Author Topic: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour  (Read 20521 times)

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #50 on: 18 January, 2016, 08:29:29 pm »
It's not too late to buy a Carradice: you can use the rack instead of a Bagman as the support ;)

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #51 on: 18 January, 2016, 08:45:33 pm »
Rack bought :)

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Axiom-Streamliner-Disc-Deluxe-Rear-Rack_54702.htm

i've got it on my hybrid, it's a pretty decent rack. i am thinking now if there would be a way to attach ortlieb front roller on top of the rack (for better aerodynamics)? perhaps by attaching a ~15cm rod with nuts to the front end of the rack?

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #52 on: 18 January, 2016, 10:04:31 pm »
Rack bought :)

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Axiom-Streamliner-Disc-Deluxe-Rear-Rack_54702.htm

i've got it on my hybrid, it's a pretty decent rack. i am thinking now if there would be a way to attach ortlieb front roller on top of the rack (for better aerodynamics)? perhaps by attaching a ~15cm rod with nuts to the front end of the rack?

Sounds like it should work. Why not secure it with tie wraps to test it  ?

I'm thinking of a dry bag from Alpkit strapped to the top of the rack, but still want something for my camera. Maybe a handlebar bag or a  smaller Carradice.

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #53 on: 25 January, 2016, 03:10:06 pm »
 8)

daleftw-7.jpg

by Dale FTW, on Flickr

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #54 on: 25 January, 2016, 03:32:52 pm »
Full marks for the audacity of taking your own hotel with you. Attaching it as a sidecar was a stroke of genius!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

woollypigs

  • Mr Peli
    • woollypigs
Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #55 on: 25 January, 2016, 03:58:00 pm »
Well I clearly misunderstood credit card tour. Take bike and credit card go riding, right?

If stuff is needed, use card to pay for said service. Need food - pay with card, need something fixed - pay with card, need transport - pay with card, need stuff carried with - pay someone to ride with you with your panniers on their bike.

:)
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #56 on: 30 January, 2016, 10:57:55 pm »
Now sorted.

I've ordered the Axiom rack and a pair of Altura Arran panniers. I'll probably just use one pannier, but may use the other for my camera as I plan to take a lot of photos along the way.

Thanks everyone.

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #57 on: 05 February, 2016, 11:22:05 pm »
for my camera as I plan to take a lot of photos along the way.



Please make sure that you take a picture or two of the Dirty Disco with the rack and luggage.
We can't have too many Dirty Disco pictures on the forum  ;D.

Hope the "system" works well for you.


Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #58 on: 06 February, 2016, 11:55:49 pm »
for my camera as I plan to take a lot of photos along the way.



Please make sure that you take a picture or two of the Dirty Disco with the rack and luggage.
We can't have too many Dorty Dosco pictures on the forum  ;D.

Hope the "system" works well for you.

I was actually playing with it in the shed today. I think that I'll need to get a seatpost clamp with a rack mount and do a bit of bending of the support tubes, but I reckon it'll fit.

Photos will follow.

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #59 on: 08 February, 2016, 08:35:38 pm »
Came to this a bit late but here's my take on the problem. The frame is a (relatively) pure racing frame - no big clearances, even the downtube stops have to be fitted upside down to make clearance for the mudguards/28 section front tyre if the guards are not fitted (too much faff I have decided trying to use the raceblades with 28 at the front so back to 23).


The barbag is about the same size as my Oxford one (8l) but cost 2€ in a jumble, brand new (still in the packing). The qr is salvaged from a Decathlon mapholder of many years ago and has served for a long while in a slightly different configuration. It looks a bit of a bodge but the bag holding screws are set to take a bottle cage in place of a bag if ever the need arose. The straps on the bag are too short to fix easily to the bars and I prefer my hands behind the bag. Holding the bag a bit straighter is a frame in 4mm rod bent up by me and which has a bit of 1" tube fixed to it (removable otherwise the frame couldn't come off) to take a conventional bar-fitting front light (in my case modded to a separate battery pack in the barbag)
The saddlebag is a Camper Longflap fixed directly to the saddle with a Carradice saddle clamp that has been hacked and modified. There is a support using a childseat support on the seat tube and which has yet to have its rear light bracket fitted (the steel tube bit is not original and can come off when the saddle bag is not needed). The barbag support cannot come off unless the klicky bar fitting is removed but I don't envisage going without the barbag (although I would dump the saddlebag if not necessary). A tent would go on the flap although I do have a tiny chinese one that goes on the toptube.

