Loadout testing and finally a road pic of last year's rig. It's fully loaded for a month-long tour (no cooking gear), though it may not seem like it. There's a single skin tent, summer sleeping bag and full-length foam sleeping mat in there (yes, even in the first pic, I dare you to point it out).

If making and breaking the camp looks like a bit of a chore, rest assured, it is! All those bags are strapped together using velcro, straps or bungee cords, and I'm constantly trying to improve the setup to that it's easier to take off and put back on all the bags.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...psf3e33a4a.png

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...psuydyxdot.jpg

Quite an interesting bike. Did you come up with this frame idea and build it? What size are the tires? I see the chain coming up from the derailer pulleys to another pulley. Is there one for the chain to roll over going back to the cassette? Is it comfy with the monkey bars?

http://i.imgur.com/6l91fZA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/S7TehEo.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gmxu5gL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yuvXExk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RfmVPaI.jpg

Awesome attitude. It seems as though many of us get caught in "needing" the latest and greatest before we can enjoy a ride. If you can just forget what is under you and enjoy the ride it sure is great.

Fred's book is awesome. I found one a few years back (purchased used online) that was signed by him and has a great little passage for the reader. I'll have to find it and repost.

BTW - for a slight derail of this thread, where do you like to camp along the Withlacoochie? Stealth or traditional?

I normally do not repost such large pictures, but this time I had to because they are beautiful. You hit me with those at a bad time! I cannot get out there for at least a few months, and maybe not for a few years - arrrg!

Thanks for the comment. I really enjoyed Fred's book as well but I had to borrow a copy. Having his autograph would be amazing! That man really inspired me and is the primary reason I got into cycling.

As far as camping on the Withlacoochie, I stealth camped... Not by choice. My wife rode her beach cruiser with me and we had both bonked pretty hard and we were losing daylight fast. We picked the safest looking spot possible and just spent the night. The next morning when we got up to ride, we found that we were only a 1/2 mile or so from a campground on the trail. Figures...

From my first day of loaded touring, I've managed to reduce my load since then.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=360839

If you don't need the services (toilet for the missus) of a camp ground stealthing is so much easier (no rules, no spending an hour filling out paperwork and paying up). I find the formal camp grounds are not as pleasant (bright lights and lots of noise) as time in the woods (just me, the bugs, and the critters). I do miss the interaction that you get in some formal camp grounds though.

Thanks for the reply.

The frame was a slow evolution, I didn't plan it like this when I first started modding it. It began life as a "normal" DIY xtracycle. I then added a suspension so that it would be full-suspension, then I set the seat back and added taller handlebars for the final cruiser-like position. At these later stages I was using CAD software to get the biomechanics and suspension right. It's comfortable to the point that absolutely all the people who ever rode it were smiling until their heads hurt. There is the weight penalty, though, and the saddle and position do cause "recumbent butt" on longer rides if you don't stop or stand up every 10-15 miles, but it's a lot better for me than a diamond frame, where back, neck and wrist pain wear me down completely in days.

The tires were 26x3.0 Kenda flames. They were a pain to get rolling, but I really enjoyed the ride. I cut grooves and knobs in them, because the factory tread wasn't that great (but it was THICK), and it made an immense difference in the woods. They were the fattest I could go without paying a boatload for properly fat tires. I've since taken them off, though, because the touring I'll do this year doesn't warrant such sturdy tires.

The additional pulley near the rear triangle pivot is there to stabilize the chain, because I don't use a front shifter and the chain would downshift or jump off the chainrings completely when riding fast over really rough ground. The chain now stays put wherever I ride, even though the tension part of the chain is still unsupported between the cassette and the chainrings, and it bounces around a lot when coasting down on rough ground.

It gets a few funny looks, especially since I'm so keen on motorcycle-like aesthetics and aerodynamics, but I wouldn't tour on anything else.

