Cycling UK Forum

The bikes you have listed are all rear loaders, front loaders with have steeper head angles and more rake.
Tire size also effects front end geometry, fatter tires require less trail.
Measuring frames off the building jigs is notoriously difficult.
Rack stiffness has a large effect on handling of a loaded bike, racks with poor triangulation can make an otherwise
good bike handle poorly when loaded.
Bike setup effects handling.

"The lug is not the frame,
The geometry is not the frame,
The alignment is not the frame,
The material is not the frame,
The frame is the frame"
ATMO

Nitto makes very fine quality traditional looking bars and quill stems.

Some Nittos have the centre sleeves, the super light versions don't.
The Gran Bois Phillipe bars are Nitto superlight.

http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/Handlebars.html

From SRAM concerning their 10 speed chains.

PowerLock

SRAM chain engineers developed PowerLock as a tool free, sure and consistent way to connect our 10 speed chains. While PL does not require special tools for install, the especially tight tolerances of 10 Speed drive trains mandated that each PowerLock is good for a one-time application only.

bealer wrote:

Mike G wrote: Two of us will be on armadillo's which are pretty solid, never get many punctures with them.

You are worrying about grams and riding armadillos ??, I have lorry tires with lower RR than armadillos.
Which brings up what pump are you going to use to add air to the tires everyday ?, one that won't rip out
a valve when you are not quite awake in the morning. (I bought a Mountain Morph while touring)
Standing around waiting for patching or carry several tubes between you and patch in the evening, which is faster ?

Jackets........

http://www.boure.com/jacketsvests.html

http://www.kucharikclothing.com/ultimat ... db73fbcb2e

If you don't mind your friends making fun of you............not listed as jacket, but really is.

http://www.rapha.cc/winter-jersey-09

glueman wrote:That's very pretty and look at the crank lengths available! We just need someone to make the clangers to use them.

The return of the clanger, braze on version.
http://www.pereiracycles.com/gallery/ra ... G_4433.php

IRD makes new 5 speed blocks, google Interloc Racing Design.

Suntour made Ultra 6 blocks, narrower cog spacing, but still fits a 120mm hub.
I'm using one with a Benelux Mark7 derailer, works fine.

Simplex stuff is extremely popular in Japan so Ebay prices on excellent condition stuff can get silly.
British bits go for less, the Benelux Mark7 is as good as Simplex, the Super 60 requires a special
tool to adjust the cage tension.

General info
http://adventurecycling.org/features/ultralight.cfm

Bike bags
http://carouseldesignworks.com/main.html

By way of bringing coals to Newcastle....
Carradice Camper + Bagman

Well known exponent of light touring with Carradice.
http://www.trentobike.org/Countries/Eur ... _the_Alps/

The crank being farther out ?, maybe the spindle is for a bike with a chaincase.

The headclip is looks like 1.5in, they do show up on Ebay every once in a while and go for silly money.
Good news is the races are heat treated and very very long wearing. Headclip stems are different,
no expanded bolt in the stem, the bolt on the top race clamps the stem in place, you can use
a regular stem with the expander bolt removed most of the time. Some headclip stems are
22mm in diameter, instead of the modern 22.2.

Phil Wood does odd spacing hub on request, 40/48 hole hubs for freewheels are available.

Tektro does long and xtra long reach dual pivot brakes, new levers are highly recommended.
http://www.tektro.com/02products/10rb-1.php

Dawesboy wrote:My bike is an old steel framed Dawes from around 1977, with old Sakae Front rings 52 /40 and a seven speed at the back. I had one of those Shimano mega-range cogs fitted because the existing rings were too small in conjunction with the 40 tooth ring at the front.

Old ??? I think not, the problem is the bike is too new. Find a shop with mechanics older than you and have
them fit a good vintage chainset. A Stronglight 49d or a TA ProVis with smaller rings, 46/30 is a good combo.
If you want to use current stuff a "compact" with 48/34 would be a decent choice.

DavidT wrote:I have always understood that an Audax bike is essentially a "fast tour" bike? Essentially based on racing geometries but with a bit more comfort, the option of fitting accessories such as mudguards and racks, and a wider gear range.

If you get to the French inspired version of Audax, the geometry is different to accommodate the handlebar bag,
the accessories aren't, they're permanently attached to avoid bits rattling loose. The frame is built to be more
flexible than a racing frame, no sprint points in Rando and the riders aren't putting out Pro levels of power.
If you have been riding for 40+ hours you don't want a skittish or stiff bike.
This is the way it was done back in heyday of Rando and the Technical Trials in the 1940s.

100% merino s/s Jerseys, excellent quality, the pockets will sag more than a Rapha.
The colour bands are woven in, not pieced in like Rapha.
The trainers are like a mid weight sweater, embroidered not flocked, lovely stuff.
No French designs, the owner has it in for the French.

http://www.vintagevelos.com/jer-gray3.html
http://www.vintagevelos.com/trainers1.html

The sizes are about 1 off from Rapha xxl = xxxl in Woolistic.

mellamopaul wrote:That's pretty ambitious, I guess sightseeing along the way is ruled out then? Still it will put such records out of the reach of a touring cyclist for good. Good luck.

You can still set the unsupported record. , I'll donate the panniers to get you started.

Fast rides, you see the team car and the Belgian domestiques lined up.

Speedy ride, skinny people in lycra fiddling with heart rate monitors, skinny tires, no saddlebags, all non-ferrous bikes.

Moderate ride, Old guys on old bikes, some grey hair, lots talk about where to stop for coffee (cake stop in Brit)

Fun ride, lots of tweed, chaincases, people sitting upright like proper gentlefolk
and the lovely tick tick of Sturmey Archer.

Rides to avoid, people wearing wool, with french handlebar bags and very shiny hammered fenders,
they're going for a quick 400k lunch run.

Barrenfluffit wrote:When I looked at it one hassle was getting to the start point with the bike. Not all trains take bikes etc. Nothing insoluble but awkward. Also a huge variation in prices charged for the bike, AA was particularly high.

Freight trains have priority over Amtrak (passenger trains), so Amtrak trains can have long delays,
you sit on the track and watch endless freight trains crawl past you. Greyhound (bus) is more reliable
and they will take boxed bikes. US airlines see bikes as a revenue source, they figure you'll pay silly
money ($140 one way) to ship your bike. When traveling to a tour here, I ship the bike via UPS
and fly, at least my bike will get to the start of the tour.