Messages

1

Gear Talk / Re: Touring weight

« on: March 21, 2011, 05:28:11 pm »

i'd get rid of exta biking clothes (shirt and shorts).
if they get funky, just wash them wherever you're camping, hang 'em out to dry, and you should be good to by morning.
if you lose enough bulk, you can probably lose a bag, which is a big weight penalty.

2

Gear Talk / Re: Any advantage of using 4 vs 2 panniers?

« on: March 21, 2011, 04:52:04 pm »

how about 2 bags in front and a rolled bag or big stuff sack on your back rack. that might equate to 3-3.5 bags and will be marginally more aerodynamic and weight centered than the back bags.

3

Gear Talk / Re: Touring Tent Talk

« on: March 21, 2011, 04:47:17 pm »

i hike and climb a lot in the north cascades and have successfully, though not always, used the tarptent rainbow. light, big enough for two people, and super fast to set up. it's bug proof and generally pleasant (lots of leg and head room). only once did i not like it when we had 40mph gusts and rain. it does not have much lateral support, but i'm not sure you'll be in mountain-like kinds of storms while biking across the country:
http://www.tarptent.com/
they have other good ones as well, some that are more storm-worthy solo shelters.

4

Gear Talk / Re: Aerobars and bikepacking

« on: March 21, 2011, 04:37:14 pm »

i switched to aerobars midway through the northern tier route. saved my hands quite a bit and took a little weight off an already sore and beaten backside.

one thing i had to adjust was my handlebar bag. admittedly, i had too much gear for my very first tour, but i do know that the handlebar bag was my favorite storage spot. so, i bought an elongated handlebar bag, cut it, and then somehow rigged it to my aerobars. not perfect, but it worked.

for those of you more experienced with aerobars, have you found a good bag to attach? i'm thinking about another tour soon and never seem to come across a bag designed for aerobars.

5

Gear Talk / schwalbe marathon supreme tires

« on: June 01, 2007, 04:14:55 pm »

i was definitely looking into getting the marathon plus, but they just seemed so heavy relative to the supremes. i will likely end up putting in some kevlar strips and calling it good since i leave in less than three weeks and don't really feel like f-ing around with this anymore. i think it's like a lot of people have said - chance. i mean, i've ridden those same gatorskins for years and have had zero issues, whereas russell had a bad experience right away.

i will say this about the supremes - they feel really good on the road. with the exception of the gear and being more upright on my touring bike, i felt the speed of the tire was very comparable to my 23s on my road bike. weird.

6

Gear Talk / schwalbe marathon supreme tires

« on: May 28, 2007, 02:40:05 pm »

so i'm planning on biking across the country this summer (first touring trip ever) with my dad. i've done all kinds of research and decided to go with 700x35 marathon supremes - thinking they're indestrutible and the greatest thing since sliced bread. this memorial day weekend, my roommate and i did a 280 mile, 2 day trip of the olympic peninsula (WA) and i flatted. it was a piece of glass, about 1/4" in size, that just penetrated right through the center of the tire. the shoulders on this route were extremely clean. i bike commute to work in seattle over glass and all kinds of crap using cheapo gatorskins. i've never once flatted as a result of a glass puncture (8000 miles?)

so now, my confidence is shaken. i don't want to be hauling 20 tubes or replacing them on a weekly basis on our trip. has anyone else had experience with these tires, and if so, good or bad?