Sandulea, aren't you from eastern Europe somewhere?
Re: your bike, although I find it ungainly looking and heavy, I certainly am impressed with you making and modifying it, even cutting your own tire tread. Very impressive.
Cheers

Yes, I'm from Romania. Did you get that from the road pic? Unless you've been around these parts, I think you getting that from the pic is also quite impressive. There isn't much to go on in there, no signs, no asphalt, no distinct buildings, and the vegetation isn't that specific.

As for the bike, I too find it ungainly at times, and find myself wishing it were shorter, less tall, more discrete. It all disappears though when I'm on some God-forsaken stretch of dirt road, miles from anywhere, and the bike just glides over the rough surface with nary a hint of neck, back or wrist pain.

No, I remember you showing a photo of it last year and you mentioning that it was great on very bad roads. Your English is very impressive, kudos.

Syria, May 2011

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=361450

about 10 years ago before I took off on my first solo cross country trip.

[QUOTE=reuteler;16374303]somewhere in eastern washington from a few years back. 6 tours so far. been a great bike.

http://david.reuteler.org/images/seven_muse.jpg[/QUOI TE]
I'm having a bike built with S&S couplers! how do you like them and what other things have you done to make it easily packable? Is there a case you recommend for flights?

couplers are a non-event in a good way -- can't tell they're there, never notice them or even think about them really, just lube 'em w/ teflon bearing grease every once in a while (it helps to cover the downtube one as in the picture) -- and once torqued they don't loosen.. i've only ever used the softcase on airplanes with no problems .. just fill in the empty space with clothes. i will say this, tho, fenders and that disc brake are a pita and a campy ultra-torque crank would be great for the bottom bracket (mine's square.. i worry about constantly removing and attaching the cranks and ultra-torque is just quicker). it took me around 2-3 hours the first time to figure out the best way for it to all fit together (it's a big bike and a tight fit -- probably the hard case would've been worse). be sure to take photos and document the procedure for you and the tsa guy who rips it apart (thank god this has never happened to me, but i live in fear of this)... all in all there's really no downside to it other than weight and the occasional maintenance.

Here's Andre the Giant on my jaunt down the California coast last summer. There are a lot of nice rigs and setups shown on this thread, but I don't think that I'd trade Andre for any of them. Bought the frame used and built him up from scratch. He was supposed to get a harlequin wrap on the bars, but I just wanted to get going. I've put that saddle back on Seymour and replaced it with a black one. A guy has to be color conscious! One thing that I don't see much of on many of the set ups here is electricity. Between the solar panel on the back and his hub and ewerks set up in the front, come rain or shine, I can keep everything charged without sitting around in a coffee shop waiting.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=362758http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=362759

Buy some cable separators, makes packing the bicycle a little easier. http://www.davincitandems.com/comp.html

I used a soft case and it worked perfectly.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=364169

On a recent trip to the Hebrides. This is at the top of the Quiraing on Skye.

http://i.imgur.com/klxMnrq.jpg

Ready to tour... 24 hours from now.

Follow me! MaxTheCyclist.wordpress.com

Here is a picture of my green Soma Saga in a few different loaded touring / camping flavors:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=369193http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=369200http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=369201http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=369202http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=369203

Looks like a sweet ride!!! Are those full-size Ortliebs on the front rack in pics 1 and 4? If so, which front rack do you use?

Yes! I highly recommend trying your bike with the large panniers up front. The bike steers and handles like a dream. It's just more responsive and road vibrations are damped.

The rack I use is a Tubus Nova. Great rack that I've put thousands of miles on. Can't say enough about the stainless tubus racks. I've got a Tubus Cosmo in the rear. Compared to the other models Tubus sells (titanium bits excepted) they don't have paint chipping, abrasing, or rust issues. Trust me, a black or silver painted rack will look thrashed in a few years time. My stainless ones are going on 4 years strong and look brand new! I never regret spending the extra money on those racks, since they are rock solid, look great, and have a 30 year warranty.

In any case, good luck with your bike metamorphasis!