Expert advice- touring

Hi, everybody. I'm a former Vision r-40 (older model) owner who sold it due
to some tricky problems 1) very front heavy, and2) terrible on softer
shoulders (probable due to problem #1)

I switched to a wedgie touring bike, and surprise, the wrist problems
returned after a week-long trip (I'm dumb sometimes)

I need the sage advice of 'bent experts on the ultimate load-bearing tourer,
with at least 50-50 back-front weight balance, and the ability to do gravel
paths, any configuration considered.

Thank you oh wise ones!!!

Dave Barton
Jazz guitarist and bike nut

Dave Barton wrote:

Hi, everybody. I'm a former Vision r-40 (older model) owner who sold it due
to some tricky problems 1) very front heavy, and2) terrible on softer
shoulders (probable due to problem #1)

I switched to a wedgie touring bike, and surprise, the wrist problems
returned after a week-long trip (I'm dumb sometimes)

I need the sage advice of 'bent experts on the ultimate load-bearing tourer,
with at least 50-50 back-front weight balance, and the ability to do gravel
paths, any configuration considered.

Thank you oh wise ones!!!

The RANS Rocket will fit the bill quite nicely, IMO, and is probably the
least expensive bike to do so (but is still one of the best on its own
merits).

Here is a webpage of someone who switched from a Vision R-40 to a RANS
Rocket for his touring bicycle:
http://www.phred.org/~alex/bikes/rocket.html.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

Have you asked him what a Rans Rocket is yet?

"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...
Dave Barton wrote:

Hi, everybody. I'm a former Vision r-40 (older model) owner who sold it
due
to some tricky problems 1) very front heavy, and2) terrible on softer
shoulders (probable due to problem #1)

I switched to a wedgie touring bike, and surprise, the wrist problems
returned after a week-long trip (I'm dumb sometimes)

I need the sage advice of 'bent experts on the ultimate load-bearing
tourer,
with at least 50-50 back-front weight balance, and the ability to do
gravel
paths, any configuration considered.

Thank you oh wise ones!!!

The RANS Rocket will fit the bill quite nicely, IMO, and is probably the
least expensive bike to do so (but is still one of the best on its own
merits).

Here is a webpage of someone who switched from a Vision R-40 to a RANS
Rocket for his touring bicycle:
http://www.phred.org/~alex/bikes/rocket.html.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...
Dave Barton wrote:

Hi, everybody. I'm a former Vision r-40 (older model) owner who sold it
due
to some tricky problems 1) very front heavy, and2) terrible on softer
shoulders (probable due to problem #1)

I switched to a wedgie touring bike, and surprise, the wrist problems
returned after a week-long trip (I'm dumb sometimes)

I need the sage advice of 'bent experts on the ultimate load-bearing
tourer,
with at least 50-50 back-front weight balance, and the ability to do
gravel
paths, any configuration considered.

Thank you oh wise ones!!!

The RANS Rocket will fit the bill quite nicely, IMO, and is probably the
least expensive bike to do so (but is still one of the best on its own
merits).

Here is a webpage of someone who switched from a Vision R-40 to a RANS
Rocket for his touring bicycle:
http://www.phred.org/~alex/bikes/rocket.html.

Forget about SWB. Go to LWB and don't look back. Almost any LWB will be far
superior to any SWB. SWB is for sport riding. LWB is for serious touring.
Thus spake Zarathustra!

You should have converted your Vision R-40 to LWB and you would have had a
very fine touring bike.

--
Regards,

Ed Dolan - Minnesota

"I need the sage advice of 'bent experts on the ultimate load-bearing
tourer,
with at least 50-50 back-front weight balance, and the ability to do gravel
paths, any configuration considered."

I am not an expert,not being over fifty miles from home (although I do have
a briefcase).

But, when has that stopped anyone on this venue.

The gold standard of long distance touring is the Easy Racers Tour Easy in
one of it's versions.

As support of this statement I cite the following tour report site.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/

There are many recumbents going on long trips. Trikes and Tour Easy's
predominate the ranks.

You seem to favor two wheels(I agree). That rules out trikes.

Your gravel road would sway the choice toward the EX version, with larger
tires.

People have toured on all most every available platform. I don't mean to
disparage other designs.

Miles of Smiles,
Tom

In article , says...
Hi, everybody. I'm a former Vision r-40 (older model) owner who sold it due
to some tricky problems 1) very front heavy, and2) terrible on softer
shoulders (probable due to problem #1)

I switched to a wedgie touring bike, and surprise, the wrist problems
returned after a week-long trip (I'm dumb sometimes)

I need the sage advice of 'bent experts on the ultimate load-bearing tourer,
with at least 50-50 back-front weight balance, and the ability to do gravel
paths, any configuration considered.

Thank you oh wise ones!!!

