Messages

31

Gear Talk / Re: Touring bikes...

« on: March 16, 2013, 07:18:33 am »

the Salsa Vaya is geared a bit high, at least for me -- plus it's more expensive than the four models above. 

I advise a novice who is going to do fully loaded touring to have lowest possible gear; if you need it, you have it; if you don't, just limit your shifting to your higher gears. For the Vaya, for you, I recommend swapping the 30 tooth chainwheel for a 24.

32

Gear Talk / Re: Touring bikes...

« on: March 14, 2013, 05:34:00 pm »

No pdlamb, I´m not doing a motel trip. I do need a good bike. I´m just so afraid of getting to much a bike that it will feel too heavy. I tried a Surley Cross Check. I guess it felt pretty good, but like someone here said – riding around the block doesn´t give that much. The Cross Check has the 700 tires and with a triple crankset it is slightly lighter then the LTH.

Ok – I should hurry up and decide and order...

This is the reason why in an earlier post I questioned directing the querist to the niche of ultra-lightweight bicycle camping. It is nearly a month since this woman posted her initial question, and she has yet to decide even the type of bike she should  buy. I suggested she concentrate on that. Touring bikes are best for bicycle touring. On Touring List, another online forum, using a cyclecross bike for touring often comes up. If that's all you have, tour on that. Buying new for touring, buy a touring bike. There should little weight difference between the popular touring bikes mentioned here. More weigh differences between sleeping bags, tents, etc, your next buying decisions if you don't have all of your bicycle camping gear.

33

Gear Talk / Re: Looking for Rain Pants

« on: March 06, 2013, 08:29:36 am »

http://www.gore-tex.com/products/men/outerwear/pants/

Waterproof and breathable means you are going to wear a coating or a membrane because the fabric itself cannot be both. I just plugged gore tex and high fashion rain pants into google and came up with a long list of silly and expensive pants. Umm, poser-wear.

What could be less poser-wear than what I am looking for, bicycle rain pants that look like casual pants?

34

Gear Talk / Re: Looking for Rain Pants

« on: March 03, 2013, 01:18:28 pm »

I think your request is overly constrained. Although I'm a big fan of double-duty gear, I think in this case you need one of each.

If was easy to find, I wouldn't have posted a query. I disagree wholeheartedly that this should be an impossible quest. I think it entirely feasible, and am surprised a manufacturer hasn't produced pants to fill this need. None of my tours have been done taking one of each. Had a pair of Performance Gore-Tex rain pants that passed, albeit barely, as casual pants. They are not longer available, and what Performance sells now isn't close. Had one manufacturer make me a pair; unfortunately he made them look like sweat pants. He agreed it is a doable project; he just couldn't pull it off. I expect a perusal of this forum will unearth quests that are lot more fantastic than wanting bicycle rain pants that can double as casual pants.

35

Gear Talk / Re: Looking for Rain Pants

« on: March 03, 2013, 09:45:59 am »

Something like Sierra Designs Microlight pants might meet that criteria depending on your "pass for casual pants" requirements.

Thanks, but "water resistance in light rain for a short period of time" is less protection than I'm looking for.

36

Gear Talk / Looking for Rain Pants

« on: March 02, 2013, 08:23:28 pm »

Pass for casual pants. Waterproof, breathable.

37

Routes / Re: Traffic on the California section of the Pacific Coast Route

« on: February 25, 2013, 12:35:20 pm »

It depends somewhat on your speed uphills. If slow, traffic can pile up when there is no shoulder to get off road. I rode the section in the fall.

38

Gear Talk / Re: Touring bikes...

« on: February 24, 2013, 11:59:40 am »

I don't think much about trying a bike before buying. Local bike shop having touring bike I want in my size is remote. I have bought several bikes by mail. I don't get much from giving a bike few blocks trial ride. If you are having a bike ready for you here, know your size to order and allow time to make adjustments. Touring bikes are not that popular here; don't expect a number on floor for you to choose from. There may not be any. Order and pay in advance to know there will be a bike here for you. If rather order in Sweden that is your choice. You could save airfare by having to ship bike just one way.

39

Gear Talk / Re: Touring bikes...

« on: February 19, 2013, 11:17:55 am »

I have started occasionally running into folks camping and cooking with 20 pounds or less of gear on their bikes.  Also there is a large enough following of the bikepacking movement to support specialty companies like Relevate.

