My Bikepacking Bikes!

[@peterbaskind9872]

I’m autistic. Like most folks on the spectrum, I have an area of fascination. For me, it’s bike building. I am unsure of the exact number of bikes I have - it’s around 17. But my favorite is always the one I have in the stand. Builds can take months, as I gather parts and try to teach myself how to do new things. So, my current favorite is a nearly complete All City Zig Zag. It’ll be gorgeous when it’s done. Steel, but really light. Then, I’ll start a new build. It’ll be my favorite then.

[@SheelaghDaly]

That is so cool you have built so many bikes! I can definitely see why each one would be your favourite at the time :)

[@johnsheetz6639]

A bike build is so satisfying, waiting on parts not so much, my biggest issue is the colors I want to go with on the grips pedals etc when's you going that direction it takes a little commitment!

[@johnpickett8041]

Okay, since you asked. Big Nellie is my 20+ year old Tour Easy Recumbent. For a while I had a fairing on it. Super wide gearing. Comfort. Speed. Has about 51K miles on it. (I"m old.) And I did three tours on it. Little Nellie is my Bike Friday New World Tourist. It's pretty hard on the body. (Over 20K miles.) I retro fitted it with H-bars and it's very hand for local utility rides. The Tank is my Surly Cross Check. It just hit 31K miles. I recently lowered the gearing. I'm considering switching to flat pedals (from toe clips) and making it a winter bike. The Mule is my 1991 Specialized Sequoia with modified lower gearing. Sooo comfy. Fits like a glove. Has been from DC to Oregon, St Louis to Oregon, Indiana to SF, DC to Key West. So happy with it. 77,000 (actually, tomorrow!).

[@GarGri]

John Lennon had a Raleigh Lenton (Lenton is a suburb of Nottingham where the bikes are made). Obviously John had a men's version but it might give you pride it riding a "rock star" bike.

[@SheelaghDaly]

That is pretty cool!! Thanks for the info!

[@kennycube5126]

You sound like a RockStar 🤩

[@bergmanst]

I'm 67. I have a few ebikes. I'm more a long-distance bike rider with 3 batteries on hand. I'm a slow rider. I push for long miles rides. I'm moving toward camping with a trailer for all my gear.

[@51249ca]

I bought a Breezer Thunder earlier this year. Stock has tubeless wheels, dropper post, 3 pack bosses on the fork, 12 speed Deore, and steel frame/fork. Very stable bike with longer chainstays. Currently trying out some Ritchey Kyote bars on it and an Old Man Mountain Divide rack

[@slavgrabarz9754]

I keep two touring bikes: lovely aluminium French Gitane 3x8 on 700c wheels and steel Genesis Croix de Fer 2x10 . Both are beauties and comfortable bikes.

[@truongle9912]

My bike is Surly too, but Long haul trucker. It's 4 years old, about 15,000km commuter! love surly

[@michaelheaton5469]

I purchased a Mongoose hybrid for £75 two years ago second hand on EBAY for £75 and have done 3200 miles in two years. Comfiest bike I have ever had, no suspension or disc brakes just a basic bike love riding it.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Love to hear that!!

[@ScarecrOmega]

Ive been using old used bikes(like your 1st bike) to commute to work for almost 20 years. They aren't attractive but they are functional and no one has stolen them from a high risk area I park.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Love to hear it! Yeah they’re amazing 😄🙌

[@samuelmjlfjell]

1991 Cannondale touring with urban cruiser handlebars and big kona pedals Then I have a 1995 cannondale race bicycle Then I have a sun cruiser ez 1 semi recumbent. 2 beach cruisers

[@katjasendmayr1342]

Very cool video, interesting to watch! I have three bikes: An old Kalkoff which I equipped with a hub dynamo and Marathon Tour Plus tires and which I use for commuting in the winter; My Haibike MTB with an air suspended 100mm fork; I'm equipping it for bikepacking overnighters in the mountains right now; And my absolute dream bike from the small, local German brand NoName Bikes (no joke!), which is custom-made design, means it is perfectly adapted to me and my needs and has all the equipment I need for multiday bike journeys; and I use it once a year for a multiday trip and for commuting in the summer! Your videos help me over the cold season!

