Gear advice on a budget
09-13-08, 05:49 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Gear advice on a budget
Hi all. I am leaving for my pacific coast tour in a month from Vancouver to TJ! I cant wait but I am on a tight budget and will also be leaving for South East Asia in January for 2 years in the Peace Corps! There is not a lot of point in "investing" in a bunch of REALLY nice stuff but I do need things that will get the job done. When i get back from Asia I have no idea where I will be living or how much/little i will be riding... I hope a lot though!!!! I am going to attempt this tour on my giant FCR 3 that is more or less stock.
I am going to change the gearing to something lower as it is essentially road gearing right now. Any suggestions on how to do that?
Also, I have a black burn rack on the back right now that does not support my Transit Panniers very well. I have heard horror stories about pannier going into spokes and i dont want that to happen. The chain stays on the bike a short, my heels just barely clear the panniers... but they do clear them. Was thinking of a tubus logo to solve both of these problems but not sure if its worth the investment, what do you think? The current rack shoudl work assuming that the panniers do not bend into the spokes. However, the panniers are on the cheap side and are only made of plastic, though it seems pretty solid and thick.
I have not bought the front rack yet. It would be great to get soemthing like the Jandd Expedition or the Surly nice rack for the extra storage on the top shelf. Would be nice for running errands and such later down the line because I am hoping to be car free when i get back from asia, as i am now. Like i said it depends on where i am living which depends on which PHD programs i get accepted at
Any other good racks that have a top shelf or shoudl i jsut forget it and get a regular rack?
Suggestions for front panniers that dont cost a fortune? I was thinking of getting the DX Transit pannier from performance for $70 because my Epic Transit Panniers seem to be wokring well enough for rears.
The only mods i have made tot he bike are Trekking handle bars, a Brooks saddle, and power grips. Any one else got some cheap suggestions for me?Does anyone know what to expect as far as weather from BC and Washington around later october early november? I jsut bought my first pair of rain pants and rain jacket today that seem to be workable. Should i pay $25-$30 for those shower caps for my helmet?
Feel free to give me ANY advice since this is my first tour and i realize that i am leaving late in the season for this area (lots of rain). Thank you everyone!
I am going to change the gearing to something lower as it is essentially road gearing right now. Any suggestions on how to do that?
Also, I have a black burn rack on the back right now that does not support my Transit Panniers very well. I have heard horror stories about pannier going into spokes and i dont want that to happen. The chain stays on the bike a short, my heels just barely clear the panniers... but they do clear them. Was thinking of a tubus logo to solve both of these problems but not sure if its worth the investment, what do you think? The current rack shoudl work assuming that the panniers do not bend into the spokes. However, the panniers are on the cheap side and are only made of plastic, though it seems pretty solid and thick.
I have not bought the front rack yet. It would be great to get soemthing like the Jandd Expedition or the Surly nice rack for the extra storage on the top shelf. Would be nice for running errands and such later down the line because I am hoping to be car free when i get back from asia, as i am now. Like i said it depends on where i am living which depends on which PHD programs i get accepted at
Any other good racks that have a top shelf or shoudl i jsut forget it and get a regular rack? Suggestions for front panniers that dont cost a fortune? I was thinking of getting the DX Transit pannier from performance for $70 because my Epic Transit Panniers seem to be wokring well enough for rears.
The only mods i have made tot he bike are Trekking handle bars, a Brooks saddle, and power grips. Any one else got some cheap suggestions for me?Does anyone know what to expect as far as weather from BC and Washington around later october early november? I jsut bought my first pair of rain pants and rain jacket today that seem to be workable. Should i pay $25-$30 for those shower caps for my helmet?
Feel free to give me ANY advice since this is my first tour and i realize that i am leaving late in the season for this area (lots of rain). Thank you everyone!
09-13-08, 06:54 PM
#2
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I'm an ex-californian, and have done some riding on the CA coast around the end of October.
It really is late season - the short days might turn out to be more of an issue than the rain -- lots of tent-time. You could get great weather, or you could get hammered by storms that are really not possible to ride in.
Do you have your heart set on doing the whole coast?
If I were you, I might consider starting as soon as possible, and shorten the trip by starting somewhere further south (bus, train, rental car, craigslist rideshare). It's so much nicer to ride and especially camp when it's not raining, and the very short days as the season advances leaves you little time to explore and relax and enjoy the trip, especially if you need to make long miles. Starting further south gives you:
- longer days
- less rain
- warmer
- more time to explore and site see
If you have extra time at the end then shucks, you're in San Diego, head inland a bit, over to the Salton Sea, go to Joshua Tree National Park, or turn around and head back up the coast. Or take a mid-california detour out to Yosemite if the weather is great.
My personal take on this is it's better to have a great time for a shorter time than suffer for a longer time. The coast will still be there when you get back from the Peace Corps (rad, by the way).
My $0.02, YMMV, etc. etc.
Lone peak panniers are great, and can be had with free shipping from here (racks too):
https://www.thetouringstore.com/LONE%...eak%20Home.htm
I have used the P99's front panniers and been very happy with them.
It really is late season - the short days might turn out to be more of an issue than the rain -- lots of tent-time. You could get great weather, or you could get hammered by storms that are really not possible to ride in.
Do you have your heart set on doing the whole coast?
If I were you, I might consider starting as soon as possible, and shorten the trip by starting somewhere further south (bus, train, rental car, craigslist rideshare). It's so much nicer to ride and especially camp when it's not raining, and the very short days as the season advances leaves you little time to explore and relax and enjoy the trip, especially if you need to make long miles. Starting further south gives you:
- longer days
- less rain
- warmer
- more time to explore and site see
If you have extra time at the end then shucks, you're in San Diego, head inland a bit, over to the Salton Sea, go to Joshua Tree National Park, or turn around and head back up the coast. Or take a mid-california detour out to Yosemite if the weather is great.
My personal take on this is it's better to have a great time for a shorter time than suffer for a longer time. The coast will still be there when you get back from the Peace Corps (rad, by the way).
My $0.02, YMMV, etc. etc.
Lone peak panniers are great, and can be had with free shipping from here (racks too):
https://www.thetouringstore.com/LONE%...eak%20Home.htm
I have used the P99's front panniers and been very happy with them.
