Yeah I'm not in a rush. I have 5 months before I depart. I do leave for Germany soon though and my bike will be in storage until I return for my bike so am trying to take care of as much as possible right now.

Where do you find insulation that hangs below your hammock? I wasn't aware they made such a thing. I have a Eno Double Nest. How much does your complete hammock set up weigh? Mine is around 2lbs including the bug net, rain fly and ropes. I imagine the insulation doesn't add too much to it? I tried using my mattress pad on a trip over the summer and had the same issues; it kept slipping out from under myself and sometime during the night I would open the bug net and toss it out. By that point I was too tired and couldn't careless.

I was homeless for a period of time as a teenager and while I have no intentions of reliving those days sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag wouldn't be new to me :(

Thanks for the info. I will take a look. Where on the coast are you if I may ask?

I have a Hennessy, which has an under-insulation kit available as an add-on. It's unlikely to be compatible with other hammocks. You should check at https://hammockforums.net/
I think the most common way to keep yourself warm in a hammock is to use a quilt, rather than a sleeping bag, to put over you in the hammock, and then to have another quilt that hangs outside of the hammock to keep you warm underneath. A sleeping bag works for mild temperatures, but when it gets colder, the fact that you're laying on and compressing all of the insulation, combined with the the air underneath you, can leave you fairly chilly. By using an under quilt and over quilt, you are basically splitting your sleeping bag in half and putting the bottom half outside of the hammock where your body weight will not compress it. On the Hammock Forums you will find various vendors and instructions for making your own.

Astoria ..Our LBS Bikes and Beyond | Since 1988, the leader in bicycle sales and service on the North Coast.

But they dont stock much German made stuff .. which is where those things I mentioned is Made.

Thanks! I'll check out the link. I have heard about it before but haven't ventured there yet. I almost got a Hennessy. Seems like a quilt would be much heavier than my 1lb sleeping bag but could be wrong? The cold doesn't bother me much. My sleeping bag is rated for +40 and anything +35 or above I usually have it unzipped and have used it in temps as low as around +10 and was comfortable in it. I don't imagine it'll get that cold on my trip.

Thanks! Doesn't have to be German. I was in Astoria last month for the Great Columbia Crossing. We camped at Ft. Stevens and got the tail end of that nasty storm that came through. Cute town and enjoyed the race.

Just that is who makes them ... Ortlieb bar bag extension example http://www.wigglestatic.com/images/o...sion%20ul4.jpg

https://www.ortlieb.com/wp-content/u...estigung-2.jpg

Thanks, I'll take a look when I get home!

Don't think patchwork, heavy, decorative quilt. It's really just a blanket stuffed with insulation, just like your sleeping bag. No zippers might make it a little lighter even. I don't know because I just use a mummy bag that I drape over me instead of zipping up. But if you have a system that works, use it. For me, no matter what bag I'm using, if the temp drops below 60 or so, I get cold underneath. The bag gets compressed, the insulation is compromised, and the air underneath steals my heat. That's what the pad was for originally. It's a cheap source of insulation that does not compress as much when you lay on it. I found it uncomfortable. More uncomfortable than being cold. But if you're staying warm with what you have, no problem.

The Blackburn Outpost should work, with an extra long skewer and P-clamps:

http://www.amazon.com/Blackburn-BB11.../dp/B00GCB4V10

https://admin.blackburndesign.com/bl...ack-Manual.pdf

I've never used my pad with my hammock, I only use it when I'm tent camping or sleeping on a bench, the ground etc. I can comfortably sleep in 30 degree weather with my 50 degree bag, my hammock, and a tarp to block the wind. I use a thin hammock (Grand trunk UL) and its fine. With my 30 degree bag I could go down to the single digits.

Can you post a picture of your bars? I bet we could figure out a way to load a few things on your bars.

Last tour I started out with a stuff sack on my bars with a paracord loop. You could make another loop around the head tube for added stability.

TY0604

what kind of wheels does the bike have, how heavy are you, how much gear do you want to carry, what's the largest tire you can fit on the bike?



swapping out the fork to carry a low rider rack, front panniers and larger tire would be best.

Disc brakes?

No it isn't but it'll probably cost about the same to get a new front fork and rack installed as it would be to get the Extrawheel and install it yourself.
I'd suggest considering removing the top brake levers. They aren't a necessity.

https://www.biketrailershop.com

https://www.biketrailershop.com/extr...er-p-1377.html

Getting your axle to crown measurement is easy enough:

http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps5065cdcf.jpg

It is the 483 on this humongous fork. Place a pencil in the fork axle area estimate the CL measure up to where the paint disappears. Exactly the same isn't a big deal, but there are a lot of forks to chose from.

Tange often shows up cheap in some stores. I have one of their forks for a 26er.

Nasbar has good forks for both 26 and 29/700

Soma
Champs Élysées Low Trail Touring Fork | SOMA Fabrications

Nashbar has a good touring fork, that is very reasonable, but I don't see any sign of it on their site at the moment. It comes and goes with stock sometimes. Their cross fork in steel is really rugged, for discs. It would easily put up with hardware for a front rack, and at 45 dollars is also ideal for someone who wants to try their hand at brazing on their own BOs.

