Let’s
take the rack question first.
Racks provide a place to attach and carry stuff. Yes, it is possible to carry stuff in back
packs, but there’s a problem with that.
It’s a matter of energy management and balance.
Yes we
said energy management. You see, if you are touring by bike, you have to provide the energy that
moves the bike. If you pack a
bunch of stuff on your back or body, then you are also providing the energy to
hold that stuff up against gravity.
Doesn’t seem fair does it?
Put the load on the bike.
Let the bike be your beast of
burden.
And
what about balance? It’s a matter
of physics. Basic stability. If you want an object to be stable, you
want to get the mass as low on the object as you can. If you are carry the weight on your back, it is a good two
to three feet higher than it could be in a bag that is hung on a rack. For touring purposes, you even want to
consider the order in which you load things in a bag. Basically, you want to put the heavy things on the bottom, and the lighter things on top. Nuff said?
Now
let’s look at fenders. Here’s the
thing about fenders, you only need them when it’s raining. Here’s the other thing about fenders,
sooner or later it is going to
rain. Rain isn’t that big a deal, if you are close to home. You can always ride home, get out of
your wet and nasties, shower, and dry off. But suppose you are a good bit farther away from home? Also, suppose it isn’t all that
warm. Wouldn’t a set of fenders be
nice? From our experience, the
likelihood of encountering rain on a tour is pretty good. Obviously it depends on how long the
tour is, but again from experience, we can derive the following rule. On any one week tour, you are guaranteed
to encounter at least least 24 hours of rain… Maybe more… Maybe a lot more!! So, the answer is, plan to put fenders
on your touring bike.
What kind of fenders? We strongly suggest getting good ones,
and get the permanently attached kind.
We’ve messed about with the quick mount/quick disconnect types. They leave a good bit to be
desired. They don’t provide enough
coverage, and they seem to always be shifting to a position that benefits you
the least. Besides, you’re
planning to tour, right? So what are you going to do, carry the fenders with you and install
them when it starts to rain?
Two
more things on fenders: Once
you’ve decided what kind you want, go ahead and order a second complete set of
hardware for them. Place this in a
bag on your big. That should be a
bag that stays on your bike. Trust us! The time will come…
The other thing is that all of the currently commercially available
fenders, even the best ones, lack
coverage in an important area.
None of them seem to come with mud flaps! We strongly recommend that you modify your fenders by adding
mud flaps. This will keep you a lot drier and more comfortable when it
gets wet.
NOTE: For an article on constructing fender
extending mud flaps, go to my Audax Ride
blog here.
Before
reading the article, look at the picture in the title. Notice that I’ve done exactly
this mod. See how low the flap is
on the front fender? I don’t get any spray from the front wheel on my
feet. Now read the post for
instructions on making the same highly practical and inexpensive modification
for yourself.
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