Trek 520 question

[Krispy]

Originally posted by daveornee
Continental Top Touring 2000 tires are at or near the top of my favorite tour tire list.
I used Armadillo for touring and tandeming with acceptable results. They certainly are tough, but they don't have as much tread life or comfort as the Conti TT 2000s.
I am trying out Schwalbe Marathon XRs. I will see how they work in a loaded tour this summer.
You can look at them on URL:
http://www.schwalbe.com/index.pl?bereich=produkte&einsatzbereich=4&produktgruppe=6&produkt=95

It sounds like you have your fit dialed in.

What rack(s) do you plan to use?

The Armadillos are 700/35. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go buy some Continental Top Touring to get my plush ride back but I can't decide on whether to get the 700/28 for lower rolling resistand and also for when I'm riding not loaded or lightly loaded or if I'm better off just getting the 700/37. If I were riding only lightly loaded for now do you think the 700/28 would still have a better ride than the Armadillos?

I'll check out the Schwalbe website. Keep us posted on how you like them.

I've got to start doing my research now to determine what racks and panniers I'll buy. I'm open to suggestions. I got a Jandd catalogue while I was at Richardson Bike Mart but I need to look at the Arkles and some of the others as well before deciding.

One thing I had thought about is aquiring all of my gear and then determining how much space it will take. On the other hand if I already had my panniers I could put weights in them to carry to start building up my conditioning. For at least the next 4 months I'm probably not going to do any trips that woud require me to be heavily loaded. They will probably be short extended weekend trips. The reason I say I need to build up my conditioning is because I had an injury back in November, that combined with crappy weather has kept me off my bike longer than I've wanted to be so I'm somewhat out of shape.

In June I am doing a 7 day cross state tour. The tour is fully supported and sagged but if I can get my strength built up by then I may carry all of my stuff with me instead of letting the truck carry it. Last year when I did the tour I saw several people doing just that. It would be a perfect way to test out every thing and yet have support available if needed. Kind of like a trial run with a saftey net!

Sorry for the long winded answer. I'm open to suggestions on racks and panniers.

 

[daveornee]

Originally posted by Krispy
The Armadillos are 700/35. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go buy some Continental Top Touring to get my plush ride back but I can't decide on whether to get the 700/28 for lower rolling resistand and also for when I'm riding not loaded or lightly loaded or if I'm better off just getting the 700/37. If I were riding only lightly loaded for now do you think the 700/28 would still have a better ride than the Armadillos?


I've got to start doing my research now to determine what racks and panniers I'll buy. I'm open to suggestions. I got a Jandd catalogue while I was at Richardson Bike Mart but I need to look at the Arkles and some of the others as well before deciding.

One thing I had thought about is aquiring all of my gear and then determining how much space it will take. On the other hand if I already had my panniers I could put weights in them to carry to start building up my conditioning. For at least the next 4 months I'm probably not going to do any trips that woud require me to be heavily loaded. They will probably be short extended weekend trips. The reason I say I need to build up my conditioning is because I had an injury back in November, that combined with crappy weather has kept me off my bike longer than I've wanted to be so I'm somewhat out of shape.

In June I am doing a 7 day cross state tour. The tour is fully supported and sagged but if I can get my strength built up by then I may carry all of my stuff with me instead of letting the truck carry it. Last year when I did the tour I saw several people doing just that. It would be a perfect way to test out every thing and yet have support available if needed. Kind of like a trial run with a saftey net!

Tubus Cargo rack for the rear is my first choice, followed by Bruce Gordon (custom fit to your frame measurements). Tubus Tara for front, if your fork has the eyelets that will correctly mount it is my first choice, followed by Bruce Gordon or Tubus Duo.
You know where to check out the Bruce Gordon racks.
Tubus has recently released a new front and rear rack that look quite nice, but I don't have any experience with them. Logo is their new rear model and Ergo is their new front one.
UK sites to see them on:
http://www.orbit-cycles.co.uk/tubus.shtml
http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/tubus_racks.html
US Sites to check for information, etc.:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/tubus_racks.asp
http://www.wallbike.com/tubus/tubus.html
http://circlecitybicycles.com/bracks.htm
Arkel is a good choice for panniers.
I also like Orlieb for their water resistance. Panniers get into a lot more personal style and priority of packing methods.
If you can get lots of practice touring, you will find what works best, and will also get into condition.
I wish you well in your plans. It sounds like you are making good preparations.

 

[Krispy]

David,

Thank you for the links! I'll research them. Thanks also for your other input.