Author Topic: carradice barbag wanted.  (Read 10032 times)

JimK

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Re: carradice barbag wanted.
« Reply #15 on: November 29, 2013, 03:53:36 pm »
Yeah my sweetheart laughs because I dream of the freedom of winnowing my possessions down to what will fit on my fearless Nomad! Just get up and go on a whim, forget about rents and mortgages!

But I have 10,000 beautiful books and oh my nice wool coat etc. etc. which fill two storage units and then some.

There are these ultralight fellows who cycle round the world with a 2x5 sheet of bubble wrap and a toothpick all of which they can pack inside their seat tube. What is possible for me, I cannot say. But it is a process of cultivation, of development, of training.

You could put that wonderful pillow in a backpack, perhaps?

A Ferrari is not so good for a safari, but a Land Rover is not as fun on the M-1.

I hope you conquer that flu soon, jags. Everything is a lot nicer without that cloud!
 

jags

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Re: carradice barbag wanted.
« Reply #16 on: November 29, 2013, 04:12:03 pm »
yeah jim my raleigh 753 aint no touring bike thats for certain.
i just weighed everything the tent is 2.5kg and loaded saddlebag7.5kg  doesnt sound much i know but its enough to give me unstable problems,
man i hate been broke the joys of being out of work  >:( >:(
if i could afford to buy another thorn  tourer maybe even the club tour then i would strip the raleigh and transfair it to new frameset  problem solved.
but as things are thats not going to happen and now loking i'm gonna have to bite my tongue if i want to go touring again.
hemm maybe only solution would be to buy  a trailer like Dans wonder would that work, i did have a trailer before for the raleigh copy of the bob,  totally useless like pulling a small truck.
ah what to do what to do.
yeah this feckin flu aint helping any. ::)

Danneaux

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Re: carradice barbag wanted.
« Reply #17 on: November 29, 2013, 09:15:31 pm »
Hi jags!

First off, don't try to think whilst battling the 'flu; it just won't work. The bugs get in one's head and make things cloudy.

'Sure hope you feel better soonest!

Second, as you've sussed, the Raleigh just isn't designed for a touring load, and the handling degarades sharply when one tries.

I have some tried-and-true solutions that might help in part, but they'll mean some compromise on your part...

• Do what you can to minimize both mass and bulk. The most direct solution to this -- apart from just taking less -- is to have as much as possible do double-duty.

That pillow? Well, it might have to either go or be replaced by something else, say the empty dry sack stuffed with some spare clothing come nightfall. I did the clothes-in-stuffsack thing for decades before succumbing to the urge for a pillow. Loved that thing, but it upset the applecart with its bulk and weight, so I compromised, going instead with an inflatable pillow that was extremely light and covered in just a wisp if nylon over some thin synthetic fill. I got the Coccoon HyperLite air pillow. Only 2.4oz/68g and it is *tiny* when stuffed. See: http://www.rei.com/product/799192/cocoon-hyperlite-pillow

D'ya really need the tea kettle if you've already got a pot? Just boil the water in the pot first, then heat the stew or soup and you're as well off with half the gear.

I am at the point where I can do ultralight touring-on-the-fly with my SOL kit only -- tent, footprint, pad, sub-kilo down bag, air pillow and silk liner, and my Pocket Kitchen with 21g beer-can-and-penny pressurized meths stove for a total just at ~4kg At a spare longsleeve wool jersey, tights, microfleece balaclava, windjacket, and rain gear, and some dehydrated meals and the bags to carry it all (they always weigh something apart from the contents) and I'm pretty well set at ~7.5-8kg depending on how much food and fuel I carry and there's room in that for my little MP3 player, a paperback book, or my AM/FM/Weather radio for entertainment, perhaps my LED headlight for camp use (inverted over a translucent bidon, it makes a dandy area light for no extra weight or bulk). Do I have all the little touring "luxuries" I'm used to? No, but I'll be riding and sleeping warm and dry in 2.5-3 seasons, and I'll be eating hot food and tea in camp. Not a bad tradeoff for what started as an emergency kit and has become my ultralight ""touring" kit on those days when a really long day ride becomes just too long, or if I decide on the fly to stay late exploring things at the far end. No more worries about spending the night our unprepared or getting cold/wet/hypothermic/hungry.

