Originally Posted by el twe
Hi all. I'm hoping to go on a leisurely bike tour from Santa Cruz to somewhere South of Monterey, CA with my parents this summer. I'm rebuilding my Schwinn Super Sport as a tourer/commuter, and would like some advice on the build. First off, I need to get a new fork. Would putting a 700c fork on a bike originally intended for 27" wheels throw the geometry way off? I'm already running 700c wheels, so this might make it easier to find a fork. Second, I don't have rack braze ons, but the dropouts are threaded for rack/fender screws. Would a rack used with the metal brackets for this purpose be strong enough to support panniers?
As mentioned elsewhere, you need to pay attention to the rack and trail of the fork. You don't want to vary much from the original geometry so that handling stays the same.
There are lots of ways of attaching a lowrider without mid-fork braze-ons but if you are going to get a new fork, look for a touring specific fork which has them. That said, I've used Blackburn lowriders on bikes in the past and they use a U-bolt to attach the rack. You could probably use the same method for just about any rack. Use the flat metal bit of the u-bolt against the fork and tighten the nuts on the outside of it. Then use 4 more bolts to clamp the rack in place (one on the back and one on the front of each side of the u-bolt). It's kind of ugly but it get the job done.
Originally Posted by el twe
For a first-time tourist, what pace would you reccomend? I've heard about 10 mph, but I'd like to know approximately miles/day. I ride at least 6 miles on a fixed gear everyday just around town, but have done 20+ milers geared and a few 12/13 milers fixed. My parents are both in pretty good shape but don't ride much. My dad rides my old hybrid with a 28/34 granny gear (chainring/cog), and my mom rides a MTB with knobby tires. We'd take it slow and have plenty of rest stops, and I was hoping for at least 30 mi/day. Is this practical? We will do training rides (8-20 miles) before and a few loaded trips (I'll have panniers and a messenger bag, my parents will each have a small back pack).
Depending on the terrain and the individual riding, 30 miles can be incredibly easy or it can be incredibly hard. Go by feel and have fun. Distance is a very individual thing but remember that this isn't a race and no one but you will care how far you went per day. Remember, however. that you have two other people to think about. Pace and distance are set by the weakest rider of the bunch. Personally I like to do around 50 -60 miles per day. I can go further if I have to and I can go less. It all depends on what I find along the way.
Leave the messenger bag at home. If you need more space (for credit card touring you don't need much) get another pannier set or a rack bag. The messenger bag is going to bug the crap out of you after just a few miles...or it would me
Originally Posted by el twe
For a credit card tour, how much food/water/clothing should we pack? I've heard water should be the most weight. Would a bottle on eack bike, a camel back, and several extra waters in bags be suitable for us? For clothes, I'd bring two jerseys (1 wool, 1 synthetic and a base layer (synthetic), two shorts (synthetic), a pair of cut off pants (shants, as we fixed riders like to call them), and a t-shirt or two. This includes what I'd be wearing. My parents own no cycling clothes, but they would buy some shorts (I told them they won't believe how uncomfortabe they'd get).
Thanks.
For water, a Camelbak per person and a couple of water bottles on the bike should be sufficient. Camelbaks carry an amazing amount of water. Unless you are going to be very far from civilization, you should be able to fill up along the way. I'd put watered down Gatorade in the bottles and plain water in the Camelbak. The Gatorade smoothes out the caloric needs and provides some salt replacement. Plain water is good for hydration. Fill the Camelbaks with ice (as much as you can cram into them) in the morning. The ice water is welcome in the heat of the day.
You might want to include rain wear depending on the climate. You may never need it but if you don't have it...