[@SheelaghDaly]

I’m glad my videos help during the cold season :) those sound like some great bikes to cover all your bases!

[@stigohara4961]

The first bike is like Triggers broom 🧹

[@wolfgangweber9924]

Nicely done! I agree that new and specialty bikes are overrated when it comes to touring. My favorite bike has a swept back handlebar like your Raleigh and it has 7 speeds. I use it around town and trail rides. My second favorite is a TREK 720 from the mid nineties and it too has the swept back handlebar but 3x7 gearing. Of those 21 gears I really use 14. Middle and small in the front and all 7 in the rear wheel. ---The most important ingredient is attitude anyway!

[@SheelaghDaly]

The most important ingredient is attitude for sure! Well said!

[@HermannKerr]

I switched over to Rohloff back in 2013, but for most it requires deep pockets. As a touring rig with two chain rings(50 39), my Rohloffs are impressive. One of my issues as I ride a trike with 20" (ICE Sprint RS & Azub Ti-fly 20") rear wheel (because you don't want to carry 2 sets of tires and tubes) which with even a mid-length cage derailleur is susceptible to damage like broken hangers but I once destroy the cage. Since I switched over to Rohloff, I have never had that issue, though I still carry a hanger.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Happy to hear there have been fewer issues since the change! Sounds like a very cool setup!

[@johnweightman2002]

I regularly tour on my 24 year old Raleigh Pioneer around the UK. Never any problems.

[@daniellarson3068]

This was a very practical video. I guess I have the idea that a bicycle is a relatively simple machine that should hold up. It seems that those who go on long distances on bikes never get the Carbon Fiber frames. Now I see that even aluminum may be bad as threads may strip and of course the frame is more likely to simply collapse from metal fatigue. Steel can be repaired by Welding. I see why those in the know get the Surly steel bikes. I don't have disc brakes on my bike. I can see that if I ever do have a bike with disc brakes, I should get mechanical disc brakes as you did as there are no hoses. Finally, I see the value of the butterfly bar or swept back bars over the drop bar. "Real" cyclists are always leaning forward on those drop bars. I guess I understand why the hands get numb and the back can ache with a flat mountain bike bar. Thanks for the video.

[@Tanstaafl1976]

I was considering buying a Surly for touring/bikepacking, but honestly I don't think I need one. I have 2 excellent vintage (1997 and 1998) Specialized Stumpjumper M2 hardtails that are in great shape that I can use. I did an overnighter on my Specialized Allez road bike, but it was a little harsh on rough roads.

[@jennifercrosland9352]

I have a 2004 Specialized Hard Rock comp disc that I love. It is a hard tail with front 100mm marzocchi fork mechanical discs. It has done some trails and commuting and is in the process of becoming a touring rig. My second bike is a 2017 giant Live thrive 0. It is my fun machine for pleasure rides having replaced an old road bike, Aluminium frame, carbon forks and rims running shimano 105 and hydraulic discs!.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Oh nice! That sounds like such a nice set to serve different purposes really well 😄

[@jfspurlin1]

I have several bikes already but I've had my eye on the Bridge Club since it came out. Thanks for discussing it.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Nice! Yeah it's pretty cool, I'm loving it so far :)

[@jackcarter233]

I’ve had a Surly since 2009. Great frames/bikes. I’ll never let it go.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Nice! That’s great to hear as a new surly owner :)

[@quijadriss7650]

Built up my Bridgeclub 2 years ago. Been a big fan. I went with the moloko bars.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Nice! Happy to hear it :)

[@DrHydro-mq7sw]

My bike is over thirty years old and has the beautiful name ‘Albatros’. I wouldn't swap it for a modern bike for any money in the world.