Ultralight touring needn't leave you feeling miserable; it can be done, but it does require some adjustment. I know I could go much lighter, but not without some serious investment, and I can do this using stuff I already own. I'm figuring on using this lot a single night at a time, but really there's no reason why it couldn't be used very nicely for longer trips as well. After all, they're just single nights strung out a bit longer.

By the way, everything above fits in my rack-top pack, atop my rear rack, in my handlebar bag, and in my rear jersey pockets with room to spare and I always have the option to haul as much as 6.5l of water on the bike itself. If you don't need that much capacity, remember: A water bottle with screw-off top adds storage space as well. I have some containers that are dedicated to this purpose, but a genuine bidon will do as well provided you can undo the top and it has a wide mouth.

• Do what you can to more evenly distribute the weight on the bike. Your present setup places a lot of weight high and at the rear...and not so solidly mounted. Your frame is a little small for some solutions that would work better for larger frames with more clearance above the tires, but there's still a lot can be done. The saddlebag is basically good; it puts the weight near where you sit and the bike is happy carrying it there, but you can't get by with the saddlebag alone. The present setup on your light frame is a bit like the tail wagging the dog. Why not distribute it about the frame in the manner of bikepackers? There's photos of some really creative rackless, pannierless setups here: http://www.bikepacking.net/category/individual_setups/

• Consider wearing a bit of the weight, either in your jersey pockets or on a low-riding hip pack. I've done this (reluctantly) on some bikes and was amazed at what I could sometimes carry. A fuel bottle, your MP3 player and phone, the usual tool kit, a wind jacket -- all will easily fit in the usual three rear jersey pockets. For years, I commuted wearing a small backpack and after five years of it, vowed I would never ride with something on my sweaty back again. The hip/waist/belt/fanny pack is a bit different in that it rides low and leaves one's back free.

• I don't think a trailer -- Extrawheel or otherwise -- will work in your case, Anto. The chainstays and seatstays on your lovely lightweight bike are similarly thin and flexible and I don't think you'll get great handling with a trailer because of this. If the bike were just a bit more robust, then I think it would be a viable option, but -- Man! -- the same things that make your Raleigh such a fantastic ride work against it in this case.

Just some quick thoughts on ways you might still be able to tour with your present setup.

All the best,

Dan.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2013, 11:53:59 pm by Danneaux »

jags

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Re: carradice barbag wanted.
« Reply #18 on: November 29, 2013, 09:32:54 pm »
cheers dan yeah my head is cabbaged at the moment don't know whether if i'm coming or going.
think your right on the pillow and kettle.also the tent way to big ah i wont give up just yet i'll study your set up and see how i get on with it.
(BTW i'm talking to noel he just arrieved in auckland)
cheers

anto.

Danneaux

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Re: carradice barbag wanted.
« Reply #19 on: November 29, 2013, 09:46:16 pm »
Quote
(BTW i'm talking to noel he just arrieved in auckland)
'Kay. Give him my best, Anto, and pass on my well-wishes. 

All the best,

Dan.

jags

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Re: carradice barbag wanted.
« Reply #20 on: November 29, 2013, 11:06:03 pm »
just did Dan he said there plenty of great climbing hills in Auckland  ;D ;D

sd

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Re: carradice barbag wanted.
« Reply #21 on: May 29, 2014, 12:23:06 pm »
Have to check. I definitely have the Carradice super c bar bag. I therefore should have click fit. Can't remember when I last used it. Let me know still need one. Note not at home and doubt I will be for a week.
This one
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&url=super-c-handlebar-bag
« Last Edit: May 29, 2014, 12:27:25 pm by sd »

jags

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Re: carradice barbag wanted.
« Reply #22 on: May 29, 2014, 12:59:25 pm »
sd thanks but im gonna go for a lighter smaller bag and much cheaper ;)

jags.

jags

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Re: carradice barbag wanted.
« Reply #23 on: June 10, 2014, 08:03:24 pm »
my son sent me a nice Axiom barbag from the states ,just straps onto bars.looks good i'm well pleased  says its shower proof i certainty hope so. ;D ;D

Pavel

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Re: carradice barbag wanted.
« Reply #24 on: July 26, 2014, 06:25:37 pm »
I bought mine from wiggle.  Their prices are quite good and when I got mine it was on special.  Postage if ordering over a certain amount was free ... if my memory serves me correctly.