Questioner said planned on carrying 20-30 lb, so no arguing with 20 lb, if she can do her trip with that light a load . I again note, in my experience, beginners underestimate load they will be carrying. Your previous post stated that it is viable traveling long distance fully loaded carrying weight as low as 7 lb. I again say such a target is optimistic for a beginner. Three full waterbottles can weigh 7 lb. When I weigh what I carry for traveling fully loaded long distance, I weigh the bike, ready to go, with waterbottles full, food on board, etc. I again maintain that at the moment ultralight fully loaded bicycle touring is a fringe element, not where I would direct a beginner seeking information trying to decide which type bike to buy.

40

Gear Talk / Re: Touring bikes...

« on: February 19, 2013, 10:54:13 am »

I'd rather figure out roughly what gear I want and then pick the bike and baggage to accommodate the gear.

+1

She's said she's estimated how much gear she'll be carrying. What do you want her to do now? Stop thinking about what bike to buy, and decide more specifically what she'll be carrying, and then decide on which bike?

41

Gear Talk / Re: Touring bikes...

« on: February 18, 2013, 05:07:06 pm »

There are basically two kinds of touring bikes, one for lightweight touring, credit card touring, moteling and eating in restaurants; other for fully loaded touring, camping, cooking.

Those categories are increasingly becoming blurred.  There are a number of folks touring with full cooking and camping capabilities with loads that are equivalent to or even less than has in the past been the norm for credit card touring.  It is entirely possible to be quite self sufficient with a very light load.  Cooking and camping with base gear weights between 7 and 20 pounds is becoming somewhat common thanks to ultralight backpacking gear and techniques.

This is known. This doesn't change basic categories of touring bikes. It simply means one could hypothetically tour fully loaded on a light touring bike. Whether a beginner could manage that is a question. I question such ultralight fully loaded touring is "somewhat common". Based on fellow long distance bicycle tourers I have seen, it is not. For a beginner, my advice remains the same, choose the bike, based on which category I described is thought best. Then choose equipment. Based on my experience, choices in camping gear can change after each long tour,  and not necessarily for lighter equipment.

42

Gear Talk / Re: Touring bikes...

« on: February 18, 2013, 03:00:53 pm »

There are basically two kinds of touring bikes, one for lightweight touring, credit card touring, moteling and eating in restaurants; other for fully loaded touring, camping, cooking. First typically has brifters, two waterbottle mounts, braze-ons for rear rack; other typically has bar end shifters, three waterbottle mounts, braze-ons for front and rear racks.

I would pick a bike from above, depending on type of touring you plan to do. Be forewarned, beginners typically underestimate how much weight they will carry.

43

Gear Talk / Re: Bob Yak Trailer? XCountry tour, thoughts?

« on: February 14, 2013, 10:18:29 am »

This is a question gone over and over. There must be threads on this in archives. I have seen tourers with panniers and tourers with trailers, mostly BOB. Saw at least one tourer with both. Remember with trailer you must carry different spare tubes and a spare tire. Trailer tires wear more quickly than bicycle tires. As far as narrow tires with panniers more likely to cause broken spokes, I rode 5000 miles on 36 spoke wheels I built with fully loaded panniers front and rear using tires that measured as narrow as 24mm; no broken spokes.

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Gear Talk / Re: Tires for Southern Tier

« on: February 12, 2013, 01:51:52 pm »

I don't see much merit in going to Schrader tubes because of alleged difficulty in finding Presta tubes; not in this country for 700c tubes. I've ridden many miles in CA and AZ; goat heads weren't a problem, although they were there in parts of AZ I rode.  I've found touring tires harder to find than Presta tubes. Even so, in this country I've given up carrying a spare tire. I carry two extra tubes and a patch kit.

45

Gear Talk / Re: Tires for Southern Tier

« on: February 11, 2013, 11:14:05 am »

I have toured with tires as narrow as 20mm (short trip); doable, but I recommend wider. I don't see much advantage in going from 23mm to 25mm. If you have to buy new tires I recommend for touring the widest tires that fit your road bike. Also recommend touring bike over usual road bike, but if road bike is all you have, or if you are traveling extremely light, go for it. Marked size on tires doesn't necessarily correspond to actual size. Don't be surprised if 25mm tire isn't wider than 23mm tire, and maybe narrower.