Your set up is great Bill. Gawd I love those Beckman's. I have a pair of NOS fronts a friend sold to me when he lucked upon a practically unused Bruce Gordon tourer from the early 90's.
I'm going with front panniers also. But they'll be mounted high which helps a bit in the pushing department. My main concern was manhandling a heavy front load on steep jeep roads or single track. Or deep sand. Here's the Master at work. Ian Hibell: <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1_Y77AI0OTA/WwuGy6t67SI/AAAAAAAAA3c/TLxjfNmdLRQw098DKgXabL4VZyqXb6mUQCLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BMaster%2BAt%2BWork.jpg> So look at everything and ask Do I need it? and Is there someway I can lighten it? Ounces add up to pounds. And keep the light stuff up front. It's less wearing on you. And hope you don't come across a road like the one in your left hand photo. That's ugly. Craig in Tucson On Sunday, May 27, 2018 at 4:24:11 PM UTC-7, Bill Schairer wrote: > > Craig, > > I enjoyed browsing your photos. It actually looks as though your setups > are pretty close to mine. > > I did take a S24O practice ride Friday to Saturday. Only 15 miles to and > from campground but two gravel grades I couldn’t make without pushing. I > can do both unloaded but I’m pretty sure now that both are hike a bikes for > me if I’m loaded no matter how I try. Loaded rig weighed in at 75 but then > I added a book, windbreaker and some food. Let’s say 80. I’m 175 ready to > ride so even if I shave off 10 pounds of gear that’s not even 4% and I have > no interest in trying to do what the UL guys do. My bike ready to roll for > everyday riding is about 38 or, say, roughly half of what I had on this > S24O. That was about 5 lbs for each front bag and a not very well balanced > rear load of 7/12. The rest is the tent, pad and whatever the handlebar bag > was. I do think that 10 pounds would make a much bigger difference when > pushing compared to when riding but I did manage. I guess I didn't find > the front bags particularly annoying while pushing. Had fun, learned a few > things and will probably do one or two more before my trip and will give > thought to doing one without the front bags to see what I think. > Interestingly, ACA does highly recommend a front/rear setup and I have to > be mindful of allowing capacity for my share of community items. My rear > bags do have massive capacity though so I might be able to do it rear only. > I'll look at that. I do need practice with the tent! I was horribly > inefficient setting up in wind. Fortunately, it wasn’t raining but, much > to my surprise, I got some of what passes for rain in San Diego during the > night and in the morning. > > I will have a chain tool and enough other tools of my own to do most > repairs. Somewhere in my materials I think is a list of the community > tools which I'll review. Were I to be trying the entire GDMBR I would > probably expand the set of tools on board. > > > If the pictures attach, one shows a hike a bike section of softball+ > gravel that is relatively level. I tried to ride that once, fell and have > decided I’m too old for that. The other shows the grade Saturday S-ing up > from the top of the trees in the center. I think that is about where I > gave out. The third is resting on my push up that same grade looking back. > The angle of my bike might give some indication as to what the grade was > there. I probably pushed somewhere between 1/4 to 1/3 mile on a 15%+ grade. > > > One thing I’ve learned from my test rides is that riding a loaded up bike > is a great way to meet people! They come over to talk in camp and riders > who would ordinarily blow right by me, slow down and chat for a while. Of > course, I’m embarrassed to admit I’m not even 15 miles from home, haha. > > > > > On Sunday, May 27, 2018 at 10:26:27 AM UTC-7, Craig Montgomery wrote: >> >> Yo Bill, as one 65 year old fart to another, you're gonna have a >> blast. I have to say that because I'm about to do the Colorado segment with >> another 65 yr old. We gotta stick together. >> I like the comments so far. Food for thought is wonderful when you >> have that hunger of anticipation. Patrick made a good point. If you've ever >> thought ultralight now's the time. And keep as much off the front as >> possible. It's much easier to push a loaded bike without awkwardly >> bulgeous front panniers. There's less manhandling, which can be >> exhausting. If you can forgo the front panniers altogether do it. >> Which leads me to a suggestion. Get a Nitto lampholder 2-70 (SJS >> Cycles) and hang a Nelson long flap or Camper off of it. This makes pushing >> uphill much more manageable as your legs don't end up knocking into the >> panniers when the bike is being unwieldly. Here is a lampholder in action >> on the front of my Condor touring bike (with front panniers in this >> instance) and then my set up on the Dave Bohm in steep country: >> >> >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/24722971@N05/34136413404/in/album-72157684433492685/ >> >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/24722971@N05/2619731131/in/album-72157605875983685/ >> >> The Condor has small front panniers (Carradice Super C's) on this >> particular trip. Sometimes I like front panniers because I carry a lot of >> water here in desert country. Up there in the northern country water is >> less of an issue. Since you're going on an organized tour I'd ask one of >> the leaders what he/she thinks about this. A light front end in rough >> country is handy. >> >> As far as bears go I've not had any experience with bear spray but I >> have had experience with bears. I take a marine whistle. These things are >> killer loud and they make bears go away in rapid retreat. At least brown >> bears. You might just piss off a grizzly. At which point you'd probably >> wish you'd brought bear spray. >> https://www.campmor.com/c/harmony-tornado-t2000-marine-whistle >> >> As you're on an organized tour you probably won't need these things but I >> always bring a chain tool, a headset/pedal wrench combo, and a crank >> wrench. Have never had a bottom bracket come loose but have had cranks >> loosen up. Have also had a loose headset or two. Weird things happen on >> rough roads. >> >> I prefer rain capes to rain jackets. Don't care about wet legs. But >> that is a desert adaptation. You're less worried about warmth and capes are >> much cooler when riding. They also make a great mini-tent when you sit >> cross-legged and wait out a storm. >> >> Have fun. >> Craig in Tucson >> >> On Friday, May 11, 2018 at 3:52:24 PM UTC-7, Bill Schairer wrote: >>> >>> Just received final confirmation (on my 65th birthday) from AC that our >>> tour from Banff to Whitefish on the GDMBR is officially a go. I have been >>> excitedly prepping myself and my Atlantis for this adventure. Hanging from >>> the frame will be: >>> >>> >>> Bruce Gordon front and rear racks >>> >>> VO decaleur front rack >>> >>> 3 cheapo/clearance water bottle cages from Nashbar >>> >>> B17 saddle, very well broken in and so comfortable >>> >>> Sugino triple 46/36/24 >>> >>> Shimano A530 pedals (spd one side, platform the other) >>> >>> Suntour Cyclone FD >>> >>> Suntour VGT RD >>> >>> Suntour bar-end friction shifters >>> >>> Shimano HG-400-9 12-36 cassette >>> >>> Crane Creek brake levers on Specialized 40mm drop bars (swapped from >>> stoker position on tandem for Albastache) >>> >>> Shimano cantilever brakes >>> >>> Deore LX 32/36 hubs laced by RL to Velocity Synergy 700C rims >>> >>> Schwalbe Mondial 50mm tires (measure at 47-48 @ 40 psi on the Velocity >>> rims) >>> >>> >>> I’ve decided against fenders because clearance is so tight, I am not >>> sure I can fit them in the bike box, it will simplify break down and >>> reassembly (which I’ll be doing myself), and it will reduce toe overlap. I >>> may decide to borrow 40 hole, White Industries, Velocity Dyad front wheel >>> from tandem but probably not. I’ll box the bike myself in a Bikeflights >>> cardboard box and check for $25 on Alaskan Airlines. >>> >>> May opt for a smaller water bottle on the bottom - that’s pretty tight. >>> 40+ year old Kirtland handlebar bag, Beckman front and rear panniers. I >>> suspect there will be some modifications yet as I ride and fiddle. >>> Certainly, this is no UL rig but I can and have lifted it over obstacles as >>> much as 2 ft high. Maybe I'll be lucky and get a "whatever it takes" >>> comment. >>> >>> I have plenty of touring experience but do not have a lot of >>> off-pavement experience. I have been doing some practicing here in San >>> Diego to try to get ready. I have successfully taken this unloaded up a >>> about half-mile 15-22% gravel grade but only made it up about half way on >>> my one and only loaded attempt. Pushing the rest of the way was no picnic. >>> I will try again doubtlessly. I’m a little concerned about climbs like this >>> at altitude but one way or another, I’ll manage. Interestingly (to me), >>> I’ve found riding loaded on gravel is easier for me (except for steepest >>> grades) than unloaded. I don’t have to concentrate so much on keeping my >>> weight back or worry about lifting the front wheel. The load also seems to >>> smooth out the rough a bit and the ride feels more stable to me. It is >>> harder to correct my line if I lose it though, especially climbing. >>> >>> >>> As excited as I am, my wife is a bit peeved as I start on her birthday. >>> I’ve tried to explain that this is when the tour is offered so there really >>> wasn’t any choice and I’m getting to the point in life where I have to stop >>> dreaming of doing these things and just do them. >>> >>> >>> Oh, and other RBW content, MUSA pants will double as my off bike pants >>> and rain/wind pants. My wife even gave me another pair for my birthday >>> because she knows I like them so much. Sorry for the length of post but I’m >>> excited! >>> >>> >>> Unloaded and loaded (projected) attached? >>> >>> >>> Bill >>> >> -- 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 https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
