Alan, I bought my Rambouillet (orange) just for that use, using an invite on a cross country ride as an excuse to move on from my RB-1. Plenty of conversation with Grant et al at Riv HQ.
I convinced the others not to get carried away with the self-supported concept as it would have dictated new bikes and a lot of super lightweight and compact gear to buy. I proposed spending that money on cheap motels and diners across the country so we could mingle among locals rather than be isolated, out at a campsite. I headed out with a B-17, SKS fenders, three bottle cages, Carradice Nelson Longflap and a Bagman support under it. Also had the bligatory odometer, battery head and tail lights. More importantly, I headed out the night before meeting my colleagues in Yorktown, VA (My new bike didn't arrive until 4 pm that evening). I ranged probably 18-35 pounds, all rear load on that trip. Bike performed beautifully. In colder, wetter weather I added a bar bag on the front for Riv Rally East in 2012 on the Great Allegheny Passage. I've done that in parts and completely on the same bike. Terrain? Straight up and down in Appalachia, flat and long days in the midwest, more hills in MO, disappearing roads, gravel mud and question in SE Kansas...a bit of everything. Since then I've been on snow-covered trails, steep hills along the three rivers here and the very convenient and interconnected rail trails of packed limestone. I rode 28c tires across the country and currently have Continental "32s" which are more like 29 when measured. All good. My commuter is a Disc Trucker, specifically for the more lumbering handling giving confidence in the darkness, stoutness for unexpected potholes and bumps, and ability of discs to work in the most unfortunate of winter precipitation (more due tonight). I wouldn't choose it for a spirited trip across several hours or counties, specifically why I bought the new Ram. Andy Cheatham Pittsburgh On Monday, March 23, 2015 at 1:19:51 PM UTC-4, alan lavine wrote: > > Hi to All, > > As Spring approaches, and summer plans are formulated, I'm thinking how to > best use my current fleet. I have read, and firmly believe, that the Ram > could be used for light touring. I'd love to hear about your experiences > with this. What kind of terrain, your rack/pannier/bags/basket set up, > tires, etc. Pictures would be lovely, as well. What do you think are > reasonable limits in terms of weight? > > All and any wisdom is much appreciated...I feel that someone on this list > has already done anything I'm even contemplating, so why reinvent the wheel? > > Thanks in advance, > Alan > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