[@joetreleaven5462]

That's my favorite of all the bikes you have.. the surly bridge c with the steel frame that bike is sick.. do they make it in a men's style.. although I have already shelled out enough cash on my current setup.. enjoy the years of riding you will get from a steel frame ❤

[@reinhartbigl367]

Hey Sheilah, thanks for the video! I really like the graduation from the Raleigh to the KHS to the surly… Well done and well explained! So, since you asked, I have three bikes, I have a beater bike that I ride around where I live, I have a surly disc trucker that I use for mainly road tours, and last year I bought a surly ECR for the sole purpose of riding the GDMBR …But since then I find the ECR so comfortable that I use it on a lot of my road rides… Go figure!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a really nice line up you have to cover your bases :) that’s awesome you did the GDMBR! Congrats!

[@reinhartbigl367]

@@SheelaghDaly Thanks Sheilah! FWIW, I’ve begun editing and posting video of that ride on my channel.

[@SheelaghDaly]

@@reinhartbigl367 Awesome! I'll check it out :)

[@slow_spokes]

Yesssss first comment. 24 year inches in Turkey… you are a beast.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Hehe you’re so sweet. Thank you!! ♥️

[@davejack3054]

+1 for the 2x drivetrain and getting a low gear of 17 gear inches. I realize 1x is really popular but for touring, a 2x gives you a range that 1x was not meant to do. Cheers.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Agreed! :)

[@julieibbott3239]

Nice set of bikes. I have 2 - road bike and a hybrid I set up for touring. I would like a beater bike for errands.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Nice! Yeah the beater bike is super helpful :)

[@Bike4adventure]

I ride trail bike (norco fluid fs a2) and during the winter ride my Norco bigfoot 3. I am thinking of looking at a gravel bike. I do like the shops near me but I've hear Batemans in Toronto area are good as well.

[@resisomaaji5887]

I also use the 2x10 Deore that gives me 18 gear inch at the lowest. Its going so slow up some hills and my 720mm handlebar is almost not wide enough to keep me going on a straight line. Get those bars wide.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Ooh that's good to know. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@tdgdbs1]

You won't find 27.5 outside of the first world; I've just completed Baja and had to have them shipped from San Diego. Hindsight, I should have taken my 26 as I am planning to take the ferry to Mexico mainland. I've toured SE Asia on a Trek 400 and had no problem finding 700c. Even took my Bike Friday and Brompton on some short trips, as I get older (nearly 50); long tours are behind me.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm okay with that. I built up some pretty strong wheels that should hold up, and if something catastrophic happens, the Bridge Club is suited to 26s or 700s so I could rock a mullet set up until I get to the next major city haha But I just love the feel of riding 27.5s so I'll take the consequences if they come.

[@bosanderspublictheology]

I'm only about half-way in but can I just say that how much I appreciate your address of 'gear inches' ? It's not really important the specifics (per se) but the perspective that it provides on the lower gears for climbing. Thank you.

[@SheelaghDaly]

I’m so glad! I wondered about whether I should include it or not so I’m happy I did :)

[@MikeBrown-dk7or]

My dream bike is a Cube electric with step through frame because I injured my hip and can't swing my leg over very well.

[@SheelaghDaly]

I am so sorry to hear about your hip. Injuries are so tough. A step through electric bike sounds like a really helpful solution! I wish you a continued recovery and many happy rides on the right bike ♥️

[@gurkpojken]

I have start focus on going more touring the last year. My economy isnt the best so I dont see a use to build a 5k bike. But my norco bigfoot from year 2k is what i build on. The surly is a dreambike but I dont think its going to give me more fun for the money than my norco do today.

[@SheelaghDaly]

That totally makes sense. As they say "the best bike is the one you have" :)

[@gurkpojken]

@@SheelaghDaly thank you ,yes. Sometimes the frame is like old pillow you just buy new pillowcase for, its been thru so much over 10 years now so i buy new parts for it instead. Lovely channel you have here.

