Tandem Cycling - Are you touring on your tandem?

If you are touring on your tandem, do you have any pics of you bike fully loaded? I am interested in seeing how much stuff you can reasonably carry on a tandem tour.

i have a devil of a time uploading pics here. But we are setting off on GOBA (great ohio bike adventure) on Father's day. like last year, the burley will carry a handlebar pack, rack trunk and rear panniers. Wayne at thetouringstore.com set me up with a matching set in blue!

Sounds cool.

i don't have front racks, but that setup carries a lot of stuff. and it seems to help with the unequal weight distribution on the bike (capt 245#, stoker 75#).

There must be a big difference in load depending on whether the riders are camping or staying in motels. Tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cookset, etc. Is there a different designation for touring styles?

oh, i don't haul all that stuff! i think it would be tricky to carry everything for tent camping. credit card touring, or supported tours like GOBA are easy.

I was thinking of the cheap touring from campsite to campsite requiring you to bring a tent. Just wondering where and how to pack all of the required items.

for all that stuff, you would definitely need the space in the front panniers.

Don't have any pictures, but on our first tour on our tandem we only had a rear rack so everything had to go back there. Also didn't have the best gear for compact and lightweight camping so it was quite a load with a 4-man tent, non-compressing K-Mart sleeping bags, assorted kitchen pots/pans and a Coleman gasoline stove, etc. Bike plus gear weighed in at 100 lbs. with most of that in the rear panniers and on top of the rack. At least one plus was that cars gave us some extra room due to the sleeping bags sticking way out to the sides.

Later got a front rack and a second set of full-size panniers to even out the load.

do you have any pics of you bike fully loaded?

Yes, let's see the eye candy. Pretty please?

I dream of doing some credit card touring with my wife once the kids get a little older and we end up buying a road tandem. I've only been tandeming for a month but like to live vicariously through the rest of you and daydream when my wife and I can do this ourselves.

There must be a big difference in load depending on whether the riders are camping or staying in motels. Tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cookset, etc. Is there a different designation for touring styles?

Staying in motels is usually referred to as "credit-card touring"; camping is referred to as "self-supported touring" unless a SAG wagon carries your belongings in which case it is called "supported touring".

Sofar we have done one "credit-card tour" (i.e. staying in hotels) We went from Springfield, IL to Joliet, IL following the Route 66 Bicycle Trail (http://www.bikelib.org/route66/) (most of it is actually on-road riding). This is what we looked like:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_jm8Vwc9ea5Q/ShtUJbU816I/AAAAAAAAAbU/4UJRIfS6SxA/s720/PICT0978.JPG

It was a 4 day, 3 night tour and obviously we packed too much stuff. But we still did better than our friends who had 2 similar panniers each loaded to the nines.
The panniers are Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus on a cheap Performance rack. I intend to replace the rack someday with a Tubus Cargo Rack
The front rack is a Tubus Tara (and we have Ortlieb Sport Packer Plus panniers to go with them)
Panniers and front rack were purchased from Wayne @ TheTouringStore.com. He has excellent customer service, competitive pricing and free shipping. He says he is the largest Ortlieb dealer in the US.

We plan to do our first self-supported tour next month in Northern Michigan, but we won't be bringing cooking gear

We have done two fully loaded test rides (40 and 60 miles). We just packed the panniers with dirty laundry and books. I strongly suggest you do that as well before you go out on your first trip, because the handling is quite different. It is harder to start and stop with the extra weight and it appears to be more straight tracking, meaning making turns was a little harder to do

Duppie

Loads and loads of journals accompanied by pix of weighed-down tandems located here (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/categories/?o=3Tzut&category_id=88&doctype=journal).

Andy

Yes, let's see the eye candy. Pretty please?

If you are into loaded touring visit this (http://www.fullyloadedtouring.com/) website. Some of the finest bike-porn available anywhere!
My personal favorite:
http://i.pbase.com/o4/85/557985/1/57818349.GerbenAlponaMoCan.jpg
That picture makes me want to leave work now, go home, pack my bags, and leave...
Duppie

duppie,
Are you planning your ride in the northern LP, or the UP of Michigan? there are some fun hills up there!

If you are into loaded touring visit this (http://www.fullyloadedtouring.com/) website. Some of the finest bike-porn available anywhere!


Geez, a lot of those bikes look like their riders need to spend some time at the Backpacking Light forum (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/display_forum.html?forum=18&id=WcaJbeY4:65.215.211.2). Touring by road bike, since there is access to convenience stores, should involve less load than backpacking in the wilderness. Yet many of the bikes depicted are 'fully loaded' then some.

Here's my 18 lb. pack, during a 4 night backpacking trip last summer.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3095/2739665581_a9fd82aa63.jpg


Here is one of those 'fully loaded' tandems. I'd having everything for two in the two rear panniers, and that's it.

http://k41.pbase.com/g6/85/557985/2/81663826.AkjxWAGb.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_jm8Vwc9ea5Q/ShtUJbU816I/AAAAAAAAAbU/4UJRIfS6SxA/s720/PICT0978.JPG

It was a 4 day, 3 night tour and obviously we packed too much stuff.

Hmmm, looks to me like you are traveling pretty light. I don't know how we'll ever do it because my wife packs more stuff than that for just a one night stay! I guess, like the suitcase, she'll get half my side of the pannier, too. :lol:

duppie,
Are you planning your ride in the northern LP, or the UP of Michigan? there are some fun hills up there!
LP. We plan to go from Muskegon north to Manistee, then East into the the Manistee National Forest and South from there back to Muskegon. Four or five days.
Are you familiar in the Manistee National Forest? It's unclear from Google sattelite view whether the roads in the forest are paved or wether they are packed dirt. I want to avoid having to purchase a gazillion detailed topographic maps, and it appears that Michigan does not have bike specific maps covering the entire state (like Illinois has).
Duppie

To see pictures of tandems on loaded tours go to www.crazyguyonabike.com and look at the tandem section.

Sheldon and Martha Hall
Greenfield, IN

There are a bunch of photos from our week long camping honeymoon of Nova Scotia from last summer on our website. Here is an example shot showing the tandem and the BOB trailer. The BOB was packed a bit better after this photo was taken. One big change we've made since last summer was replace our old large thermarests with new ones that actually pack small.

http://honeycycle.com/picsengine/#album=2/photo=48

LP. We plan to go from Muskegon north to Manistee, then East into the the Manistee National Forest and South from there back to Muskegon. Four or five days.
Are you familiar in the Manistee National Forest? It's unclear from Google sattelite view whether the roads in the forest are paved or wether they are packed dirt. I want to avoid having to purchase a gazillion detailed topographic maps, and it appears that Michigan does not have bike specific maps covering the entire state (like Illinois has).
Duppie

Would a GPS be worthwhile for your needs?

i would be surprised if the roads in the manistee forest are paved. it's pretty wild in there.

LP. I want to avoid having to purchase a gazillion detailed topographic maps, and it appears that Michigan does not have bike specific maps covering the entire state (like Illinois has).
Duppie

If you go to http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9615_11223---,00.html there is options to download or order different maps. The ones I like are under the "Regional Bike Maps" link. You can download pdf files or order a paper copy. They show unpaved, paved, paved with paved shoulder and traffic volume.

Dave

If you go to http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9615_11223---,00.html there is options to download or order different maps. The ones I like are under the "Regional Bike Maps" link. You can download pdf files or order a paper copy. They show unpaved, paved, paved with paved shoulder and traffic volume.

