very sexy

Here's my 1982 Univega Gran Turismo in Tacoma, Washington. Getting ready for an extended weekend trip around the Olympic Peninsula. Kind of tough to see specifics of the bike, so I'll tell ya: Dual rear Axiom Seymour 30L panniers, Topeak Compact handlebar bag, Panaracer Pasela TG 27 x 1 1/4 tires, and a Brooks B17 Imperial saddle.

It isn't loaded and I haven't toured before, but I intend to soon with this rig. I converted an old 1993 Specialized Rockhopper by adding drop bars, racks (front rack to come), fenders, and non-knobby tires. Perfect frame for this kind of conversion because it has stouter tubing that will take a touring load better. However, it miraculously still weighs only 26lbs as shown. This bike also doubles as my campus/around town bike.



For those wondering about my shifters, they are MTB thumb shifters rotated 90 degrees so they act like bar-end shifters when installed on the end of the drop bars. I added a 48t outer chainring for more speed on the flats.

IMG_4726 by Mike, on Flickr

My IF. Testing out front load with 2 panniers and a Salsa rack...
I'm going back to bikepacking bags... so much quieter and tidier for the kind of riding I do.

Nice ride! I have a Specialized Rock Combo I built up. Just got the panniers a few days ago, Weighed it fully loaded with panniers, and was ~ 45 pounds.

Over the last two months:

New wheels, new frame, new seat, new chainrings, new crankset, new handlebars, new front derailleur, and new rear derailleur. Wait a minute, when does it become a new bike?

Which SRAM front are you running? I have been fighting with mine for several weeks it kept slipping down and I ended up just going to Shimano Front D. I think it had something to do with the rubber shims they ship with Shimano is metal and is locked where it is. Next time I am going Braze on with adapter. No more shims! Nice looking bike by the way.

I went with Sram's titanium RED derailleur because every pro (and wannabe) hated the titanium cage, so it was the highest quality I could get for the price. I think I spent $40. My 34-46 tooth crankset isn't a tough jump, so the flex in the titanium cage isn't an issue like it was for the peloton.

There are a lot of shimmed derailleurs out there that work without issue for tens of thousands of miles. Check for an install error or a better shim. The shims mine came with are perfect.

And thank you it's like an extension of my legs. I'm getting better at maintenance and mechanical knowledge, so I have it set up exactly how I like it.

Big tall furry guy,I'm curious, why the wrap on the left chain stay? Does your heel whack it sometimes?

Yes sir, my heel hits it and for some reason my bikes get pretty beat up on the chainstays. I guess I could also say it's a little of my OCD (wanting it the same on both sides). I used to wrap both sides of my trials bikes so I guess some of it could be habit as well.

Hey, whatever works, and even just for being the same on both sides.
I don't think I've ever hit that side with my heels myself.

Finally put some miles on my bike after building it. Everything worked flawlessly. Sram Drivetrain. 1989 Rock Combo. Mavic Corssride wheels. The first picture is grossly overloaded. I figured out 25 miles into the ride that my knees would not allow me to keep up with the group I was riding with unless I shed some weight. I moved the light sleeping bag panniers to the front of my 12 year olds bike and was much more manageable. We had a great time on the summer solstice ride and camped in Bastrop State park in Bastrop, TX. On the way home, we did about 15 miles on dirt/ gravel roads and both our bikes held up great. Was a great time.

My old Schwinn and Bob

Is that a water gun on your front bag?
Here's mine from a tour of central Europe a few years back.

great! bike behaves like a normal road bike with front load. ok, steering is a bit more work, but the benefits of front load are immense when climbing and climbing out of the saddle. no back panniers waving left and right, left and right, and so on

maybe also interesting: https://www.adventurecycling.org/defa...tage_Heine.pdf

yes, found it on the road

Here's my rig that used for my recent tour: 40 days, self-supported, 100% camping, 2300 miles, Milwaukee WI, up and around the Great Lakes and back out to Washington, DC. The tour included the GAP, C&O, and other rail-trails and roads too.



Ottawa National Forest

Quick snap from my last tour

Are those Nitto Albastache bars and what v-brakes are those? I'm at wits end with my LHT that I've had to "manage" the Oryx/720 cantilevers over that past five years with every pad known to man to no avail.

The bars are Nitto Northroads with about 1.5 inches cut off the ends. Great bars. The v-brakes are Shimano Deore XT's. The brakes are a huge improvement, I definitely recommend ditching the Oryx's.

Do note: you'll need long-pull levers. Mine are Tektro RL520's

The only concern that's prevented me from getting v-brakes is that I commute on my LHT. So, I have wide mudguards that might not fit with a v-brake setup.

V-brakes are no problem at all. Here's my Surly with Deore V-brakes, 700x42c tires schwalbe tires and very wide fenders. The clearance with V-brakes is huge.

OVERVIEW


REAR BRAKE


FRONT BRAKE

This was my first bike trip from 2004, the Katy Trail a 250 mile rail to trail. I don't think I spent over 200.00 on the whole rig. Yes, I did the camo paint job. I did the trail twice with this rig. Forgot all about this bike and trip until I looked at the pictures again! Think it was a Schwinn. My equipment has been upgraded now.

The cooler on the rack kept the beer cold!!

I stayed in a tent every night. Didn't have enough $$ at the time to do anything different.

Notice the small amount of gear; I have always been a lightweight backpacker so I already had the proper gear and didn't have to think about what I needed to carry; had all that figured out. I covered about 30-40 miles a day on the hard packed chat. Not too shabby for a very ill fitted bike. I upgraded to a Trek later on and now a Long Haul Trucker.

Jon