Ultra light touring

[steveindenmark]

This may interest some of you who want to give ultra light touring a go.

http://www.cyclocamping.com/news/camping-tips/try-ultralight-touring-for-your-next-bicycle-trip.aspx

Steve

 

[Scoosh]

errr .... what ....






Oh - you mean this ?

EDIT: ah ! you have a link now

 

[midliferider]

My recent tour of Portugal for one week was done in my trusted B Twin Triban 3 with just a overnight a bag on the saddle post rack. Not even a proper rack or pannier.
But I don't carry a tent but instead rely on B and B's along the route. My motto is "for everything else there is Master Card".

 

[midliferider]

But I have two questions to ask from experienced tourers who advocate ultralight touring.
1. It is not possible to use a road bike when there is no tarmac or hard road surface. Any views on that?
2. My B Twin has its original wheels. Would you recommend a more sturdy set of wheels (not for speed but strength). But then do I really need it?

 

[sidevalve]

I must begin by saying I have never done any really long distance tours "off the map" but I do know that in my youth I did some long trips on a road bike which included some terrible bits of ground, from towpaths [before they were "smartened up"] to just plain old field boundaries and unmade roads. I never even considered that the bike wouldn't make it and it always came through. Perhaps the latest generation of carbon framed lightweights might be a little "delicate" [and thus IMHO less usefull as real bikes] but I would suggest that any of the steel framed touring bikes by makers such as Dawes would be very suitable. The few grammes saved by using specialized frames won't be much different when you've ridden through a few mud puddles anyhow. As I have said before - if a bike is too delicate to ride wrap it in cotton wool and take it to a velodrome where it belongs then buy a bike you can ride and have FUN on.

 

[TheDoctor]

I regularly take a carbon bike off road, and my Ribble winter frame has done off-road with a weeks luggage for two on it. Bikes are nowhere near as fragile as some people seem to think.
It does get a bit uncomfy though.

 

[midliferider]

It is not the comfort or how sturdy the bike is.
But 23 or 25c tyres and brakes on a road bike cause problems in tow paths or old railways lines.

 

[frank9755]

Would you recommend a more sturdy set of wheels (not for speed but strength). But then do I really need it?

It depends what you weigh. The heaviest thing anyone takes on a tour is their own body!

 

[mmmmartin]

There is an awful lot of bollocks talked about bikes and frames. Frank9755 is right.
I would suggest you ride it until you break it, then fix it and ride it some more.

 

[vernon]

I've toured on a road bike - a Raleigh Equippe with 700c x 25mm tyres. I fitted a rack using p-clips and did a C2C on it. It was my first cycle camping tour and the only failing was the gears a 52/39 front chainset with whatever the six speed cassette was at the rear meant that a few of the more challenging hills saw me resorting to the 24" gear - two feet. The frame clearly wasn't designed with touring and a twenty five stone rider in mind and it flexed alarmingly. We both completed the ride unscathed taking in smooth tarmac, railway trackbeds and some rough stuff. I used to use 700c x 25mm tyres on my Dawes Galaxies and eventually fitted 28mm then 32mm tyres with no noticeable improvement in ride quality.

Hat's off to the weight weenies - if minimalism floats their boat good luck to them. Same for the credit card tourers. There isn't a best solution that suits all and sundry only best solutions that are bespoke and suit the needs of an individual.

I've broken a couple of Galaxy frames in the past. One I had brazed up and was back on the road within two hours of it breaking. The other lead to it being abandoned in Orleans and me continuing the ride on a brand new Decathlon touring hybrid which quickly dispelled the myth that aluminium framed bikes are stiff, unyielding and literally a pain in the butt.