Hi,
I am currently planning a 4 month tour around Australia and NZ, which consists of both offroad and on road. I'm planning to get a new touring bike for this purpose that I would be consistently using in the future for more touring. I have few questions regarding this issue. I'm so sorry for many questions.
1) I looked into folding bicycles by Dahon and Montague since they will be easier to take on flight. But my question is if they are sturdy, speedy, and comfy enough for such an extensive touring?
http://www.dahon.com/zerog.htm
http://www.dahon.com/matrix.htm
http://www.montagueco.com/products.html.
These are my options, and do you guys think that any one of them will be enough? Also, which one do you think I should choose. I'm leaning toward Zero-G personally. Do you think changing the tire to 32c+ is necessary since I will be on off-road?
2) If folding bicycle is just not gonna work then what kind of regular nonfolding bikes do you recommend? Then how would I take it abroad on flight?
3) I'm rather confused by the size of the panniers. I'm planning to carry around 30-45 lbs of gears and foods, and how much cu. ft. is that approximately?
Thank you so much!
Ruben