[@grahambonner508]

My first long distance tour (2800km) earlier this year was on an old steel post bike. Converted from rod brakes to coaster (rear) and rim (front) with 3 speed Shimano nexus hub, 559 wheels with marathon plus 26 x 1.75 tires, Brooks B66, traditional dutch swept back handlebars. Wieght (unloaded) 25kg. I loved riding that bike - hence the choice for the tour. I now have another old steel mountain bike which i have adapted for touring, currently testing/fine tuning it.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Amazing! I love seeing people tour on old steel mountain bikes - so cool 🙌

[@tdgdbs1]

You've got a mule. A hard working mule at that.

[@Bartem_]

Wow, and I'm here contemplating if my bike at something under 20kg is too heavy for my tour from The Netherlands to China.

[@grahambonner508]

@@Bartem_ it's true I did it on a 25 kg bike but, if I offer you advice - go with something lighter, you should be able to get a strong bike at about 15 kg. Don't sacrifice strength and make sure your lowest gear ratio is 1:1 or even a little lower.

[@Bartem_]

@@grahambonner508 Yeah I'd really like a 15kg bike, but this is the one I have and theoney it'd cost me to get something lighter I'd rather spend on my trip/gear. And the gearing on this bike will serve me well I think, it has a Rohloff speedhub 17t sprocket 39t chainring and 26x2.0 tyre's. Which makes for 16.6 gear inches if im correct

[@bengt_axle]

Is it harder to find 650B replacement tires when you are touring (and do you take a spare folding tire)? Do you intend to replace all those spacers on the Surly with one large one or switch to a different stem? I thought the most you should install was 3cm of spacers (because of the flexing of the steerer tube).

[@franzliszt5923]

Awesome video, I currently ride a Raleigh Redux as my commuter bike from midtown to union station (much more reliable than ttc). It was the first nice bike I got with my first paycheck. I just got some continental winter tires, and sks blummel style fenders on it to keep up the commute for this winter. 650b with wider tires are great to accommodate all the potholes in toronto. Been thinking about bike packing as well maybe somewhere in Asia to start. How heavy is your new surly bike with fenders and rack installed?

[@SheelaghDaly]

Nice! Sounds like you’re well geared up for the winter :) you know, I haven’t actually weighed it but my grit weighs 25lbs and my Raleigh is 35lbs and it feels somewhere in the middle so maybe 30ish?

[@letsseeyoutravel8364]

What touring bikes do you recommend? and what GPS do you recommend when touring in Europe?

[@alirezafazeli8222]

Perfect.

[@tconnolly9820]

I always feel a little guilty commenting on videos like this because I have never toured although I still have some "mini" tours I'd like to do. Probably. Essentially I just want to say that, as your knowledge and experience grows, it's great to be able to indulge your passion and experience to create your "perfect" bike. But in my experience, such as it is, very often the search and need for perfection can be the enemy of good enough. Just like your first touring bike. It wasn't perfect and I'm pretty sure if you had a big tour planned and your perfect Surly just disappeared (we'll just go with "disappeared"), I'm sure you would still enjoy that tour just as much on the old bike. It will be good enough and it will get you through. Just not perfect. Build your dream, yes of course. And enjoy riding it afterwards But don't not do something because what you have is not "perfect". That's my philosophy for life for what it's worth.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Absolutely!! Well said 🙌 That’s why I love the saying “the best bike is the one you have”. I definitely encourage getting out there on whatever bike you have that is safe and enjoyable to ride. The bike I borrowed for my initial tour was certainly not perfect, but it got me going and that’s what matters. However, as I fell more in love with this form of travel, building something like the surly became more of a necessity because I couldn’t ride on the types of roads and routes I wanted to be on without a bike more like it. But whatever gets you out there having adventures is amazing!

[@DBusch-ks7jg]

Thanks for the video. I’m wondering about the Schwalbe tires, is there a “trick” to getting them to sit right? I’ve heard many complaints that they’re great tires but hard to mount on the frame. Also how did you learn bike repair? I’m not mechanically minded and classes in my area are few. I haven’t done any bikepacking or touring yet but I’m dying to.

