Upgrade R wheel for touring

[Crankarm]

While not a sack full, I do often take a pound or so of new spuds and use them on the first night out.

As I have said before, it can be up to 30kg. more usual would be 25kg and I don't think I get down to 20 kg very often. I usually set of with water, beer, brandy and milk making up 6.5kg alone! On occasion I take a telescope and tripod at 3.5 kg. So there's 10kg before the shelter, cooking, sleeping, first aid/survival gear, maps, field guide, water purification, food, binoculars, tools, spares, lights, wet weather gear, wash kit, change of clothes, boots, book ...etc...etc.


While not wishing to disparage the advice offered, I can only go by the evidence of my own experience. I have been doing similar, previously on even more inappropriate bikes, for over 40 yrs. Yes I have broken a rack, and a few spokes but it's evident from reading these forums that expensive kit is no protection from such things. I wonder how many of the dire warnings are based on actual experience of disasters when carrying such weights or are the result of untested "accepted wisdom"?

My current rack for example is a cheap Blackburn clone, it has survived 8yrs of such treatment and is none the worse for it.

As for my enjoyment of my cycling... I think a great part of the misunderstanding here lies with the fact that we are discussing different activities with different objectives. I am usually not out to cover ground, reach a destination, confined to an itinary or deadline. I am not particularly fit and carrying the accumulated injuries of 56yrs along with my 30kg of kit, if have to push a mile or so uphill, I might do it in 100yd stages stopping to admire the view as often as I like. After all, I have everything I need with me and where else am I so desperate to be in such a hurry anyway? There are few places in the UK where you need to climb for more than 1 - 2 miles without getting to somewhere worth being. I am quit content for my bike to become a donkey or a wheelbarrow when necessary.

I think that the tendency these days for the widespread belief that expensive and high tech kit is needed for almost any activity is I suspect the result of the triumph of marketing over experience. I note that even some of the routes I have long taken across the moors have now been designated by various marketing organisations as "difficult", "requiring fitness" "demanding" or even as "suitable for mountain bikes only". Well I think that depends on how quick you want to go. What do these people think we did before they discovered how much we were willing to spend on their overpriced and over hyped equipment?

While I have no real concern about how much other people feel the need to spend, I think it is sad that youngsters and beginners might be denied the adventure and enjoyment of making do by the dominance of commercialism/consumerism that pervades so many activities these days.

Thanks again for all the advice, even that which I haven't taken.

Well you seem to have your own system that you have tried, tested and refined over many decades that has served you well. Long may it continue to do so and bring you many more years of enjoyment.

Happy touring and safe cycling.

 

[sgw]

Well you seem to have your own system that you have tried, tested and refined over many decades that has served you well. Long may it continue to do so and bring you many more years of enjoyment.

Happy touring and safe cycling.

Thanks Crankarm and the same to you.

To show any doubters the sort of places that can be reached by an old fart on a cheap bike rescued from a skip, with paitience, a bit of effort and a lot of pushing. Here is the outlook from todays picnic spot. Only a day pack this time though. Probably only about 5 - 6 kg of sarnies, pastries and milk shakes. The "bridleway up can be seen centre picture curling over the midground crag and down the fell behind to exit left centre. An interesting contrast of slippy wet peat and grippy gritstone:-