; ... на российских дорогах.
Частенько общаюсь the Internet, and sometimes meet on the road cyclists from Europe and particularly from Germany. Drew attention to their bikes for cycling.
Is such a concept only German, or it is common to all European cycling, I do not know. When the Kola I met a cyclist on a similar apparatus traveling in Norway, I, without hesitation, turned to him in German and not a mistake - he was from Germany.
immediately noticed that I do not want generalize. On the "standard" MTBshnyh great evroturisty also travel ... but as it is very rarely see it in the records in the photographs.
So we have:
- the most conspicuous part - the constant front luggage and bags on it.
- rigid fork.
- bag on the handlebars (we have it may also not be used, but they almost always)
- no Monocab in the back of the trunk (or it's three bags or two bags, and that something extra bound along the trunk)
In this same concept would fit my bike co-worker in this journey.
This bike pretty well rolled on the pavement, apparently thanks to a rather narrow, almost slick tires. But even before the Congress on mountain road I suspected mischief.
In the end everything turned out just as I suspected - to go on this bike on the road consists of coarse gravel was impossible. Each "zlokamenny" site on foot. On steep rocky climbs where I climbed with no problems at gears 1-2, 1-3, on a bicycle Bina (my co-worker), even at 1-1 it was impossible to go. And it's not the level of kataltsa (I also tried to ride her bike). Affected the center of gravity the bicycle.
If I had been forced to travel with bags in front, I would try to lay down their volume, but not heavy stuff. Here it was vice versa. Apparently, trying to unload the same wheels, front bags were much heavier than the baggage behind (apparently on the basis that the load on the rear wheel added weight of the cyclist).
As I said, it's all good rolled on the asphalt, but to go on the rocks stubbornly refused. At hitting the front wheels on stone, suspension fork (because of her absence) «work" could not, and vviduk large baggage weight on the front wheel, it could not roll over and jump-through stone. Respectively, and jerk lift the front wheel was not possible.
And this is not the only minus. on the remarkable Arctic roads (as often happens in the Russian off-road) was full of places where the great need to drag and drop. What I usually do when the great need to drag? I take his seat tube right hand, rose slightly, and drag the bike, as it were "on the hip." In this case, little was holding his left hand bicycle for removal to the rear side is not outweighed. At this point, involving the back muscles and legs. I do not need hands thrust of 20-30 kg.
Try to apply this technique when the front part of the bike ... outweighs the results will be disappointing. And trying to pull the steering wheel so the rear trunk, too, is not empty, a hindrance. Therefore, in very difficult areas, I passed the first, leaving his bike and returned to help Binet drag her bike.
In most parts of the same evil peresechenki, while crossing the river with the current, or output to a halt (to get off the road a bit on the conv or move into the woods "hooked" the water in azimuth), I climbed with my bike, then pulled Binin from which she had already removed the front bags and dragged them into his hands. Well the bags were snapped and shot a couple of seknud:
The city also had to use this technique. For example if you move from the port to the station to overcome the bridge, a ladder which has at least five spans. Even to simply throw a big bump required the efforts of two people.
Once again, it was not the weight of baggage as a whole and how this weight was located cycling.
A couple more photos: