Originally Posted by fietsbob

Lola, the Kinks song [ Just had to add it.. ]


I met her in a club down in old Soho
Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry-cola
[LP version: Coca-cola]
C-o-l-a cola
She walked up to me and she asked me to dance
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola
L-o-l-a Lola lo-lo-lo-lo Lola

Well I'm not the worlds most physical guy
But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine
Oh my Lola lo-lo-lo-lo Lola
Well I'm not dumb but I can't understand
Why she walked like a woman and talked like a man
Oh my Lola lo-lo-lo-lo Lola lo-lo-lo-lo Lola…
...Well I'm not the worlds most masculine man
But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man
And so is Lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo Lola lo-lo-lo-lo Lola

Originally Posted by GeoKrpan

Ha, good story and well written. It got me thinking that, for that kind of touring, that carrying the load, or most of it, on your back would be better than on the bike.

Originally Posted by Leebo

Much better to balance the load with front and rear racks.

Originally Posted by KonAaron Snake

This post made me throw up in my mouth a little. Naming an inanimate bicycle is bad enough...but after a Barry Manilow song? I thought being named after a Kinks tune could be its redeeming quality

Originally Posted by jyl

Way back when, my friend and I decided to go on a mountain bike camping trip. We installed rear racks on our bikes and loaded up the biggest panniers we could find. We had both been gram-counting backpackers, and welcomed the prospect of a trip where we could carry whatever we wished - since the weight would be carried by our bikes not our backs.

The trip was to be 20 miles down the Sespe Creek canyon outside of Ojai, to some mythical hot springs where beautiful maidens bathed naked and beckoning, so we'd heard.

It was a beastly hot weekend in high summer. Our bikes, so lithe and nimble, rode like crippled water buffaloes. With fifty pounds on the rear wheels, we could hardly maneuver and hopping was impossible. We slammed into every rock and stump, smashed into every dip and hole, overran turns and washed out at any loose surface. Climbing became a gasping misery, then a leaden push. Descents were uncontrolled terror. Carrying our 80 pound bikes over water crossings was agony. It grew hotter. Far less than 20 miles in, we stopped and slept where we fell.

The next day it was even hotter. We started homeward, the bikes even heavier and somehow every uphill on the way in was also an uphill on the way out. After a while, we saw a brown haze, then a spreading stain in the sky, then rising smoke plumes. Oh eff. There was a forest fire in the canyon. And only one way out.

Now the trail was full of campers, struggling as fast as they could toward the trailhead ten miles away. The horse campers were fastest and soon disappeared, our curses trailing behind. We were pedaling hard, lungs hanging out of our dry mouths. The backpackers, desperately speedwalking under their forty pound packs, were left behind.

Pedal the lead pigs, crash and fall, heave the bastard bike upright, remount, flee on, scraped and bleeding. At the water crossings now we simply pushed the bikes through, heedless. Once my bike completely disappeared under water higher than its handlebars.

When we reached the trailhead, it looked like a disaster zone. Abandoned camping gear, cars spraying dirt as they zoomed off, forestry helicopters hovering over the river sucking water through long hoses, clouds of dust and the smell of burning brush. We never went mountain bike camping again, and I think I threw away the panniers in disgust.

Lesson: pack light.

Originally Posted by KonAaron Snake

I would go the other way...if I could only own one bike, it would be a tourer and I'd commute on it. I view tourers as the most versatile all a rounders...and while they may not be the ideal bike in every situation, they can usually function in any non-extreme situations. If I recall, your commuter is a townie, which simply lacks the versatility, or comfort of a tourer over distance. So...while touring on a townie can be problematic, commuting with a tourer isn't.

