Panniers..
After frustrating myself for hundreds of kilometers by carrying my stuff on the trailer or on my back I got an awesome deal on two rear panniers from the brand Jandd. It makes a huge difference for me not having to deal with a 10kg load on my back and having less weight in the trailer has also made my life a lot easier. The panniers are incredible, the only downside to them is that they are so functional that it is easy to over pack. The have already proven to be fairly rainproof during the (rainy) tail end of hurricane Sandy, even without the seperately sold rain covers. They come with all kind of neat compartments and one of these compartments can be detached and used as a fanny pack.
Bikes and Trailers Part 2
We finally came to a decision regarding the bikes. After much thought we've come to the conclusion that spending 500 dollar extra just to have disc brakes wasn't worth it, so instead of the 2013 Jake by Kona we decided for the 2012 model of the same bike. In our blog you can read more about the great service the guys at Sweet Pete's provided us with. The bikes are awesome. Losing the disc brakes means automatically losing about 2 lbs on the bike, so the Jake '12 is much lighter and therefore more responsive and easier to control then the '13. The groupo that comes stock on our bikes is a full Shimano Tiagra with a 105 rear derailleur. The hubs are also Tiagra with loose packed bearings wich will make service and maintenance a lot easier in less developed lands. Hannah ended up on a 53 cm frame and David got the 59 cm. In cyclo-cross riders usually go a size smaller than they would on the road but we chose to stay road-sized for more comfort.
In the end we didn't really manage to stay under $1000 per bike, but we still had the feeling of getting a good deal.
In the meanwhile we have also decided that Hannah will only carry rear-panniers on the first leg of the journey and David will be hauling only the trailer. Trailers have proven to be very hard to find or very expensive so we will try our luck finding a good deal in the states.
In the end we didn't really manage to stay under $1000 per bike, but we still had the feeling of getting a good deal.
In the meanwhile we have also decided that Hannah will only carry rear-panniers on the first leg of the journey and David will be hauling only the trailer. Trailers have proven to be very hard to find or very expensive so we will try our luck finding a good deal in the states.
The Bikes and Trailers
After our last bike trip (Toronto to Owen Sound to Parry Sound to Toronto +630kms) on track bikes with huge trailers we have decided it's time for some gears. We are currently in the market for two cycloX bikes 54cm and 58cm or so with disc brakes, front rack eyelets and place for 2 bottle cages. We are hoping to spend <$1000/bike, we will keep you posted about our search and would love any recommendations you could offer. We will be selling our 54cm Jamis Sonik and 58cm Moth track bikes as well as our Loverdi road to track conversion and Trek road bike. Not having our bikes and trailers yet is really proving to be a pain! It's hard to envision your space when you have no bike, trailers or panniers. We are looking forward to solving this problem ASAP.
Hannah's trailer bit the bullet (again) after our last trip. We are waiting to hear about our warranty options as we have found that a CCM trailer just won't cut it. We are hoping to use our refund towards the purchase of a BOBYak or Maya trailer (new or preferably used, see our most recent blog entry for more about this).
David has a 2 wheeled steel framed cargo trailer which could be used as a bullet proof bunker in the case of a shoot out. We will see if it makes the cut, at least we feel confident in not being able to break it.
Hannah's trailer bit the bullet (again) after our last trip. We are waiting to hear about our warranty options as we have found that a CCM trailer just won't cut it. We are hoping to use our refund towards the purchase of a BOBYak or Maya trailer (new or preferably used, see our most recent blog entry for more about this).
David has a 2 wheeled steel framed cargo trailer which could be used as a bullet proof bunker in the case of a shoot out. We will see if it makes the cut, at least we feel confident in not being able to break it.