Touring Bicycles and Camera Packs and Kick Stands

[Franz Elmar]

I'm thinking that I'd like to get a touring bike, something like Surly Long Haul Trucker or maybe a less expensive notch or two down the food chain (suggestions?) What I would like to do is carry my Think Tank Airport Essential Backpack on the rear, flat so I access it. I want to ride around with a 4x5 camera....

Two things: First, what is a good ~wide~ rack system that will hold a 12" wide padded camera backpack securely will also providing a measure of shock absorption? Or are panniers going to be that much better in terms of stability and working out of?

Second, in my dream world I'd kick an old-fashioned kickstand down and be able to open up the backpack from the rear of the bike and work out of a nice almost waist level pack. But I know kickstands are an afterthought for most bikes these days, is there a really nice and stable one to seek out? Are there any two-pronged motorcycle style ones that aren't cumbersome?

And third! Any ideas how to bring a #2 series CF Gitzo tripod along that is easy and quick to mount and dismount? Straps are kind of slow, a tube I could put it in would be awesome.

If any particular bikes come to mind as being particularly well suited I'm listening. I am not interested in those 50-lb Dutch market bikes with the cute wooden baskets, I want to be able to ride medium rural distances on the occasional farm or dirt road. And I am 6-1, 235 lbs, huge feet, and a little clumsy but experienced ;-p In other words a longish top tube and slack geometry.

 

[dscelfo]

If you're in the US, check out the REI Randonee or the REI Safari. Both are great bikes for the money and REI has a 20% off sale sometime around this time of year. Both bikes come with a pretty decent rear rack. I own a 26" wheel Safari. Fun bike.

The kickstand you want is a Pletscher... or try this one from Velo-Orange.


--
Dave

 

[mike rosenlof]

I am a cyclist and do large format photography, but don't mix the two. I carry 35mm when I ride.

Yes, I was gonig to suggest a two-leg kickstand. Rivendell sells the same one as VO, www.rivbike.com both places are good people.

To carry the stuff, I suggest a wire basket on your rear rack, or even on a front rack. If you go to the rivendell site, look around for baskets, the Wald medium or huge or whatever they call them. The smaller of the two they sell would hold a 4x5 field camera OK. Nothing wrong with the big one either. I would put some closed cell foam in the bottom of the basket. I have one of the smaller ones o nthe front of my bike. I have carried cameras, but not 4x5, usually in a padded lunch cooler type bag.

The tripod is harder it might work to strap it to the top tube of the bike. Maybe. A reasonably short one when folded could go crosswise on the rear rack.

 

[Franz Elmar]

I am from Bavaria JaJaJa

 

[Roger Hicks]

First, what do you call a 'medium rural distance'? I ask because for one person it's 3 miles/5km and for another it's 30 miles/50 km.

Second, what camera are you thinking of carrying? I have 4x5s ranging from about 2 lb/1 kg (Toho) to 9 lb/4 kg (Gandolfi) -- and the Toho packs down a lot smaller.

Third, what about a lighter tripod? And holding it on with bungees, not straps?

Cheers,

R.

 

[Richard G]

I bought the Trek 520 in 2006. I ordered it here in Melbourne from the local Trek dealer. Good long geometry, bar end shifters, 700x32 tyres (tires) and a very very comfortable ride. I use Ortleib panniers and have taken cameras, 35mm, nestled in clothing etc to avoid too much vibration. The idea of a bag on top of the rack, or a kickstand, produces for me a mental image of the whole rig crashing down when it's knocked over by me or someone else. If you do risk a kickstand, I would certainly go with the lower centre of gravity with panniers.

 

[02Pilot]

Depending on how involved you want this project to get, my thought would be to build on the Racktime system (I believe Ortlieb uses the same system, but I could be wrong); it's basically a strong rack (I think my small one is rated for at least 30kg, and the larger ones are rated for more) with a quick-release bayonet mount on the bag that locks it securely to the rack. Buy the rack, the mounting mechanism (available as a separate piece) and a hard case, drill some holes in the bottom of the case and attach the mount, and you're done. That would be a quick mounting, secure solution; combined with a two-leg stand I think it would be pretty stable. You could even drill a few more holes and attach a tripod tube to the case.

As to the bike, I'd look at old rigid steel mountain bike frames to build. I'd got an old Giant that's a great mixed-surface tourer and pretty indestructible. Cheaper than Surly, even if you build a bare frame with all new mid-level components.

 

[kanzlr]

I can highly recommend Intec frames. The new touring bike I built for my girlfriend is based on their F5 frame. Good weight steel frame with mounting points for mini-V brakes, fenders and racks:

 

[Richard G]

Nice bike. Well done.

 

[KoNickon]

I agree. Time was, a touring bike did nothing for me. But today's are just masterpieces -- the best of classic and mountain bike technology.

 

[kanzlr]

Nice bike. Well done.

Thanks 🙂
I love bikes as much as cameras.

This bike is still subject to change here and there as it was a first build that needs some clean up (shortening of wires, cutting of the steering tube, different rims, etc.).

Nothing better than building your own bike and enjoying the ride 🙂

 

[kanzlr]

btw, Ortlieb offers a great handlebar bag with an optional Camera inlay that fits a smaller sized DSLR + two additional lenses.

 

[Timmyjoe]

That is a BEAUTIFUL bike.

I'm a very big fan of fenders on a carry-all/touring bicycle. I think the bikes look cooler without the fenders, but having ridden a bike through pretty much everything over the years, fenders are a must, especially if you are carrying valuable camera gear.

Sounds like a wonderful adventure.

Best,
-Tim

 

[TXForester]

Can't help with most of it, but a tube could work for the tripod. I've seen it used for fly rods. If you aren't too hung up on looks, you could make one out of large diameter PVC pipe. You could paint it to match the bike's color. I'd mount the tube crosswise on the rear rack as suggested above. That would keep it the bike more balanced than mounting it upright on one side.