I would most definitely ride the distances you are thinking about touring first to make sure your saddle is comfortable and that the lack of hand positions won't be a problem for your back and hands; they certainly would be for me. That upright, one hand position might be ok for 5 mile jaunts in the city, but I'm betting it won't be for daily long riding. Your townie's upright position is also not ideal for climbing...a hill will likely take more out of you. I'd check the weight capacity of your rear rack...most standard racks that come on bikes like this have a surprisingly low carrying capacity. if you're just going light and staying in a motel, it won't be critical. You might be younger and more resilient than me...I like things to be optimal and I'm definitely a little fussy about comfort.

I don't like townies at all and am definitely biased...to me their only real purpose is as inexpensive short distance commuter/beaters that you don't mind leaving out in the rain. This is obviously subjective and many like them.

Originally Posted by KonAaron Snake

Naming an inanimate bicycle is bad enough...but after a Barry Manilow song? I thought being named after a Kinks tune could be its redeeming quality

Originally Posted by Leebo

20-40 lbs on your back? Much better to balance the load with front and rear racks. Much easier on your back as well.

Originally Posted by jyl

Way back when, my friend and I decided to go on a mountain bike camping trip. We installed rear racks on our bikes and loaded up the biggest panniers we could find. We had both been gram-counting backpackers, and welcomed the prospect of a trip where we could carry whatever we wished - since the weight would be carried by our bikes not our backs.

The trip was to be 20 miles down the Sespe Creek canyon outside of Ojai, to some mythical hot springs where beautiful maidens bathed naked and beckoning, so we'd heard.

It was a beastly hot weekend in high summer. Our bikes, so lithe and nimble, rode like crippled water buffaloes. With fifty pounds on the rear wheels, we could hardly maneuver and hopping was impossible. We slammed into every rock and stump, smashed into every dip and hole, overran turns and washed out at any loose surface. Climbing became a gasping misery, then a leaden push. Descents were uncontrolled terror. Carrying our 80 pound bikes over water crossings was agony. It grew hotter. Far less than 20 miles in, we stopped and slept where we fell.

The next day it was even hotter. We started homeward, the bikes even heavier and somehow every uphill on the way in was also an uphill on the way out. After a while, we saw a brown haze, then a spreading stain in the sky, then rising smoke plumes. Oh eff. There was a forest fire in the canyon. And only one way out.

Now the trail was full of campers, struggling as fast as they could toward the trailhead ten miles away. The horse campers were fastest and soon disappeared, our curses trailing behind. We were pedaling hard, lungs hanging out of our dry mouths. The backpackers, desperately speedwalking under their forty pound packs, were left behind.

Pedal the lead pigs, crash and fall, heave the bastard bike upright, remount, flee on, scraped and bleeding. At the water crossings now we simply pushed the bikes through, heedless. Once my bike completely disappeared under water higher than its handlebars.

When we reached the trailhead, it looked like a disaster zone. Abandoned camping gear, cars spraying dirt as they zoomed off, forestry helicopters hovering over the river sucking water through long hoses, clouds of dust and the smell of burning brush. We never went mountain bike camping again, and I think I threw away the panniers in disgust.

Lesson: pack light.

Originally Posted by fietsbob

as the last stanza suggests 'Lola' can change into something else, with enough accessories..

Originally Posted by asmac

It must be easier when you're younger. Check out this blog -- https://katstanbridge.wordpress.com/ -- someone much like you who bought an ordinary bike, flew to Vancouver and rode across the country. All without much in the way of training. I saw her presentation at a local library and think she'd be a good person for you to connect with.

Originally Posted by no1mad

One thing to consider is your lighting. Your reel lights don't require recharging (and only you know if they are sufficient 'to see' lights), but that Knog Blinder of yours is not something you'll be able to swap out batteries on, nor is it hopeful you'll be able to charge it at night if you've elected to camp in the wild.*

*There are external power supplies that would allow you to recharge, but they are essentially just external batteries that will need to be recharged before they can function again. There is also a way to charge while you ride, but that will require a dyno hub ($$$).

Originally Posted by KonAaron Snake

This post made me throw up in my mouth a little. Naming an inanimate bicycle is bad enough...but after a Barry Manilow song? I thought being named after a Kinks tune could be its redeeming quality