Adventure Bikes!
 

Man, I'm bored with my riding. I'm bored with commuting, I'm bored with training, I'm bored with racing. (Which explains why it took 10 minutes to decide where to post this thread).

I think what I need is an adventure bike. I need to rediscover the fun I used to have 10 years ago where I'd just ride simply to go places I'd never been before. I miss the fun, I miss the adventure of just getting out there with no set agenda.

So my aim in the next little while is to do an Adventure bike, so my question is, "Do you have an adventure bike?"

What I'm planning on doing is seeing how people have set up bikes just for adventure, touring, commuting, going to the Pub, whatever. Just for riding. And afterwards, I'm going to design and build my own adventure bike.

Whaddayareckon?

Something like a recumbent?...

Sometimes I get bored riding the same roads over and over. I tried to fend off boredom by making my own personal time trials, i.e. picking a sign post at the top of a hill and trying to beat my best time past the post each day. The nice thing about rural New England is that you can often run into moose, bears, a fox or other wildlife while out riding. That helps make keep even the most familiar route interesting.

But sometimes it's more fun to ride down unexplored roads just to see where they go. And sometimes unexpected little adventures find you, such as yesterday when I got to play "superhero" on my bike:

http://katahdinbooks.blogspot.com/20...y-on-bike.html

The Ring Road in Iceland would probably be a great multi-day bike adventure, if it weren't so windy all the time. Driving it, it seemed perfect for riding--well paved, little traffic, terrific scenery. But there would be a near-constant headwind. Just watch out for polar bears. I hear they swim over from Greenland some winters to the north edge of Iceland.

Recumbent? Recumbents are like golf. If you ever see me playing it, please shoot me.

In the past, my adventure bike was my full-rigid MTB when set up with a rear rack. Nothing fancy but with that I could use it for pretty much anything. I did a lot of unsupported offroad camping tours on it.

Get a fixed gear.

What you describe is the kind of riding I do. I've been at it for about fifteen years. I've never been into racing or mountain biking, just riding and exploring.

My adventure bikes have been either cyclocross or touring bikes. About 10 years ago I had a nice adventure all through the east coast of Australia on a cyclocross bike. Wonderful in both the cities and coutryside. Easy to lug over your shoulder if needed.

Now I use a touring bike due to the fact that I like the greater stability it affords with longer chainstays. I find that speed isn't as important as stability, ie going over wet tram tracks or bombing down a wet, rutted dirt road.

All in all I find that just biking along with no set agenda and exploring my enviroment to be very rewarding.

Yeah! That's the answer for every cycling question:rolleyes: ! Might as well try ultimate fixed gear bike for a real Adventure in Cycle Commuting.

Just got a cross bike w/ S&S couplers. After a few weeks I still haven't spent any time on (paved) roads. A road bike that is comfortable when there is more than three pieces of gravel around! No white knuckes on easier (all that I've tried) MTB trails. You want to fly to Patagonia and pack your bike??

LBSs are pushing cross bikes as adventure bikes to non-racers whose eyes focus in the mid-distance. Maybe they have a point. Yeah, and if you are carrying a laptop then they'll sell ya' a cross bike as a commuter bike. Choose your poison.

My adventure bike is a old 15speed "no name" rigid MTB. Right now it has real thin all terrain tires, but I am going to probialy put some 1.95s on it that I have hanging up. It goes everywhere without complaining. I'd sugguest an all terrain bike for your adventure bike.

I was thinking about a frame that had horizontal dropouts but with a derailleur hanger incorporated into the design so I could run singlespeed or geared. Nickel plated finish for extra toughness and a no rust approach. Maybe S&S Couplers if I can commit to the design that much.

It's tough to decide how full-on to go. Realistically, a singlespeed could cover most of what I plan on doing in the short term, but the idea of mountain touring appeals to me so part of me says "Why limit?"

Oh, for crying out loud, give it a rest already! You've got an awfully big bug up your butt about the fixed-gear thing. I don't happen to think that they're necessarily a practical solution for most people in most situations, but the knee-jerk nastiness from you is getting pretty old. Didn't your mother teach you how to disagree respectfully?

To the OP: Here's my touring/commuting bike sitting in the sun on a lovely day last summer. I had just finished setting it up with new tape, cables and brakes - it reflects what I see as fulfilling my adventuring requirements - it took me 330 miles into Maine a month or so before that photo was taken. Enjoy: http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e4...taintheSun.jpg

The knee jerk silliness comes from the afficianadoes who respond "get a fixed gear" as an answer to every question and then get another similar type to defend the mantra. The fixed gear aficianadoes have replaced the 'bent gang with chanting mantra at every opportunity. The "bent brethern have given a rest to the persistant proselytization of their choice. It is time for our fixed friends to do the same. Give it a rest; indeed.

It's not too bad. I like fixed because it takes cycling back to what it was when I was a kid. Something fun to do and not a chore. I never had to worry about cleaning or adjusting my bike, I just picked it up in the middle of the yard and rode it to where ever I was going.

I suppose a single speed would be the same, but I like the rhythmic feeling of a fixie.

I have all types of bikes (a highly upgraded Trek 1200, my fixie, and a 29er SS). Out of all of them, I like my fixie the most. It's simple, requires no maintenace aside from bar oil on the chain when I think it needs it. Quite frankly, it's a bike analogous to an old pickup truck. I never wash it, it's ugly, and it doesn't attract women... but it is reliable and it always runs, and I can repair it with duct tape and a hammer most times.