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #60 on: 19 February, 2016, 08:44:27 pm »
I use different setups and still undecided about the best. Recently on a Scottish tour a frame pack and barbag. Worked very well and no problems.

French tour was a Carradice Super C, SQR and Barbag. Lots of space and no problems. Quick release very handy.

Another French Tour, a rare 300gram Carradice Frame bag and cheap Lidl bar bag did the job. But would not recommend that barbag.

One tip. Go down the £1 shop. Two vacuum bags for a £1. Put all your clothes in the bag, undo valve and sit on it, squeezing all the air out and refasten valve. reduces your packed bulk a huge amount and also keeps everything dry. Best buy ever for touring.
Nothing left to prove. http://adenough1.blogspot.co.uk/

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #61 on: 22 February, 2016, 09:19:00 pm »
Nice set up Adenough.

Thanks for the tip, I'd planned on getting bin liners, but they sound better.

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #62 on: 12 September, 2016, 10:07:32 pm »
Hi everyone.

I thought that I should update this thread as a thanks to everyone who offered advice. Sorry it's taken so long but I was off the bike for months due to a medical issue. However, I'm just back yesterday from my 4 day CC tour. Except that it wasn't along the west coast of Ireland and I didn't take my Dirty Disco.

I did London to Paris instead due to a desire to do something more 'epic' than a ride along the local coastline. Due to the cost of flying a bike along to London from Ireland I rented a bike from 'On Your Bike' under London Bridge. All in all though it went well and I loved my first self supported tour.

I followed the Donald Hirsch route through France but didn't really plan my London to Newhaven route very well and got lost a couple of times and got dumped on the A23 for a while which wasn't great.

My itinerary was as follows:

Day 1 London Bridge to Brighton (no idea on distance as I got lost so much).
Day 2 Brighton to Newhaven in time for the 9 am ferry which docked at 14:00 and then 45 miles into France to Dampierre
Day 3 Dampierre to Versailles (75 miles)
Day 4 Versailles to Paris (20 miles) , on the eurostar in time to give the bike back before 5 pm and then a flight back to Ireland.

What went well.

Well, I made it everywhere I had to in time !
I used 2x 18 litre Altura Arran panniers clipped to the rack on the rented bike. Neither pannier was particularly full, maybe next time I'll try and get down to 1. The only things I didn't use were a winter bike jacket as the weather was so good and some mechanical insurance type items (spare tyre, cables, tools etc).
No mechanical issues enroute.
I had downloaded Google maps for the entire regions onto a tablet before I went which was very useful (and accessible offline).
Once I figured out my GPS it was great help in finding the route (which isn't always the easiest).

What went badly/ opportunities for improvement:

I should have planned my route out of London better.
I also should have played with my GPS a bit more beforehand so I understood how it worked before I left, rather than by day 3....I was relying upon it a bit too much when I left London and expected it to plot a route for me.
I'd like to do it again and spend another day or two to enjoy it a bit more.
Accommodation wasn't great in Brighton (sleazy bedsit) and Versailles (stereotypical I&I$ chain hotel), but the farmhouse B&B in Dampierre was nothing short of fantastic.
Before the next one I'd like to figure out someway to carry a map on the handlebars for easy access and to save time digging stuff out of my pannier. I'm not sure I'm 'hardcore' enough for a bar bag quite yet though.

So in summary, yes I'm pretty addicted to cycle touring and am already starting to plan my next 'epic' adventure.

Thanks everyone.