Author Topic: Bike Friday Touring Bikes????  (Read 33430 times)

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Offline miles2go

Bike Friday Touring Bikes????
« Reply #15 on: December 14, 2006, 03:51:11 am »
Nice pouring rain we're having Adventure Pete. :)

I'll send you an email from one of my 10 or so addresses and perhaps we can get together for a beer or soda and talk touring.

Nancy's Friday is sitting inside the house all together aside from the pedals.  Mine is still packed in the suitcase.  We're running out of room to put all these chain driven contraptions.  I seem to keep coming up with excuses to buy one more of them.    :confuse:

Cheers

« Last Edit: April 28, 2010, 03:25:35 am by miles2go »

Offline adventurepete

Bike Friday Touring Bikes????
« Reply #16 on: December 18, 2006, 03:28:36 pm »
Miles2go - I was looking at the setup you used on your NWT and I was wondering if you found the gearing adequate for the mountainous touring you did. I am buying a Llama and I am having 58, 48, 36 up front and 11 to 34 on the rear. After looking at your setup I am questioning mine. We will be doing some off road travel but mostly road. I like lower gears for the steep hills. What is your opinion on my setup?

Travel Safe.  Peter Campbell

This message was edited by adventurepete on 12-18-06 @ 11:29 AM
Travel Safe.  Peter Campbell

Offline miles2go

Bike Friday Touring Bikes????
« Reply #17 on: December 18, 2006, 10:40:15 pm »
Hey Pete.  Just in from work and will answer your questions in a bit. 

Did you not get my email to the account you provided?


Cheers,

« Last Edit: April 28, 2010, 03:25:12 am by miles2go »

Offline scott.laughlin

Bike Friday Touring Bikes????
« Reply #18 on: December 19, 2006, 12:02:13 pm »
Hi,

My wife and I pedaled a Tandem Two'sDay (built by Bike Friday) several years.  We pedaled the Katy Trail, and from Williams, AZ to Grand Canyon and back to Williams...in the rain.  We cross much of Arizona's Sonoran Desert several times, and even rode it into Mexico.  We didn't have an odometer, so we don't know how many miles, but it was several.

I pedaled a Bike Friday, New World Tourist from near Yuma almost to El Paso, and part of Washington and Idaho.  It's on the back porch at this very moment.

The smaller tires make for a rougher ride on washboard surface, but as for comfort...well, the handlebars are right where they ought to be.  If you've never experienced that you've missed something.

As for portability, they are easy to transport.  We hauled our Two'sDay in the back of a $500 sedan with a blanket covering it.  I don't know anyone who looks in $500 cars for $3,000 bikes.  We left it parked on the street all over the American West and never worried.

Scott


Offline adventurepete

Bike Friday Touring Bikes????
« Reply #19 on: December 19, 2006, 01:43:27 pm »
miles2go - I did not get an email yet.
peter.campbell@granite.k12.ut.us
adventurpete@hotmail.com

Travel Safe.  Peter Campbell
Travel Safe.  Peter Campbell

Offline miles2go

Bike Friday Touring Bikes????
« Reply #20 on: December 20, 2006, 12:17:39 am »
AdvPete,

I emailed you at your k12 account but will try once more. 

We often gravitate toward mountainous terrain and I'm known to carry very heavy loads so we went with gearing down into the 17s.  I climbed a 20% grade with the bike loaded to 112 pounds.  It wasn't easy but I made it with this gearing.  I wouldn't have with a taller granny gear.  Another place these rings came in handy was on a nice Swiss back road through the mountains that quickly became a narrow rutted out, embedded rock trail with a 10% sustained climb.  All in a day's adventure.  :)

Your listed setup puts you at or just under 20" for a low gear.  Most tourers aren't geared under that so you should be fine but that depends on your particulars.  I.E., physical abilities, typical load and road...etc.

Congrats on the Llama. 

« Last Edit: April 28, 2010, 03:24:55 am by miles2go »