Dave Barton
Jazz guitarist and bike nut


I tour mostly on a P-38 Lightning. The weight distribution unloaded is 45% front 55% rear. With
33mm Vredestein S-Licks, I have toured in many places where I wished there was a road. In short,
the P-38 can handle anything you can find on a tour.

Another excellent touring machine is my Bacchetta Giro. The Giro has an advantage over the P-38 in
that the Giro supports a Midship Underseat rack for better load distribution.

--

Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Aero-Basso
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

"Cletus Lee" wrote in message
T...
In article ,
says...
Hi, everybody. I'm a former Vision r-40 (older model) owner who sold it
due
to some tricky problems 1) very front heavy, and2) terrible on softer
shoulders (probable due to problem #1)

I switched to a wedgie touring bike, and surprise, the wrist problems
returned after a week-long trip (I'm dumb sometimes)

I need the sage advice of 'bent experts on the ultimate load-bearing
tourer,
with at least 50-50 back-front weight balance, and the ability to do
gravel
paths, any configuration considered.

Thank you oh wise ones!!!

Dave Barton
Jazz guitarist and bike nut


I tour mostly on a P-38 Lightning. The weight distribution unloaded is 45%
front 55% rear. With
33mm Vredestein S-Licks, I have toured in many places where I wished there
was a road. In short,
the P-38 can handle anything you can find on a tour.

Another excellent touring machine is my Bacchetta Giro. The Giro has an
advantage over the P-38 in
that the Giro supports a Midship Underseat rack for better load
distribution.

Good Grief! Why tour on a SWB when there are perfectly good LWB's available.
The Giro has a very high BB which is a complication for touring. The Easy
Racers Tour Easy is by no means a perfect touring recumbent, but it is far
superior to any SWB, and that includes the fabled P-38 Lightning too. If you
are carrying a load, then it is just fine to have it all on the rear rack
with a LWB. If you want more "balance" then a front rack will work on a LWB.
Length matters on a recumbent. The only thing against a LWB is the size,
mainly for transportation issues.

--
Regards,

Ed Dolan - Minnesota

"Dave Barton" wrote in
:
I need the sage advice of 'bent experts on the ultimate load-bearing
tourer, with at least 50-50 back-front weight balance, and the ability
to do gravel paths, any configuration considered.


The short answer is "whatever bike you have from EZ 1 to Reynolds T-
bone."

Starting from a clean sheet of paper, one might consider:

Obvious LWB candidates:
Stratus, V2, Tour Easy/GRR, Longbikes Slipstream/Vanguard

The apparent European standards:
HPV Streetmachine, Grasshopper, similar bikes from Challenger, Optima
et.al.

If you are otherwise constrained to SWB, darned near anything ought to
work. You might even find an '01 or later suspended Vision with OSS at
an attractive price. Past that, I'd at least think about a RANs Vivo, a
Burley Limbo, then the usual suspects (Canto, Django, Rocket, VRex,
various Bachettae), but don't rule out the Longbikes Eliminator or
Haluzak Horizon. I kind of think side-arm USS (as opposed to knuckle
draggin') would be a blast on a tour.

I'm not sure how much fun a stiff SWB would be after a day on the chip-
seal, but if I had a stiff SWB, I wouldn't let that stop me. Although I
might run the tire pressure down to 85 psi or so.

Under no circumstances would I consider a P-38 as this would only
encourage Cletus! (it's a JOKE!).

As far as baggage, people are evenly split WRT trailers vs panniers. I'm
starting to lean toward trailers (e.g. Nomad with the alternative hitch),
but diff'rent strokes.

In article , Howard bishop(1199bitshifleft1)
@yazhooz.com says...
Under no circumstances would I consider a P-38 as this would only
encourage Cletus! (it's a JOKE!).


I have a love/hate, hot/cold relationship with my P-38. It presents lots of negatives, but there
probably is not a better suited all around recumbent made. It is fast. It out climbs most
recumbents. It can be a little pack mule. And with the Voyager option, it is the only touring bike
that can do long distance tours and still fly free on a US airline.


--
Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

Cletus Lee wrote:

I have a love/hate, hot/cold relationship with my P-38. It presents lots of negatives, but there
probably is not a better suited all around recumbent made. It is fast. It out climbs most
recumbents. It can be a little pack mule. And with the Voyager option, it is the only touring bike
that can do long distance tours and still fly free on a US airline.

The Boulder Galaxy [1] (and its near twin, the Angletech Altitude) are
reportedly fine touring bike, and should fold down into airline size
case. S&S couplers are also available from certain dealers on bikes such
as the RANS Rocket that would allow then to be packed down to a
sufficiently small size (if the Angletech hinge is added to the RANS seat).

[1] http://www.boulderbikes.com/galaxy.htm.

--
Tom Sherman - Quad City Area