I just ordered one thanks to your photo - it came in a few days ago and I put it on the bike yesterday. I plan on taking the Soma for a ride today to try it out. I went for the 44 cm. It looks huge, but to me that's a good thing - more stability.

I finished making some panniers out of old army surplus bags. Style over function, really.

pind, you might want to look seriously into some waterproof covers for those, they will be awfully heavy and wet after riding in rain and will take forever to dry out.

these sort of things:

https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...34374302693397

spike57:

Your photo for on tour in Oregon is not showing up.

Yep, I have some pannier covers.

its nice that covers are easily and cheaply available nowadays, I remember years ago not being able to find any, part of the reason I got some waterproof panniers.

good on your resourcefulness. Do they stay on well?

My Galaxy+ last summer on my first tour. (and yes, I realise I shouldn't lean like that).

They're fairly secure. I wouldn't got riding off any dirt jumps, though.

Very nice. Wish I was there now.

Finally got my new rig finished and out for a ride.

A few pictures from my recent tour of Scotland.

Pic 01: Assembly of my bike at the hotel.
Pic 02: Campsite on the Isle of Skye under the Red Cuillin mountains.
Pic 03: Campsite is located just past Torrin. Great spot to camp.
Pic 04: Mountain stream, complete with pool and waterfall adjacent to my campsite.
Pic 05: View of the Black Cuillin mountains from campsite.
Pic 06: Entering Elgol. A small fishing village, with tour boats to Loch Coruisk.
Pic 07: Bike at the Elgol post office.
Pic 08: Boat tour to Lock Coruick.
Pic 09: Cycling the A82 by Loch Ness. Notice the size of the shoulder, not the safest road.
Pic 10: Cycling the Caledonian canel trail known as the Great Glen Way.
Pic 11: Cycling the Great Glen Way to Fort William.
Pic 12: Taking the train to Edinburgh. Run out of time.

^ Those pics and trip report belong in their own thread! Good show!

Not only does the diaper bag solve the small wheel problem, but it's stylish and waterproof.

On the Great Allegheny Passage


Bassfield, MS on tour from Brookhaven, MS to Hammond, LA via Mobile, AL

Yink, neat photos and an interesting bike-what is the story with it? 26 inch wheels, mtn crank, but downtube shifters...unique and intriguing.

I bought my old mtn bike off by Scottish brother in law, and I know he took it out and about to "Ben this" and "Ben that". Very nice pictures and quite beautiful scenery.

cheers

Took this setup through the Lake district of southern Chile in March:

purdy shot there alegro. Makes me smile too as I am familiar with an agricultural coop named Dos Pinos from Costa Rica....

You might be interested in this (or similar)--I have had this fender on my mtn bike for years, it works well and does the job on front suspension bikes and handy when things get muddy:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004BRZ9FY/...SIN=B004BRZ9FY

again, nice shot, good use of depth of field.

Thanks for the kind words, that front fender would have been sweet on some of the ripio descents and now that I am using this bike for my commute (~23mi) I might invest in that, thanks for the link.

Here's my new ride from Old Spokes Home in Burlington VT. The LHT - It rides itself... sweet

Yinkgo,
Yes, very nice shots and interested what kind of bike you have. It looks like a very capable tourer.

Thanks djb and aroundoz! My frame is actually a Surly LHT 50cm. I got it on eBay at a good price. I purchased it with the intention of building an all purpose bike. I use it for commuting, grocery hauler, touring and a light duty trail bike. The frame was originally the (in my opinion) dull Surly utility blue color. It had several scratches and nicks, so I had it sandblasted and powder coated green. Prior to powder coating, I had a local frame builder add braze ons to the backside of the seat tube for a pump mount. The Topeak road morph fits perfectly behind the seat tube on the small frame LHT even with fenders. Below are some build specs and reasons for my choices.

Crankset
Sugino DX MTB crank - I choose a MTB crank to achieve a very low gear ratio. A 4 bolt MTB crank will take a 22 chain ring. I believe a road bike 5 bolt crank is limited to a 26 chain ring. Also, the Sugino DX cranks are good quality at a great price at $60.

Chainrings & Cassette
22/38/Chain Guard with a Shimano XT 11-34 - On all my previous triple crank bikes, I rarely used the large chain ring. The gear range on this bike works well for my style of riding. I often commute and ride in regular pants, so I added a chain guard to eliminate pant snags. It also keeps the chain grease off my pants. I think it looks good.

Shifters
Shimano 9 speed Downtube - All my old road bikes from the 80’s had downtube shifters, so I’m comfortable with them. I prefer a short stem (100cm) to achieve a more upright riding position. Because of this, I’ve had the problem of hitting bar end shifters with my knees while pedaling out of the saddle. I have never had brifters and there expensive so I didn’t consider them for this bike. I guess I’m old and set in my ways. Also, downtube shifters eliminate cable clutter for a handle bar bag, which I may add at sometime in the future.

Derailleurs
Shimano LX Front and Rear

I’ve had this bike for two years and it adequately handles my cycling needs. Thus far, I’ve taken it on 3 tours without any problems. My first tour with this bike was local – Indiana and Kentucky. Second tour was Ireland. Third was Scotland. Next year I may try crossing Iceland.

Cheers

built this guy up a few months ago, Rides on rails and is amazingly smooth, still adjusting and have about 500 miles on it.
full XTR group,

Nice to know I'm not the only wack job transferring his motorcycle accessories onto a bicycle

What is the cylindrical case for and where did you get it?


A few pics of my loaded rig on a bike camping trip recently:



On my way to a music festival with a little more than I usually carry on a bike camping trip (kite, free standing vestibule, etc):



and loaded down with nearly a gallon of local apple juice picked up at a roadside stand: