Retrobike Touring.
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Absolutely fantastic. Something you will both always remember.
2468simon which model marin is that?
I have set up a touring bike for road and gravel, a 700c, flat bar, 2010 kona smoke.
Now i want to build a retro, off road, camping, touring, bike and bivi steed.
Its difficult because i have a 91 saracen sahara elite which is completely original (so it'd be a shame to change bits to suit and to wear out original parts and leave in the rain while camping.
Or i have an early 90s raleigh yukon i can build out of leftover parts but she doesnt have any rack mounts (considered getting some braised or welded on).
Or a pretty bad 94 marin palisades trail with kona forks. The marin is pretty rusty and has had the serial number grinded off at some point.
Either way, i am hoping to get something built up ready for spring.
Ill start by touring and camping on the isle of wight where im based as testers and once ive nailed the kit etc, ill start on mainland Britain.
So far the Army surplus shop has had some great stuff in there and a fiver at a carboot sale gpt me some altura and ortlieb panniers.
Cheers
I have set up a touring bike for road and gravel, a 700c, flat bar, 2010 kona smoke.
Now i want to build a retro, off road, camping, touring, bike and bivi steed.
Its difficult because i have a 91 saracen sahara elite which is completely original (so it'd be a shame to change bits to suit and to wear out original parts and leave in the rain while camping.
Or i have an early 90s raleigh yukon i can build out of leftover parts but she doesnt have any rack mounts (considered getting some braised or welded on).
Or a pretty bad 94 marin palisades trail with kona forks. The marin is pretty rusty and has had the serial number grinded off at some point.
Either way, i am hoping to get something built up ready for spring.
Ill start by touring and camping on the isle of wight where im based as testers and once ive nailed the kit etc, ill start on mainland Britain.
So far the Army surplus shop has had some great stuff in there and a fiver at a carboot sale gpt me some altura and ortlieb panniers.
Cheers
Also, a quick question...
Do you think its better to run old square tapered BBs and cranksets (which are harder to replace these days and take more tools to take on off out in the field) or change to modern, external BBs and either 3 speeds or singles cranks for more availability and less carrying tools?
The same with changing the quill stem to the slide on type by using a quill stem adapter so bars can be taken on and off without stripping them etc?
Cheers
Do you think its better to run old square tapered BBs and cranksets (which are harder to replace these days and take more tools to take on off out in the field) or change to modern, external BBs and either 3 speeds or singles cranks for more availability and less carrying tools?
The same with changing the quill stem to the slide on type by using a quill stem adapter so bars can be taken on and off without stripping them etc?
Cheers
Re:
I think it depends on how far and how remote are you going. Spares might be useful if you're somewhere remote like parts of Africa, South Amerca, etc., but for Europe, the US, etc. there will be plenty of places to buy them and get them fitted. Modern external BBs are pretty light, so you could carry a spare set of bearings, but unless you're covering a lot of distance, one should last the whole journey and square taper cartridge BBs like the Shimano UN55 last for ages, thousands of miles, maybe tens of thousands. If you're doing a really long trip, you could always fit a brand new BB, wheel bearings, headset, etc., before you set off.
Last weekend I went for another over-nighter, no spares other than an inner tube, although I did also have a small tool kit, mini pump and some patches.
It was a nice ride out, but the home stretch the next day was quite gruellig, it was only about 45 miles but we had a strong head wind that didn't let up for the whole journey, so it felt like more.
I changed my set up from last time. I bought a frame bag that holds almost everything I carried in a rucksack last time. I used a couple of dry bags as panniers, took a warmer sleeping bag, an inflatable matress and a small stove, so I could have a coffee before we set off in the morning.
I think it depends on how far and how remote are you going. Spares might be useful if you're somewhere remote like parts of Africa, South Amerca, etc., but for Europe, the US, etc. there will be plenty of places to buy them and get them fitted. Modern external BBs are pretty light, so you could carry a spare set of bearings, but unless you're covering a lot of distance, one should last the whole journey and square taper cartridge BBs like the Shimano UN55 last for ages, thousands of miles, maybe tens of thousands. If you're doing a really long trip, you could always fit a brand new BB, wheel bearings, headset, etc., before you set off.
Last weekend I went for another over-nighter, no spares other than an inner tube, although I did also have a small tool kit, mini pump and some patches.
It was a nice ride out, but the home stretch the next day was quite gruellig, it was only about 45 miles but we had a strong head wind that didn't let up for the whole journey, so it felt like more.
I changed my set up from last time. I bought a frame bag that holds almost everything I carried in a rucksack last time. I used a couple of dry bags as panniers, took a warmer sleeping bag, an inflatable matress and a small stove, so I could have a coffee before we set off in the morning.
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Sleeping comfortably is vital enjoyment and progress.
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Definately, last time I went, it was all a bit last minute and I just took a cheap sleeping bag, the square ended type that you can get in Argos for around a tenner, that I had lying around and no mat. It was really hot weather during the day, but the sky was very clear and it got quite chilly during the night.
It was useful though, because I then had a better idea of what I needed and after reading some reviews this is what I ended up getting:
Sleeping bag: https://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/travelpak-2, you can get bags that are lighter and pack smaller if you spend more and get a down fill, rather than a synthetic, but I've always been put off those because you can't machine wash them and if they get wet, they stay wet.
Sleeping mat: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hikenture-Slee ... eeping+mat. I was pleased with this, it's light, packs small and if you blow it up so that it's good and firm, it's comfortable and knees, elbows, hips, etc. won't poke through to the ground.
Teeny, tiny stove: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2700W-25g-Mi ... 2749.l2649. A cheap copy of some of the more expensive ones and without one of those to compare it to, I don't know it does compare, but it seemed to work well enough and at the price, no complaints.
Definately, last time I went, it was all a bit last minute and I just took a cheap sleeping bag, the square ended type that you can get in Argos for around a tenner, that I had lying around and no mat. It was really hot weather during the day, but the sky was very clear and it got quite chilly during the night.
It was useful though, because I then had a better idea of what I needed and after reading some reviews this is what I ended up getting:
Sleeping bag: https://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/travelpak-2, you can get bags that are lighter and pack smaller if you spend more and get a down fill, rather than a synthetic, but I've always been put off those because you can't machine wash them and if they get wet, they stay wet.
Sleeping mat: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hikenture-Slee ... eeping+mat. I was pleased with this, it's light, packs small and if you blow it up so that it's good and firm, it's comfortable and knees, elbows, hips, etc. won't poke through to the ground.
Teeny, tiny stove: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2700W-25g-Mi ... 2749.l2649. A cheap copy of some of the more expensive ones and without one of those to compare it to, I don't know it does compare, but it seemed to work well enough and at the price, no complaints.
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