B Bassett
Well-Known Member
Thanks. It all depends on how far I'm going and how long I will be gone I guess. I bike is set up so that I don't have to move gear around on the bike just add another level. With just the bar-bags I can stay warm and dry on the bike year-round. Add the front panniers and I have a hammock, air mattress, tarp, and can maintain the bike (tools and spare parts) and charge all electronics (with 120V) for over-nighters. Add the rear panniers and I have a full kitchen, bathroom and secondary sleep system if I can't hang the hammock. Pulling the trailer primarily adds the solar panel, second battery, tent poles, additional food, and water with around another 40 lbs. of potential gear and toys. I wanted a bike that could easily do single-track even loaded. I'll never understand touring on only hard surfaces. I also didn't want to tour in any kind of a minimalist fashion and even light gear takes up space. A TrailStar Cuben Fiber tarp is light but takes up a relatively large space. The limited real estate you have on a bike can fill up fast even with a trailer. Balance is part of riding a loaded bike whether touring or hauling cargo for FedEx and goes with the territory. It's always a concern with 2 panniers or 4 and goes double with the trailer. Max capacity of the trailer is 90 lbs. and I usually ride with a least another 90 spread around the bike. Drag? I think wind resistance is worse on a loaded bike over drag of any kind. When I am fully loaded it's not hard to keep the bike moving, the inertia is fairly easy to keep up. It's getting the mass up and moving that takes the power... along with climbing. But you can almost forget about these issues with a strong ebike motor. Stress on the frame, bearings, wheels, etc... maintenance is an issue when you ride a lot but the Panamerican is a proven workhorse and I don't cut corners on any components. I don't hit 40 mph with a loaded bike (usually) but I did today wearing both bar-bags. Thanks for the comment., Stay safe.