Dave
mibike,
Thanks for that link. I had been there before but had not found the area we needed. Looking at it again more closely it turns out to be there, at least partially.
Thanks again.
Duppie

Have done credit card and supported tours for years.
On short (3 to 4 days) credit card tours we have the weight whittled down to 22 lbs in trunk rack/rear panniers.That means minimal gear. Wash out cycling clothes in motel.
Suppported tours you only need a trunk bag for gear (like arm/leg warmers, tyvek jacket, snacks, etc.).
If you treally want to carry a big load, get a trailer + front and rear panniers. But be prepared to be stuggling up the hillls and with such a load at slowspeeds you'll be a bit wobbly.
Toured the UP in Michigan back in mid-70s. Drummond Island was a great place to ride but Mackinac Island was a real zoo . . . no cars, but cyclists all over the place that had no clue on what they were doing . . . like half dozen of them congregated in the middle of the road. And, oh yes, watch out for all that horse manure!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Duppie: Love your retro jersey with the Belgian national colors!

Duppie: Love your retro jersey with the Belgian national colors!

Those retro wool DeMarchi (http://www.demarchi.com/) jerseys were available for awhile at Sierra Trading Post (http://www.sierratradingpost.com/d/4287_Cycling-Gear.html) for a good price. I got the French one. They are a tad itchy, and I like wearing them over tee-shirt style base layer, maybe in a smooth itchless merino.

These would be nice for credit card touring, because with the wool, they don't look so cycling specific, and you can wear them as a shirt with pants après ride, which means there is one less shirt to pack. Also, the wool is comfortable over a wide range of temperatures (to about 75 degrees), remains comfortable when damp, and will remain odor-free over several days.

Am I right about this Duppie?

Duppie: Love your retro jersey with the Belgian national colors!
Being Dutch, I like to think of it as an 'Eddy Merkx' jersey. After all, he is the one who made this jersey famous. It's a little like an American wearing a Maple Leaf jersey for no particular reason :)


Those retro wool DeMarchi (http://www.demarchi.com/) jerseys were available for awhile at Sierra Trading Post (http://www.sierratradingpost.com/d/4287_Cycling-Gear.html) for a good price. I got the French one. They are a tad itchy, and I like wearing them over tee-shirt style base layer, maybe in a smooth itchless merino.

These would be nice for credit card touring, because with the wool, they don't look so cycling specific, and you can wear them as a shirt with pants après ride, which means there is one less shirt to pack. Also, the wool is comfortable over a wide range of temperatures (to about 75 degrees), remains comfortable when damp, and will remain odor-free over several days.

Am I right about this Duppie?
Very well said. The jersey is a wool/acrlyic blend, so it keeps it shape very well. The itching isn't any worse than with any other wool sweater I have. None-country specific styles of this jersey currently on sale at Nashbar for $59.99

Duppie

If you are touring on your tandem, do you have any pics of you bike fully loaded? I am interested in seeing how much stuff you can reasonably carry on a tandem tour.

We are new to touring also. Did our first shakedown ride last night with rear panniers and loaded trailer (borrowed from our local bike club). I was impressed with the BOB. The effect on handling was barely noticeable. We averaged 15 mph on the 30 mile ride. I haven't weighed everything, but its mostly what we carry backpacking, so I guess 50+ lbs of gear + pannier weight + BOB weight. We will try an overnight trip to a local state park next weekend. If that goes well, then maybe a week long tour of state parks later in the summer.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3376/3630376039_0f33e98a73_o.jpg

The two grey cases plus red bag are the bikes. The forth bag is bike bits and pieces and the last bag and carry ons are for clothes for the three of us...

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa239/djsincla/Santana/IMG_2949.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa239/djsincla/Santana/Tandem.jpg


Touring San Juan Islands - We selected a B&B for the start and end of the trip where we stored our travel cases/airline bags - Packed the bike with clothes and travelled to Islands and B&B's...

Any heavier than this you need to look at moving your gear to a trailer. Bike handled fine. Our son's Hase Trets trike can be used as a trailer by folding the seat flat and as you can see by the above red bag, travels well.
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa239/djsincla/Santana/Photo5of24_2.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa239/djsincla/Santana/Photo14of24-1.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa239/djsincla/Santana/Photo12of25-1.jpg

Tandem touring for us is camping. We bring no food, choosing to eat at resturants along our route, and not mess with preparation or clean up. Our B.O.B. is about 17 pounds empty. When loaded it's just under 50 pounds. We carry three days cycling clothes and one set of clothes for evenings. So far we have always stayed at Michigan State parks. Backpacking is one thing, but after 60 to 80 miles a day on the bike, We insist on getting a shower.

Michigan State parks also have a rule that says if you show up on foot, or by bike, they have to let you stay, even if they are full. You may not get a campsite, you will pay full price, & you have to be out by 10:00 am the next morning, but you have access to the showers and bathrooms. And the scenery is usually quite nice.

Rick

whether the roads in the forest are paved or wether they are packed dirt.

The Manistee National Forrest will be all seasonal 2 track roads or footpath. It is paved only into the Nordhouse Dunes Recreational area whick is north of Ludington.

When are you touring. I live Near Muskegon.

From our trip in 2007. Gear weighed 80 pounds. Total weight was 400 pounds.

You can find more pictures here: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=2119&v=1fA

Do any of you guys who do self supporting tours, (SST), ie camping gear, ever use Hennessey hammocks and Trangia alcohol stoves? These 2 items alone reduce weight a fair bit.

From my solo road and Mtb SST experiences, with/without a BoB trailer, you need to educate yourself to pack the bare essentials. It's amazing what you DON'T need on tour, but allow yourself some treats.

From our trip in 2007. Gear weighed 80 pounds. Total weight was 400 pounds.

You can find more pictures here: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=2119&v=1fA

I'm assuming you were staying in hotels and no camping? I say that because it does not look like you were carrying a tent or sleeping bags, pads etc.

Motels were one of the options we used, but we also camped. There is a tent, sleeping bags, pillows & pads packed in those bags. There is a list of gear we took along in our journal at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=2119&v=1fA

here is a link to an upcoming tour I have planned along with pics of the bike loadedhttp://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Tourdemiller2

this is a shorter shakedown run for one I have planned for the month of Sept this year

here is a link to an upcoming tour I have planned along with pics of the bike loadedhttp://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Tourdemiller2

this is a shorter shakedown run for one I have planned for the month of Sept this year
I notice you're using GT-54s rather than TT-84s. What degree of "self-contained" do you have in mind? Credit card? Full camping gear? Camping but not cooking? When we toured self-contained 25 years ago on singles we had what superficially look like what you have - each. But that could be just appearances. I'm wondering whether the extra 28l is worth it for our planned trip(s).

We did our first tour in the spring, riding from Santa Cruz CA to San Luis Obispo CA. We camped 3 nights and stayed in hotels 2 nights. The trailer weighed about 60 lbs. We carried a tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, stove, cooking gear, clothes, food, etc. The trailer had minimial effect on the handling at low speeds (14% grade at 3.5 mph) and higher speeds (40 mph).

In the photo, we have 2 blue bags on top of the Yak bag. The lower one has the tent and sleeping pads, the higher one has a small day pack. The blue bags were used to protect things from the rain.

Ours will be credit card .... so just clothes /tools / some food as there is not a lot of stores along the way (for lunch) ...

Motels were one of the options we used, but we also camped. There is a tent, sleeping bags, pillows & pads packed in those bags. There is a list of gear we took along in our journal at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=2119&v=1fA

You packed efficiently and your camping gear was light and small. :thumb:

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=108726&stc=1&d=1245578456


This is our tandem touring last year, four big panniers, trailer with our six month daughter in. Oh and one good looking wife prity much completes the gear. We went across five countries (Germany to Hungary) camping all the way. Totally self contained. JUst like cycle touring should be.

We are off again soon, hopfully for a couple of months. Only difference is now we will have bigger trailer as we now have two daughters. One will be 19 months old the other four months.

Just dont take much and have fun riding.

Cheers

http://http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=108728&stc=1&d=1245579657

What it looks like unpacked.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=108733&stc=1&d=1245580445

What is all about

Totally self contained. JUst like cycle touring should be.

Gee and I thought the important thing about this was---- the riding.... sight seeing.... time with people...people you meet and the wind in your face

Now I see you HAVE to carry everything....hmmm things you learn:rolleyes:

If you are touring on your tandem, do you have any pics of you bike fully loaded? I am interested in seeing how much stuff you can reasonably carry on a tandem tour.

