John ware
Active Member
After a 870 mile small group ride through the Canadian Rockies on my 40 year old vintage Trek with my Radical Design trailer this summer I came to a couple realizations.
While thinking about my 500 mile ride across Iowa in 2016 on my ST2 with my trailer in tow, I started to come to the conclusion that the Stromer was way overbuilt and had many of the qualities of the world touring bikes. A super strong frame, large heavy duty rims and tires, disc brake, a reasonable amount of gearing and a modern geometry to name a few.
So I started to dream of what would happen if I got over some of the limitations of the Stromer and created an ebike/bike packing hybrid for long distance touring - thus this crazy concept was born. A makeover of my ST2 into a long distance road, rail to trail, and gravel road touring animal.
The main challenge was how to increase the balanced gear carrying capability and improve the tour ride qualities without permanently altering the ST2.
Here was the game plan...
Each part of the plan has had its own challenges which I can go into details later, but here is where I've ended up. I did an initial first ride and it went fantastic. Everything stayed on the bike and it rode smooth and steady. The test ride was with placeholder gear so the next challenge was to see if I could pare down my gear for sustained self-supported touring. I'm feeling comfortable that it can be done, with most of the bigger challenges resolved.
Initial test configuration
Salsa seat post rack adapter
Salsa seat tube bracket to Salsa bent stays to a Tubus Evo rack
Jones HBars and quick access day storage bags from Bedrock
A little handcrafted mods to attach fender using original mounting hole and screw
After the initial test I've modified the hanging of the handlebar bags and been working through getting 3L of hydration (bladder in the frame bag). I also added a second set of bottom clips on the Ortlieb panniers, an idea I borrowed from their gravel panniers design, which makes the bags rock solid. The panniers hang off the lower rail on the Tubus rack which lowers the center of gravity and provides greater stability. I’ve also continued to experiment with various top bags for the rear rack, but ultimately ended up with an Ortlieb Rack Pack (small 24L) as the final solution. Its a configuration I saw being used by a couple of Hungarian tourers who were passing through town this summer in year 2 of a 3 year around the world adventure. The arrangement provides quick access to a food storage area, and yet with my down sleeping bag and down sweater it remains pretty light on top of the rack.
A couple of final mods I'm still considering include perhaps a 2 legged kickstand and maybe a slightly larger low gear on the cassette for added climbing comfort with or without lower assist levels.
Current configuration on 3 day self contained touring test
I recently completed a test ride with my actual gear (about 97% finalized) and 2 days food supply to start to measure the impact of the mods and the gear weight on my range. My rides have mainly been in assist level 1 with some NO assist for several miles, and although the route was mostly flat city riding with a few small hills and only an occasional light headwind, initial results are suggesting a likely range of 60-80 mile per full charge. The ride I did in 2016 with the loaded trailer confirmed that an 80 mile day on a single charge was entirely doable, but this new rig represents a whole different wind profile so only time and more real world testing will tell.
So, where is all of this craziness leading you might ask? How about a west to east US crossing next summer using a combination of Rail to Trail segments as well as some gravel roads like the one below and some Adventure Cycling Northern Tier/Lewis and Clark routes.
At least that's the dream for the moment.
As always, thoughts, questions and opinions are welcome.
- I love long distance cycling touring
- I love camping
- I can survive some pretty demanding physical challenges
- The trailer is a great touring tool
- The trailer can be a real liability when the shoulder disappears or is crumbling and scattered with debris
- and lastly, if I want to continuing long distance touring I should get a properly outfitted modern bike.
While thinking about my 500 mile ride across Iowa in 2016 on my ST2 with my trailer in tow, I started to come to the conclusion that the Stromer was way overbuilt and had many of the qualities of the world touring bikes. A super strong frame, large heavy duty rims and tires, disc brake, a reasonable amount of gearing and a modern geometry to name a few.
So I started to dream of what would happen if I got over some of the limitations of the Stromer and created an ebike/bike packing hybrid for long distance touring - thus this crazy concept was born. A makeover of my ST2 into a long distance road, rail to trail, and gravel road touring animal.
The main challenge was how to increase the balanced gear carrying capability and improve the tour ride qualities without permanently altering the ST2.
Here was the game plan...
- Replace the original rear rack with something strong and solid including reconfiguring the fender attachment
- Bite the bullet and do the suspension fork upgrade i’d been lusting after for a long time
- Upgrade to a Jones HBar handlebar
- Add the appropriate storage capability
Each part of the plan has had its own challenges which I can go into details later, but here is where I've ended up. I did an initial first ride and it went fantastic. Everything stayed on the bike and it rode smooth and steady. The test ride was with placeholder gear so the next challenge was to see if I could pare down my gear for sustained self-supported touring. I'm feeling comfortable that it can be done, with most of the bigger challenges resolved.
Initial test configuration
Salsa seat post rack adapter
Salsa seat tube bracket to Salsa bent stays to a Tubus Evo rack
Jones HBars and quick access day storage bags from Bedrock
A little handcrafted mods to attach fender using original mounting hole and screw
After the initial test I've modified the hanging of the handlebar bags and been working through getting 3L of hydration (bladder in the frame bag). I also added a second set of bottom clips on the Ortlieb panniers, an idea I borrowed from their gravel panniers design, which makes the bags rock solid. The panniers hang off the lower rail on the Tubus rack which lowers the center of gravity and provides greater stability. I’ve also continued to experiment with various top bags for the rear rack, but ultimately ended up with an Ortlieb Rack Pack (small 24L) as the final solution. Its a configuration I saw being used by a couple of Hungarian tourers who were passing through town this summer in year 2 of a 3 year around the world adventure. The arrangement provides quick access to a food storage area, and yet with my down sleeping bag and down sweater it remains pretty light on top of the rack.
A couple of final mods I'm still considering include perhaps a 2 legged kickstand and maybe a slightly larger low gear on the cassette for added climbing comfort with or without lower assist levels.
Current configuration on 3 day self contained touring test
I recently completed a test ride with my actual gear (about 97% finalized) and 2 days food supply to start to measure the impact of the mods and the gear weight on my range. My rides have mainly been in assist level 1 with some NO assist for several miles, and although the route was mostly flat city riding with a few small hills and only an occasional light headwind, initial results are suggesting a likely range of 60-80 mile per full charge. The ride I did in 2016 with the loaded trailer confirmed that an 80 mile day on a single charge was entirely doable, but this new rig represents a whole different wind profile so only time and more real world testing will tell.
So, where is all of this craziness leading you might ask? How about a west to east US crossing next summer using a combination of Rail to Trail segments as well as some gravel roads like the one below and some Adventure Cycling Northern Tier/Lewis and Clark routes.
At least that's the dream for the moment.
As always, thoughts, questions and opinions are welcome.
