what to carry on the ride

Date: Sep 16, 2004

what to carry on the ride

Date: Sep 16, 2004

Do you have an Army / Navy store near you? Good old duffle / sea bags. Just put something unique on it as there will be 500 green army bags on the baggage truck. For a bit more money, cordura travel luggage (w/wheels) I got a great one from Cabellas and I am sure REI has something. I use the rolling bag for cloths and such and the sea bag for tent, pad, sleeping bag and such.

bAD dOG

Date: Sep 16, 2004

I think Felix is refuring to the bags for carrying stuff on his bike.

I have a smallish trunk bag on my rear rack and a large handlebar bag. This is my first CNC so that may be too much.

I plan to figure what I need to carry with me each day and see how it all fits.

Date: Sep 16, 2004

Thank you for your responses.... My questions was specifically about having to carry gear on the bike... I have been looking at Carridice super C handle bar bag and their Barley saddle bags... A bit pricey but they are waterproof and seem to have sufficient room to carry just about everythign that you need to have on a long ride like this.

I am really looking forward to this tour.. it's my first.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Date: Sep 17, 2004

hi Felix

last year was my first ride. i used a bag on a rack behind my seat. it was large enough to carry everything from my regular saddle bag (tube, tools, etc) plus raingear and any layers i disgarded once the day heated up. this worked perfect for me

hope this helps

Date: Sep 17, 2004

Last year I had a caboose bag that sat on top of a seat post mounted rear rack.

More that enough room for peeling the morning layers, cell phone, tube, tools, snacks...... plus, at the end of the day it will hold a 12 pack of beer if left unzipped on top and a bungee cord!!!!!!

There are rest stops and normally plenty of small stores along the route..... keep it to the bare essentials.

Date: Sep 19, 2004

I'm wondering about this too. I have an expandable bag for my rear rack and also a handlebar bag. Of course, it's best to keep the handlebar bag as light as possible because otherwise the bike doesn't balance too well. If you don't have waterproof bags, then put everything in a plastic bags. Light is best, but I plan on carryiny ear muffs and woolen gloves if it's cold in the A.M. ! Good Luck.

Date: Sep 19, 2004

I like to carry a set of rear panniers. They are empty at the start of the ride with the exception of rain gear and tools.Then as the day warms I just stuff my outter layers. They also make a good place for carring dirty laundry to the mat.

Date: Sep 19, 2004

Felix-- The tricky thing here is to be prepared for VERY cold mornings. I bring two small panniers. I decide before I start out each day whether to hang one or both of them on my rack. If it's super cold, I have more layers, and I use both. Normal weather requires only one. You brought up a good point--you really do need carrying space on CNC, since even on a good day, you start out with layers that you'll want to stash somewhere before noon. --Chris

Date: Sep 19, 2004

What about shoes? Is it necessary to carry a pair of tennis shoes for the little side trips (vineyards, etc)?

Date: Sep 20, 2004

Personally, I don't like to carry any more than I have to on my bike. There are plenty of SAG stops along the CNC route as well as technical support if you have a mechanical problem. There are also lots of convenience stores if you need food or drink between stops.

The main reason for a bike pack would be to carry clothes you shed as the days warm up. It can be chilly in the mornings in October in NC, but warm up substantially within a few hours. The year I rode, I generally started the day wearing a vest, arm and leg warmers. By the end of morning, I usually had removed all of this gear and stuffed it in my jersey pockets.

I did use an Jandd expandable seat bag that had enough room for my vest as well as some spare energy bars and tools, tire tube, etc.

Date: Sep 20, 2004

Without a doubt bring a pannier bag.

Anything you don't want to get wet cameras, cell phone etc can be packed in ziploc bags.

When the ride is nearing the end of the day and the temps are up with clear skies (LOL!) you can give the bag to a sag driver and pick it up at HQ in the evening.

Date: Sep 20, 2004

Felix,

I use a seat bag for tools and tubes and the like, and put food camera, wallet, suntan lotion, etc in my handlebar bag. I put my leg/arm warmers/vest/rainsuit in my jersey pocekts as I peel them off. Depends on how much junk you carry for your comfort level.

It will be cold (<50 degrees) more than one morning, so layer up and be prepared. We've started in freezing weather more than once. The chiily willy of them all was Boone a few yrs ago- 28 degrees with blustery snowflakes as we started. I just bought more cold weather gear from Nashbar and Performance this week.

Good tip to use sandwich bagges to keep dry stuff dry. Most do NOT carry walking shoes, they just walk the short distances in their cleates. To each his own.

Jack