We enjoy tandem touring. Here is our fully loaded rig about half way through our ride from Frankfurt to Budapest.

It is amazing how much stuff a credit card will fit.

We enjoy tandem touring. Here is our fully loaded rig about half way through our ride from Frankfurt to Budapest.

It is amazing how much stuff a credit card will fit.

Yer depeding on the size of your credit card. Nice bike, looks very swish, what is it? see you have C@C couplings on it. They are just the best thing. Wish I had discovered them years ago. Credit card touring, great stuff, no weight, ride as hard as you like between cafe's.

If you fly past us some where in Euro land this summer give us a wave. :thumb:

Just goes to show there is no "best" way to tour, they are all good. And I beleive I have sampled most methods from Euro credit card to bone shaker on Indian built bike across east africa, mountain bike, DF Tandem in Mongolia (no roads) China great food and people, etc etc.

They are all good. main thing is to get out there and have some fun. I have a week more to do here in Kazakstan, then a quick trip to Middle east, then some time with wifes family in Canada. Then finaly we can load up the bike and head off. Less than four weeks time, no schedule no agenda, Just great.

Marijana and I are often touring on the Supremo from our weekend base on the northern Adriatic. Our 'tours' range from spur of the moment overnights or weekends, to longer trips of a week or two. At our ages, we avoid being uncomfortable - so we travel by credit card and remain flexible in our route to jump at any time on a train to where the sun is most likely to shine and continue from there. In Europe, all one needs to do to get on ANY train, including the TGV, is to put the tandem in a 'housse', which means any kind of sack or bag, and presto - it is no longer a bike but just baggage. We had a very light nylon zippered bag made to fit the tandem dimensions from stem to rack and rear derailler with the wheels tied safely to the frame. Rain...train...maybe Spain - we made that up last year while we were touring southern France.
For our gear we put in a light rear rack and a very light set of panniers, and up front a handlebar bag. It had proven more than enough, but we also the option of a pack on top of the rear rack if needed. All we need are our toiletries, street clothes and sandals, and an extra cycling outfit. We attach a Garmin GPS to the handlebar with a short strap, so that it is always handy. I think we carry no more than 4 kilos extra in total...and that allows us to ride along with the many racers we encounter who are out for serious training rides. They are absolutely amazed at the speed of the tandem, even more that we don't get too far behind on hills. We are very used to short and steep climbs - it is 18 percent just to get up to our own village!
Co-Mo is currently making us a new tandem. We want to do more trips through the Dolomites and Alps, which are so temptingly visible from our terrace, and we think it will be less of a grind and more enjoyable with around 5 kilos less...and no, in case anyone is wondering, we don't have the option of eating fewer doughnuts and losing it off our arses since we are already trim. http://www.flickr.com/photos/uaz04/3533593654/

Seems like the photo did not load, so I'll continue this message and then try again [sorry all, I think this is my first posting]
Since we have our weekend house in such a nice location, we are more and more often getting tandem tourist guests from warmshowers.org, maybe 4-5 tandems in the past year..some just traveling Istria region, some going around the world. Most of the tandems who visit us are strong and packed to the rafters, making me feel guilty for living at the top of an 18percent climb :eek:
For the new tandem, we are currently debating the component mix, and there are some very difficult choices to be made. I suppose that discussion is for another thread, though. The only certainty was that we wanted to keep Co-Mo since the handling of our Supremo was great and company is so incredibly customer friendly that they have earned our loyalty. Otherwise, we are looking for a clever mix of components that are light and fast, with more flexibility on price.
Our current tandem:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uaz04/3533593654/
If that pic is shown, it is from the Giro this year - we rode along for a few days and yes, that is Mario Cipollini in the foreground.

michael

Sorry all...newby idiot...one more attempt to load a pic.

These are of our two week trip in Iceland. We used the large Ortlieb bags front and rear hanging on a Tubus racks. Bottom line is that you can carry about half what you could carry on two singles.