Columbus Tusk is a really nice carbon touring fork kinda pricey, but one can find it at well under 200, at times. I was looking online at Shinny, but they seem to be down at the moment, if they were for real in the first place.

SJS:

Cheap, good for someone who likes to do a little work:

Steel Fork 1 1/8 Inch Steerer for 700c Wheel - £9.99

I'm 155 and I'll have ~20lbs of gear. I forget the actual size of the tires but they can't be any larger.

No. The brakes are mounted on the fork in the middle of fork even with the tire.

They are when they're the only brake levers you have :thumb:

Thanks but at that price it's cheaper to get a new fork since I'd also have to get new panniers.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=486777

The brakes can be moved in a little but not out at all.

I tried as I said but didn't like it. I think I'll be okay with my 40 degree bag. It works for me in temperatures down to +10 and I doubt it'll get that cold on my trip.

Try attaching your sleeping bag in its stuff sack to your bars with some paracord or something. I have a feeling you could pull it off.

I'm sure I could but my sleeping bag goes under my panniers on the back. Only way I don't kick them. Strange set up.

Thule has the Pack 'n Pedal Tour Rack that works on both the front and rear of bikes that don't have eyelets. You can also get side frames for them that support panniers. Racks - Thule Perhaps this would work for you.

Those are nice! Would be almost $350 for the set up though. $99.95 for the rack x $119.95 for each bag. Wouldn't mind buying the rack alone if my panniers would work on them.

I've heard a lot of people saying it was bad to put panniers on carbon forks but no one has seemed to answer when I ask why... Any insight?

Aluminium or steel forks that don't have the mid fork built in threaded hole for bolts can safely have c clamps tightened onto them to hold the rack on mid fork. It's not a problem for the metal.
Carbon fibre however is very strong with taking forces in certain directions, but is not safe with something clamped around it like a c clamp as the fork could get crushed and broken when you tighten the clamp. This would then lead to a failure of the fork.

You hear it all the time in formula one cars where suspension pieces are made of cf, super strong to take forces in a certain direction that the piece is designed for, but if a mechanic leans on it, it can crack.

There are some cf forks with built in rack bolt holes, but quite rare. My bike has one, but specialised stopped using them after about 5 years and put on an aluminium fork to avoid any problems.

Read up on cf and how it can't have stuff clamped on it. You really don't want to mess around with compromising the integrity of a carbon fork.
Also don't forget that your bike and fork were not designed for touring, especially not the front end.

Thanks for the information. I'm looking at a lightweight trailer that I may purchase. Only issue I'm having is finding a spare tube for the trailer! The manufacture doesn't carry them oddly enough.

So this is a straight bar bike and not drop bars with extra levers mounted up neat the stem?

It's a drop bar but didn't see the need for two sets of brakes so put the one set on top. I ride a lot in the down position but prefer the brakes up top even when doing so.

All right! That's great. The cheapest and lightest way to go is no front rack with a compression sack bundle containing sleeping bag with tarp/whatever strapped under the bars. Maybe 5lbs of stuff. Then a cheap rear rack with top plate as fender with one or two dry bags strapped on top. In between those two loads well secured on the frame or seatpost are infrequently used but necessary items like tube or tools. Maybe a "gas tank" type bag on the top tube near the stem. Maybe a spare bottle holder could be attached behind the seat or the spare tubes/tool bag under the down tube. Basically make it so that if you and the bike wipe out everything stays attached and if you need to remove anything it just takes a few seconds undoing buckles or straps. Be careful of single point failure attachments, in other words if one buckle/strap/bungie fails the whole mess doesn't fly or go in the wheels.
I think you can get close to 20lbs with that set up and the nice part is that it will make for a solid bike load that moves as one on twisties and descents as well as slow going up hills and also won't overload skinny tires.

If you HAVE to have panniers you might as well go the new fork route with low riders and a fast 28-32mm tire, there's more to gain for rim protection, comfort. Not sure whether your old front brake would be compatible with new fork and rim location. It would be a shame to change forks for more weight but be stuck with 25mm tires for it. You can have some minor changes in fork dimension, length, offset without it being a problem. I had an old Italian road bike with steep angles, Columbus tubing and very stiff fork. I changed out the fork from an English road bike that was a more comfortable ride and had a blast. Nice thing about those old bikes is that a fat 28mm to skinny 32mm could often fit in there.

given the size of your load a trailer isn't worth it, 10-15lbs of trailer to carry 20lbs of gear doesn't make sense

Awhile back I talked to a lean fellow who road his CrossCheck across country with a BoB trailer and he said he should have just gone with one set of panniers and no trailer.

The issue isn't entirely carbon, it's that that most carbon forks aren't designed for carrying panniers on racks so the clamp method used on steel forks introduces point stresses the carbon fork isnt designed for.

You could make carbon forks with appropriate fittings designed in so loads are appropriately spread out but it's a little like making a carbon fiber hood and fenders for a pick up truck, why bother making a light high strength component when the load in the bed makes it moot.