I'm an Athena. My bike is a Clyde.
Getting ready for a tour next week, hoping to ride the P'tit Train du Nord trail up in Quebec. So I'm looking over my bike, making sure that I give it all the little upgrades that I need to for the ride.
Start with a Cannondale Adventure 400: hybrid/city bike with a front suspension fork. Add a rear rack and a front bag for riding around town. Add some fenders for commuting along an unpaved MUP. Don't forget the lights. And because I live in Philadelphia, give it a hefty U-lock, as well. (I have the Adventure 400 after I learned the hard way that the lock I used to have wasn't good enough for Philly!)
Then get it ready for the tour. Get the front rack out of storage, and add it to the bike. Track down a nifty set of water bottle mounting brackets and a side-entry bottle holder, so that I can (finally!) carry two bottles of water on my almost-mixty frame.
Now: no panniers, yet. The water bottles haven't been filled. The tent and the sleeping bag haven't been strapped to the rack. Just the bike (OK, the bike & the fenders & the racks & the lock -- but I think of it as just the bike).
Forty pounds.
No wonder I don't like hills!
My goal is for me, the bike, and the luggage to weigh less than just I did this time two years ago. I'll keep you posted.
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- Jeneralist