I'd use a glue on cap on one end of the pipe. On the other end glue on a threaded coupling and a threaded cap will screw on and off the coupling. Like a clean out for a plumbing system.

 

[tunalegs]

I greatly prefer to put fragile/expensive things on the front of the bike. You will never accidentally kick it when getting on or off the bike - and it will never come loose or get knocked off without you knowing it. You can use a rack with panniers on the front to keep the weight down near the ground so it has barely any effect on handling - but even on top of a conventional front rack you probably wouldn't notice anything except at the slowest speeds. The only problem then is the wheel flopping to one side when you put it on the kickstand.

 

[Franz Elmar]

OK I agree rear panniers are the way to go, I could use Domke inserts or padded wraps and Ziplocks to keep everything in place. Compared to a SLR or RF camera, vibration is probably less of a problem with an all-mechanical view camera but I'll check the tightness of everything (or I'll learn my lesson). I'll do some rack and pannier research.

A top rear rack with a PVC tube to carry the tripod is also a pretty solid contender.

I also like the dual leg kickstand.

And building from an old steel mountain bike is a great idea. For someone who has not ever been "fitted" or gotten too involved in biking, what's the best way to size a frame? And then just have it built from "average size" parts and adjust from there - new stems and risers upfront with seat adjustments as needed?

 

[hepcat]

Franz, you don't mention what your budget is, or how much bike building prowess you possess, or what your time frame is.

While you can use an old mountain frame to build, purpose-built touring frames have more braze-on points and usually offer a better choice of cable routing and have some other features that mountain frames typically don't have. They need not be expensive though. Here is a tourer I built up from a Nashbar frame and fork in '10. I found out that I can't ride a diamond-frame more than about an hour at a time any more without the usual side effects attacking relentlessly: upper shoulder spasms, neck pain, and numbness in my arms, wrists and hands. My custom tourer now resides with my son in Portland, OR where he enjoys the bike culture there with it. I am, however, having a new-used Bike Friday NWT delivered today. I'll probably have to have the seat mast and handlebar stem swapped out, but that's not a big deal. I'm getting it for short jaunts around town where my recumbents are a little more difficult to maneuver comfortably.

My main ride now is an ICE B1 SWB recumbent and I tour on my ICE Sprint SE recumbent tadpole trike with a Burley Nomad trailer.

The two-legged ESGE kickstands are the ticket for using your bike as a shooting platform. You can successfully carry a lot of gear in panniers. As you can see on this bike I was using Ortlieb backrollers, but I now have Arkel bags that I like much better. Choice of panniers is a very personal thing.

BTW, I built this all Shimano XT (hubs are Deore) bike up for about $1200 total, including the panniers by using a mix of NOS and slightly used components where I could.

Here's a link on the Surly site that may help you understand fitting for a touring bike.


P8166949 by chief1120, on Flickr

 

[Rodchenko]

Touring bikes are my *other* love. I aspire to a Surly Peregrine currently.

As for carrying cameras, I have my Canon G11 in a padded bag inside my bar bag, for which it is a very good size. Sometimes I will carry it slung over my shoulder. I tend to carry another camera in my saddlebag.

I've never sussed a good way of carrying tripods, but often have a clamp or a mini tripod with me. A couple of my friends use Gorilla Pods. But I don't know how big your camera is.

As I've got older, I've got over the sense of 'cool' which prevented me from getting a kickstand, and now have a nice Pletscher two legged job which folds neatly together on one side underneath my chainstay. Any touring bike with a bit of space behind the bottom bracket (almost all) will fit one like this.

On the subject of bike choice, I find the LHT heavy and unresponsive. I much preferred their Crosscheck. And I carry heavy camping loads up and down hills, as well as (more lightly laden) going off road.

 

[pdexposures]

I love both bicycles and cameras. There is a local leather worker who makes accessories for bikes. About a year ago I contacted him and commissioned a saddle bag that was fitted to a Polaroid SX70 camera. But could be adjusted to hold all three sizes of SX70 (standard, sonar, and SLR680/690).

(apologies for the Instagram photos)

Later on I also had him create a skin for one of my SX70s. Crafted from real leather, hand cut and dyed it's wonderful.


What's in my camera bag by pdexposures, on Flickr

 

[hepcat]

There are a lot of "truisms" and misconceptions about riding recumbents that, I think, keep a number of people from trying them. Our numbers are growing though. Frankly, I don't know how much I'd appreciate riding if I had to ride in traffic in NYC every day. I'd probably still do it, but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun I think.

On RAGBRAI in 2011 I rode my ICE tadpole recumbent towing my 50lb +/- (I've never really weighed it) Burley Nomad from Altoona, IA to Grinnell, IA. It was a 58 mile day with 3200 ft of climb over the 58 miles. There were times when I got up to 40mph on the downhills, and as slow as 1.5mph on a few of the uphills, but I made it in a reasonable time. It was really tough as I still a standard road triple on the trike. Of course, it'd have been much easier had I not been towing my trailer and camping gear. That trek for me today, though, would be much easier as I've geared it down substantially on the low end from a 30t to a 22t granny on the front and 34t granny on the rear.

When I ride in traffic on my ICE B1, I'm at eye-level with most drivers in cars. It's really a very different experience. There are more and more tadpole trikes out there too. They're like riding a go-cart that you power yourself. I've ridden one my trikes extensively in Portland, OR and it was great fun.

Here's a shot of me on my trike on RAGBRAI in 2011, a shot of several of us who rode the first leg together that day, and an attachment of the Atoona-Grinnell-day map.


P7289043 by chief1120, on Flickr


P7289027 by chief1120, on Flickr