Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Slothrop
08-21-02, 01:53 PM
OK... So I'm in Europe at the moment, but when I return in less than a year, I'm planning a long solo tour down the east coast (Boston to SC), then across to Tulsa, take some time off, to LA then up to SF, in the late spring/early summer. Long trip, but I have plenty of time to train up over here once I get a cheap rodie.
So, I have a trek 7600, which seems decent, but it's not really a touring bike, and I'm worried about the overly upright stance and possibly insufficient gearing. I've been considering getting a new bike for the final leg of the touring, but something that doesn't really overlap in function with the trek (my commuter bike) so something more road-bikey, for long weekend rides and such. This leads somewhat into my second question, which is: How available are cheap hostelish things in America? I've never traveled the country this way before, and I'm wondering just how light I can take this tour.
Back to bikes, I've though a little of the Giant OCR1, since I think that I'd get more use out of it later than other, touring specific, bikes (like the Fuji Touring), and it has a nice group for the price. Can't take front panniers because of the CF fork, but I think that it can manage a back rack for mid weight touring. Feel free to disabuse me of that notion if you know it to be incorrect.
Anyhow, that's long enough for starters, feel free to ask any clarifing questions that you might have.
So, I have a trek 7600, which seems decent, but it's not really a touring bike, and I'm worried about the overly upright stance and possibly insufficient gearing. I've been considering getting a new bike for the final leg of the touring, but something that doesn't really overlap in function with the trek (my commuter bike) so something more road-bikey, for long weekend rides and such. This leads somewhat into my second question, which is: How available are cheap hostelish things in America? I've never traveled the country this way before, and I'm wondering just how light I can take this tour.
Back to bikes, I've though a little of the Giant OCR1, since I think that I'd get more use out of it later than other, touring specific, bikes (like the Fuji Touring), and it has a nice group for the price. Can't take front panniers because of the CF fork, but I think that it can manage a back rack for mid weight touring. Feel free to disabuse me of that notion if you know it to be incorrect.
Anyhow, that's long enough for starters, feel free to ask any clarifing questions that you might have.