Campground Bike Suggestions

[MommyBird]

We have an Airsteam trailer that we like to use as often as possible. Now that I have a road bike most of our trips are planned around some type of ride as well. Our trailer is a 28' CCD like the one Matthew McConaughey has parked in Malibu. Our vanity plate is MOD POD because it has mid-century styling. You would feel right at home wearing a mini skirt and go-go boots in this thing.

Below is a photo from last fall.

This trip was my road bike's first camp outing but unfortunately I did not to ride it. My husband did a Brasstown Bald loop from the campground this trip. My bike was too new, it was too windy and I was too much of a chicken to venture out on the mountain roads. Five months later and now I can't wait to do my first mountain ride! But still not Brasstown Bald!!!

Now for the big quandary...
We have road bikes, we have mountain bikes...but we would like bikes that are better suited for campground life. Something that we can put baskets/bags on for shopping. Something easier than the road bikes for riding around a scenic town or to the beach. Something that is as comfortable on the road as it is on a bike path, board walk or dirt path. Something very versatile. We would like the option to ride clipped in as well as platform.

We have been using our mountain bikes and back packs but want something sleeker. We are not a fan of cruiser style bikes. The tourists ride them like locusts in some areas. They are so unstable and they weave around like crazy with their three foot wide handlebars! They are "cute as a bugs ear" but I still don't get their popularity with the bicycling challenged tourist market.

So now that you have our current bike situation and our negative feelings about Cruisers, I am hoping that I can get a variety of suggestions.

Also, we have room for at least four bikes so the road bikes will usually be on the trip as well. We prefer state and national parks but do opt for city/town camping when a quaint area is our focal point.

Oh, and for those who may be worried about our carbon-footprint...
One flight creates more than double the CO2 output on the typical family RV trip.
RV camping uses fewer resources than a hotel stay. We put a lot of effort into conserving water and electricity. It is a necessary element of the process. We charge batteries while driving with the power that would be lost on a typical road trip.
We cannot keep up with a Prius and a tent for eco-friendliness but we can RV for years on the CO2 output of one trip to Hawaii!

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

[KnottedYet]

Kona Dew.

Light sturdy aluminum, fine on gravel or dirt or pavement, I've ridden mine with platforms and clipless, used it to haul groceries and in a tri.

[MommyBird]

Thank you,
The closest Kona dealer is 100mi from our home in Traveler's Rest, SC.
It is in the vicintiy of the "Assault on Mt. Mitchell" ride that my husband will be participating in this April. I may stop in and look at the Dews on my drive between Spartanburg, SC, and Marion, NC. It is a bit out of the way but I will have time on my hands and I love taking the back roads.

[Tri Girl]

What about a folder? I know you're not worried about the space to carry the bikes, but folders make great "tootling around town bikes." I have a Bike Friday and it has a rack on the back for panniers that I do shopping with. The tires are wider than my road bike, so I can do some off-roading with them as well as path riding. It would definitely NOT be like all the other bikes around.

They make a Pocket Expedition which would be a great little hauler in the stock version for about $1200. http://community.bikefriday.com/pocketexpedition
Or how about a Dahon? http://dahon.com/folding-bicycles
There are TONS of models of those. They even have full-size folding Dahons (not the 20 inch wheels).

[MommyBird]

Folders are quite popular with the Airstream set.
Here are two of the many folder threads on the Airstream Forum:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f161...kes-54780.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f161...ike-24720.html

I am not sure if my husband would go for one.
Could a 21lb Jack Russell Terrier be toted around on one?
Dave thinks it would be fun to take Cooper along on some rides.
JRTs were bred to ride in bags on fox hunts. They could not keep up with the horses like the beagles but they were brave enough to follow a fox into a tunnel.
Our Agatha loved to ride anything when she was younger. Bikes, tractors, golf carts, motorcycles, backhoes...It came natural for her.
We hope that Cooper will find a bike basket fun.

I need to see if there is a local source.