Touring bike advice?/ Bike Fridays?

[DeniseGoldberg]

Is this the first of many trips? Or is this a trip to see if you like traveling with your bike? I'm assuming that since you're asking the question that traveling with a bike is in your not too distant future. I did start in this world of traveling by bike with a diamond-framed bike, but I got tired of paying the excess baggage charges, and I knew that I was going to continue traveling with my bike. I still have that "big wheeled" touring bike that I ride on tours closer to home - but my first Bike Friday purchase came when I wanted to be able to take a bike with me on non-biking trips. I went on a hiking trip in the Canadian Rockies and found that there were days that I wanted to bike in addition to hike.

On the disassembly front - the handlebars have to come off to pack the bike. (Depending on how you are packing, turning the bars might work...) And that's not just on a Bike Friday but a "big wheel" bike too. When I pack my Air Glide I do not need to remove the crank and chain rings - I only need to do that with my Pocket Rocket. (Yes, you're right - I do have 2 Bike Fridays!) The pedals need to come off, but that's easy.

As for putting the bike on a rack, I'd be most comfortable putting the Air Glide on a roof rack. I suppose you could mount the bike on a rack by the beam, but that gives you a bike that isn't level. I would bet that people do transport them like that; I either ride my bike to where I am heading, or I throw it in the trunk of my car if it needs a lift to the start of the ride. Of course I do the same with my diamond-framed bike...

--- Denise