I had a bike like that as a kid too. I left it out in the yard exposed to the elements all the time too. Trust me. Just because it doesn't have a gear changer or pawls in the hub doesn't mean you don't have to clean, adjust and take care of it. As a matter of fact, I reckon that the only fixed gear pedal-machine that's not succeptable to such neglect and can tolerate constant weathering without service would be one of these...

http://www.marxmuseum.com/images/bw.JPG

I've nothing against fixed-gear or SS bikes but to think they totally absolve you from perfoming care and maintenance is a silly notion.

Believe me I know it requires maintenance... but it requires far FAR less than my Trek. I never have to adjust brakes (I do have one up front, but all I have to do with it is change the pads every 1000 miles) or derailleurs to scream at; there are no cables to replace; I don't have to disassemble and clean cassettes (that by far is my least favorite thing to do); and with the addition of some Formula cartridge bearing hubs, I never have to worry about the wheels (aside from the occasional truing, but that is less of a chore as there are no brakes to rub the rear rim, and the front never goes out of true).

The bike is light (16 lbs) and cost me next to nothing (20 dollar pawn shop frame, and 130 dollar wheels). All I do to the bike is put air in the tires and drop the chain in mineral spirts/bar oil when it looks gritty. That's it. I love it. Why does bicycling have to be another chore?

Also, if I could find a big wheel in my size that would hold my 230lbs ass properly... I'd ride it everyday.

A chore to one person is a pleasure to another. Some people actually enjoy maintaining their bikes. I understand the appeal of fixed-gear. And they appeal to me as well. However I like cycling on all levels. I don't mind cleaning and servicing my bikes. The real chore is working to come up with the money to get as many bikes as I want. ;)

A friend of mine came over and saw my Trek hanging in my room and asked: "Hey, what's that!", really excited that I have a nice bike, cause he would only see me on my beater fixie. I replied, "Thats my expensive carbon fiber and aluminum race bike." He then said, "Well why the hell don't you ever ride it?!?" To which I replied, "Because it's my expensive carbon fiber and aluminum race bike."

Ask and ye shall find...

http://www.bigwheelrally.com/store/i...-sb-hv-400.jpg

$300, 250 lbs weight limit.

And to dovetail this all back in to the original topic... I am in agreement that a SS/FG certainly falls into my idea of adventure cycling but then again I believe adventure cycling is more an attitude to a variety of activities than a particular bike design. Is riding around the neighbourhood chasing your friends (Ride-N-Seek) considered adventure cycling? Is offroad cyclotouring adventure cycling? Is road touring adventure cycling? Is cyclo-geocaching adventure cycling? I would have to say all the above are forms of adventure cycling and for each there is probably one or two types of bikes that is optimal for each.

I think it would be hard to create one bike that would be best for all but one bike could be made that is adaptable enough to allow you to engage in all such activities. I think the OP is on the right track with the dropouts. Another idea would be to use fully replacable dropouts such that a SS/FG conversion could be done relatively quickly and easily.

I would also look into making sure that the derailleurs and brakes can match up and work with both MTB-style shifters/levers as well as road shifters/levers alike so that you can swap out control types and bars easier. Perhaps look at using the new range of flatbar controls for your flatbar. And if you're going to do the S&S thing then of course you'll want to have quick-disconnects for the control cables too so this should help facilitate swapping between drop and striaght/riser bars.

Basically what you want is to design and spec the bike so that you have options for quickly interchanging and modifying the bike from a MTB to a touring/cyclocross style bike. I suspect your geometry will most likely be close to that of cyclocross frame.

Before returning to the OP I thought I would post some pictures of a few of my kids having fun with fixed gear 21 years ago. No agenda; just fun and adventure and no boredom at all.

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/6...rike1ex.th.jpg

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/5...eels7xg.th.jpg

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/321...ecky0ek.th.jpg

Actually my pictures are on topic since I believe the OP is a knowledgeable person about bicycles and bicycling and certainly didn't expect to get an answer to such a vague question. After all his main point is that he is bored.
Maybe the fixed gear is the answer to expecting bicycling to settle too many personal agendas, rather than just having fun.

Actually, My main point is the lack of adventure.

A singlespeed will work for the majority of inner-city adventures, but it won't work up in the hills or when I want to go for an all-day stint in the saddle with a bit of gear, so that's why I'm thinking horizontal dropouts with a hanger. A fixie won't cut it, and before anyone says 'Matt Chester does it', I look nothing like Matt Chester and my poop doesn't smell of banana, so gears it is.

Versatility, toughness, and 'all-road' abilities is what I'm after.

Straying form topic a bit, does anyone else have a copy of that cool article from Bicycle Guide where they had a few industry types showw off their townies? Mark Nobilette was featured, as well as some guy from Fat City and others. I should go dig that up for inspiration....

My do it all fun bike...It can do almost any type of ride with great pleasure and comfort.

Do what I did, Build you the bake you want then just have fun riding it.

I personally would still do it as a full-replaceable aluminum dropout assembly. This way you could fabricate a dropout of any style to suit the application (horizontal, vertical, semi-vertical, etc... with or without hanger) and also feel safe in the knowledge that should you tweak the hanger, you can easily replace it without a complicated frame repair. I'm assuming you're going with steel? Which tubeset?

I was thinking of using the Paragon sliders, but then I started sketching up some custom lasered jobbies, so I'll probably use those. Neater looking and more unique.

Yeah, I was going to go with steel. Tubeset I was thinking nothing special....maybe one of the Nova 29er sets which is just heat treated 4130. Don't want anything too dent-able.