[@grahambonner508]

Regarding the tires - how easily they are to seat will depend a lot upon the rim type, when fitting them initially only partially inflate them and just look all the way around (both sides) to make sure that they are evenly seated in the rim before fully inflating. This is probably true for all makes of tyre. The Marathon plus can be a little hard to fit depending on the size, this is due more to the shear thickness and stiffness of the rubber, but once on with a little luck you may not need to remove them until they wear out!

[@grahambonner508]

Regarding not being mechanically minded, don't let that stop you, just learn how to swap out and patch an inner tube, fix a broken chain and you're pretty much there. When riding if I see someone struggling with a mechanical I will always offer to help, I am in no way unique in this. You could also consider a tour with a group or a club or an organised trip with support.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Totally agree with what Graham said, those are the same tricks I use for my schwalbes. In terms of learning bike repair, I know it won’t be possible for everyone, but I got a job starting in sales in a bike shop. That way I was totally immersed in bikes every day and slowly built up my mechanical knowledge over my time there. There are also co-ops in some areas that will provide free tools and guidance. And as Graham mentioned supported tours can be great - they’ll usually have a mechanic you can ask questions of, plus many of the riders are often knowledgeable and can support your learning. And then of course KZbin is great for familiarizing yourself with the basics :)

[@daniellarson3068]

@@SheelaghDaly Park Tools puts out bike repair videos as do others. It's like cheating.

[@kennycube5126]

Great Video girly face, I love my bikes too🥰 I have a cannondale caad 9 with Ultegra R8000 group set. Loads of carbon from aliexpress & celeste green jagwire cables (cos they were cheap). This only goes out in the summer on nice days. I built this in lockdown and now I love building bikes😁 My daily driver is a Merida Silex(300 i think) apex 1x and I've added a suntour suspension seatpost and some aero bars. I changed the chainring from a 44t to a 36t and with 42t at the back I can climb walls. Loads of bikepacking bags. I went for really cheap ones, Rhinowalk and rockbros, and they're fantastic. Next, I'm going to build a gravel bike, Yey 🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲

[@bisikleta1015]

What is the size of your bridge club?

[@SheelaghDaly]

Mine is a small frame

[@орестос]

looking forward to more videos like this. make some video about your town

[@KavanOBrien]

The Raleigh is 70s.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Cool! How can you tell!? I would love to know more about its origins :)

[@KavanOBrien]

@@SheelaghDaly I was born that long ago rainbows were only in black and white , it was made in Nottingham England where all Raleigh bikes were made for the world , you can find the history of the Raleigh bicycle probably from the window of the world = Google. You will have a reference number on the bottom bracket = just turn the bike upside down you will see a series of numbers = you can then tell by the serial numbers what date it was made , there are sites on on line that have dates depending on the serial numbers = your bike number = good luck = if it comes back with being made in the 1970s = good star on my report , take care.

[@KavanOBrien]

@connyconiglione all one has to do is turn the bike upside down look at the serial number link the number to year of manufacture = if only everything in life was that easy.

[@KavanOBrien]

@connyconiglione Are you a girl ? Where are you in the world ? There’s loads of vintage Raleigh bike on EBay , obviously depends where you live here in the UK many on line, depends what you want it for , Raleigh 20 a small bike for shopping also good for around town , again don’t know what you want the bike for , , I told the lady who’s video it was that she can check serial number to see when it was made , you think it was made in Canada and not Nottingham England , who ever is nearest has to say the joke we know .

[@KavanOBrien]

@connyconiglione you are a boy then , sorry when you was talking about the Raleigh because it was a girls bike I just thought you was a girl , so you live in Italy , lots of great Italian makes , some of the best retro bikes ever made , so you’re after a fixie bike then not a town bike or for shopping is that correct ? Any bike with gears can be turned into a single speed , I think getting an old bike and turning it into what’s you want it to be is part of the fun , most of this modern carbon bike in a few years will be land fill , the joke thing I wrote wrong I meant to say we have to say our worse joke to each other = dying is easy , comedy is hard.

[@weebhatecrew330]

Beach Cruisers all day

[@AndrewMuspratt-u5i]

Ride a Brompton in town ... Don't lock it , fold it and take it with you !!!