium.

bentrider

My loaded Challenge Distance prior to a 1000km ride through Virginia including the Skyline trail. Also used same bike for Gaspe Bay, Denmark/Sweden, etc.....
Don

denisegoldberg

Here are my two touring bikes!


My Peter Mooney custom touring bike - on my very first solo (loaded) tour.


My Bike Friday Air Glide touring bike - with suitcase trailer attached, all ready to hit the road. And yes, I really did ride this bike across the United States back in the summer of 2002!

I'm lucky to own two touring bikes that I really like, and I do still ride both of them. I should like these bikes - both were custom-built, so the fit is great. If I have to take my bike on an airplane then I have a tendency to use the Bike Friday - no excess baggage fees, and the case turns into the trailer. If I'm traveling to my tour in my car, then I have a real choice! And of course I can't choose based on color since the bikes are both beautiful shades of purple!

Schumius

my old alu bike, now only for commuting, in the flytoget train in oslo.

Istanbul_Tea

Interesting first linked photo Ron... it's certainly large.

Perhaps that link has been highjacked??

rsw

Hey Patch29,

Love that kickstand and would love to get one for my Cannondale! I am wondering if the bracket for the kickstand will fit the opening on my frame.

Looking at the attached photo, can you tell me if it would fit in the 3/4 inch opening near the cable or the 1 inch area with the existing hole near the fender.

How much does it weigh? has it been able to hold up your fully loaded rig? have you tried it on gravel or grass?

Thanks much!

halfbiked

rsw-
perhaps in the future you could reduce the photo size to something a little more functional?

thanks

Patch29

I think you would be ok. You would need a shorter bolt for your fender so you could use the hole (near the fender, not sure about the other one). The top plate is 1" x 2", so you need 1/2" clearance from the center which it looks as though you have that. The bottom plate is slightly larger towards the front, but not much.

Here is some info I found that was written about it online.

I do not know the weight of it.

I have not tried it on deep gravel. I have used it on soft dirt and grass. It works well. I need to cut mine down a bit from the stock size. It causes my rear wheel to be a few inches of the ground and when it is loaded that can make it a bit tippy (and cause the front wheel to want to turn), since I have not yet, sometimes I would just push it down a bit to let it sit deeper in the dirt/grass and it worked fine. Someday I will get around to cutting it down, if I do I think it will work a lot better.

Here is where I bought it.

Miles2go

I thought I'd join in the fun...

So here's a shot taken about 800 miles into my last tour.

MY CURRENT TOURING MACHINE

Location: Along Colorado's Highway 92, overlooking the Curecanti National Recreation Area
Bike: Thorn Nomad, UK built touring specific, 26" wheels.
Racks: Tubus Tara on the front and Tubus Cargo on the rear.
Panniers: Arkel, Expeditions up front, GTs in the rear and their large bar bag.
Atop the rear rack: The big red thing is my Moss Titan GT 4-season tent. Yeah, it's heavy.
Tires: Continental Travel Contact...no flats
Pedals: Speedplay Frogs
Saddle: Brooks B-17
Weight as shown: Over 115 pounds

Looking to update some camping gear to lighten the load for this summer's tour. Bike stays the same.

Cheers,

Ron
Utah...for now.
Jasper, Banff, Calgary & Edmonton this July

Camel

Nice one!

onbike 1939

If anyone is considering the double kickstand Esge stand then be careful when you cut down the legs to fit the particular bb height. The angle of cut is VERY important as otherwise it affects stability. It is also a good idea to buy the rubber feet for the feet as this increases the ground contact area and makes them more stable. Protect the frame with rubber before fitting as the clamp will remove the paint. Try to make sure the ground is nearly level or carry a flat piece of plastic/wood. Now having said all that I think they are great, so handy they become addictive. Weight= 300grams. George.

akarius

Here is a piucture of my loaded rig before a tour of the Ottawa valley

Camel

Or another option is to not cut them at all. The extra length lifts one wheel off the ground (if standing on hard ground/pavement), which can be nice for some maintenance. When standing on softer ground they will "sink in", so a bit of extra care is needed to assure that they are stuck in securely. You do have to lift the rear up each time you put the stand up&down, which may seem a chore with a loaded rig-but hey we cycle tourists don't get enough upper body workouts anyways .

Camel

Another nice one! What's wrapped up on the top of your rear rack?

Edit: Nice poster!

akarius

That is my tent and sleeping bag, wrapped up in a tarp for waterproofing, the tarp also serves as my groundsheet. I wrapped it with an old innertube and some bugee, which I also used as my clothes line

twonbike

COuld someone please explain how to post a photo.
Twonbike

hoogie

Hey Ron,

Nice setup!

Here is my Nomad from a recent mini-tour ... this was just an out and back dayride using front panniers on the rear to carry some lunch adn wet weather gear ...

marmotte

look at my transport system.

The photo was taken in summer 2004 above Val d'Isère in the French Alps. In the luggage bag are: luggage for 2 persons for 2 weeks (we stayed overnight in more or less cheap accommodations, see here ), tool and food supply (13 kg). One can transport also a small camping equipment.
Advantages: One does not need further luggage bags, the handling characteristics of the bike remains. Climbing and driving downhill are problem-free.

Juha

See this thread in Forum Suggestions and User Assistance.

This thread now stickied. Great pics!

--J