There are a few of us going on a week+long mini tour from the Oregon border to San Francisco. This is basically the same rig I used for my WA to Fontana tour a couple years ago but with the addition of front racks and a flat bar..... so guys post you rigs.......
It is so at least the seat post is facing the right direction. You see Mike has a habit of getting lost. :steppie:
Yeah, what he said. Naw, I don't have a straight post and turned this around to see if I wanted to change it. It works like this but I'm still going to change it as soon as I can find a deal on a straight seatpost in a 31.6 diameter.
My kind of beach. Jealous of those who tour. I am slowly accumulating the gear, but really need to improve the fitness (climbs). For my CrossCheck I have Ortlieb Backpacker Plus Rear Panniers, Acorn Medium Saddlebag, new Big Agnes Emerald Mountain tent. Need: Swap out Dura Ace double for a triple. Likely with a MTB cassette. Need all the help I can get. Front rack and better rear rack. Handlebar bag. Stove, cookware, etc. Hopefully next summer will be my inaugural tour. I have been thinking about it for almost 2 years. It is actually what got me into riding after seeing tourers for the first time when I was camping along the Lost Coast.
This is our trusty, rusty old steed! Guess the weight when we are both on it. We each weigh about 135 and 135(give or take).
Just curious... how much of a hassle was it shipping your tandem to Europe? I'm not gonna even guess at the total weight btw I'll post up my touring rig when I can find a pic...
The first time we did it, it wasn't too bad. That was 2000.The year, not the cost. Obviously after 9/11 is was a bit more difficult. Since then the airlines have gone progressively down hill. We hope to go again next may and I suspect it'll cost a pretty penny. Last time we flew there with the 'beast' was 2007 and it was about 200 bucks for the bike. One way. The worst part of flying it there is waiting for it at the destination praying it's in one piece. I'm a pretty good packer though.
Was that you guys coming down GMR on Sun? The bags in front looked like they were going touch the road in the corners. Who was who? I got a good look at all three of yous.
If you don't mind a little bit of lag time...ship it to Europe. Send it on a few days ahead. Both FedEx and UPS have seen such an uptick in business from the sports-equipment shippers since the airlines charge an arm and a leg (and good luck getting your luggage if you go through any of the European Hubs). Ends up costing about the same as paying the airline freight + its insured. Did that with Golf Clubs and know people who have done it with bikes...makes everything a breeze and you end up carrying less luggage. Alternate: So many bike touring companies over there, they'd be able to hook you up with a tandem that might end up costing the same to rent if you were doing a loop or a point-to-point between some of their supported cities.
American Airlines did a great job getting our tandem to Europe. We helped by putting casters on each corner so it rolled fairly well. That way the luggage handlers won't throw the bike. It worked great. As for shipping FedEx, the tandem is too big. It would cost a prohibitive amount of money and even then, they would not accept it due to the size. 200 bucks is a bargain at AA compared to the shipping companies. When we shipped the single bikes to France via FedEx in 2007, it still cost a lot but was better than a tandem.
That was us. I was on the Surly, Good ol' Slappy and Pain Freak were on the bikes in their pics. It was my first tour after getting my touring bike 4 years ago. Better late than never. First time on East Fork to GMR also.
