Quote Originally Posted by Tuckervill
So those extension tubes that attach to the stem and seatpost...how trustworthy are they? Think one could handle a 700-mile trip?
I use a Yakima tube to convert my "women's" commuting bike into one that can hang on my Yakima King Joe rack. When I attach the tube around the stem up by the handlebars, it makes the front tire hang down too low (maybe 6 inches off the ground) so lately I've been hooking it under the top slanty tube and it hangs much more square. My bike is pretty tall, so you might not have the hanging-down-too-low problem.

I wouldn't worry about the sturdiness of it...the little rubber covered ends that flip up to hook it around the seat post and stem seem to be pretty secure when they're in the locked position, and the tube itself is solid. I just make sure that the word "Yakima" on the tube is right side up so that even if the little locking levers come undone, they can't open up and let the bike fall out. You can use my extension tube if you live near Washington DC.

PUMP: My pump is on the down tube.

BAR ENDS: I had my bar ends removed (LBS installed them and removed them) because I felt like my arms were too wide apart when I used them and I was unstable.

Janice