In my previous post I'd mentioned that I had real safety concerns about pulling a trailer halfway across the US. This was primarily due to the presence of Rumble strips along many sections of road, which would often force me and trailer to ride out in the traffic lane. This got me thinking about purchasing an actual "touring" bike. Touring bikes are different from a "road' bikes in that they are built to be strong so that they can carry the extra weight/gear. Road bikes are the opposite, they are generally built to be light and fast.
Actually, Ian got me to look into a new sub-class of bikes called Gravel bikes, which are a cross between road bikes and mountain bikes (MTBs). This is a new niche that the bike manufacturers are happy to fill to increase their sales. Gravel bikes are built to ride on dirt and gravel roads. They have wider tires, lower gearing, etc. than road bikes, but do not have the suspension/shocks that MTBs have, so they have their limits off-road.
Ian had already decided to build a Gravel/touring bike from scratch for him to use on our trip. His thinking was that he likely wouldn't get much use out of a "touring" bike after our ride, but would be able to continue to use a Gravel bike. He did lots of research and bought a frame, wheels and other parts that he felt would be strong enough to handle the touring demands of our trip.
I'm not as mechanically inclined as Ian, nor do I have the tools, so I researched complete Gravel bikes on the internet and also test rode a few different brands here at bike shops in St George. To me they all seemed to be just a bit under built strength-wise to be able to use for full touring. Additionally, either the gearing was not low enough, there weren't enough braze-ons for racks or extra water battles, or the wheels were too lightly built.
Finally I saw the new REI Co-op ADV 2.1 online. It seemed to have everything that I wanted; including steel frame, strong 36-spoke wheels, mechanical disk brakes, wide 48mm tires, braze-ons for racks and 4 water bottles, and a triple chainring up front so there are plenty of gears, high and low. Plus the price was a good $300-400 less, with their 10% yearly dividend, than the other Gravel bikes that I had looked at. We drove to the nearest REI in Las Vegas, I test rode a 2.1, liked it and ordered one.
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| My REI Co-op ADV 2.1; fitted up with panniers, tent and sleeping bag during an overnight test ride. |
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| The unique handlebars on the ADV 2.1 offer many different hand positions for comfort. |
It is very important that Ian and I keep reminding ourselves that this ride is not a race. We basically have all day to ride from one place to another. We have allotted plenty of days for the trip. We only need to average 55 miles per day. Some days will be longer, when the towns or camping facilities are more widely spaced. Some days will be shorter.
I have completed many one week supported tours in Colorado (BTC, RTR) and other states. On these tours, each day's ride often included a significant mountain pass, or two. We usually went on these tours with a group of riding friends. Competition almost always turned each day's ride into an unspoken race to the top of the pass. There is truth in the saying that you only have a "limited number of matches to burn." Meaning that your body has only so many deep, hard, efforts in it until it wears down. I often found that by day 5 or 6 of these week long tours, that I was pretty exhausted by these "races" to the top of the pass.
On this year's extended tour, I plan to ride well within myself and not burn many matches. I would like to be nearly as fresh on day 6, as on day 1. Riding more conservatively will also allow me to see more of the sights along the way. I plan to take many photos. We'll see what happens.
Of course, sufficient food, hydration and rest are needed to keep a body fueled and fresh. I'll talk more about these in future posts.
Mike
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