Bicycling and Airstreams

Carl1949 · 01-31-2005, 03:31 PM

I am just curious how many of you out there are bicycle enthusiats?? I am 56 years old and have recently taken up the sport. I am having a ball with it! Brand new Trek 1500!

Now I must admit that I do not own an Airstream....yet. I am still trying to convince my wife that we really don't need the huge 5th wheel that we lug around! Maybe in time. I sure hope so!

Back to bicycling...just seems to me that Airstreams and a sleek Road Bike (or mountain bike) would go hand in hand. Both are light, aerodynamic, fun, and a great way to make new friends. So whatduya think???

swebster · 01-31-2005, 03:40 PM

Planning a four day mtn bike adventure with two other bikers for this summer in and around Ashville NC. The AS will make for a great base camp and we'll move from one national park to the next each night. My buddies are the real bikers, I just own the Airstream and "used to be" a cyclist.

j54mark · 01-31-2005, 03:51 PM

I ride six to 10 thousand miles a year. I love it, except when I hate it!

In addition to the road bikes, we have a Santana tandem with 26" mountain bike wheels. We enjoy riding bike trails, such as the Katy trail here in Mo., or with a tire change we can ride paved roads and go like blazes.

Mark

rseagle · 01-31-2005, 03:55 PM

All four of us have mountain bikes. I know there has been alot of discussions here about how to carry bikes with Airstreams. A/S trailers are not particularly bike friendy (ie: can't put a rack on the rear bumper).
I wouldn't have room in my truck to carry all my other stuff, if I carried bikes in there. Carrying a bike rack on my high topper truck cap would require a ladder (another thing to carry).
I'm thinking about having a hitch receiver welded to the front of my truck for my 4-bike hitch rack. I've seen bikes carried on the front of vehicles, so I don't think that it will obscure my vision, if properly set up.

Anyone carry their bikes on a front mounted hitch rack?

crazylev · 01-31-2005, 04:13 PM

My wife and I love cycling, but carrying them with us has been impossible. We are looking, or I should say that I am looking into a couple of Dahon folding bikes when we travel with our coach.

Jonathan

**wahoonc** · 01-31-2005, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazylev

My wife and I love cycling, but carrying them with us has been impossible. We are looking, or I should say that I am looking into a couple of Dahon folding bikes when we travel with our coach.

Jonathan

Jonathan,
If you are into cycling at all, check out Bike Friday The Dahon's are okay for campground cruising but if you plan on doing any type of distant riding this are the way to go. I have my sights set on one sometime in the future to replace my aging tour bike. I have a buddy that bought one several years ago and he swears that the only way he can tell he isn't riding his regular road bike is by looking down at the wheels. We used to have a guy in our cycle club that raced pretty competively on one too.

Aaron

Ken J · 01-31-2005, 04:49 PM

We have a couple bikes around the house - lets see I have two custom road bikes, my wife has a Vitus (kinda looks like an Airstream

), we both have mountain bikes and we also have a Santana tandem plus I still have my old schwinn single speed from when I was a kid. Then I have an old custom frame with a cracked bottom bracket on my turbo trainer - pretty cool trainer. Oh yeah, forgot my beater bike - an old Specialized Stumpjumper Pro.

I REALLY want to do the Katy trail someday - it sounds great - I also want to do a Napa wine tour (drink and ride?).

I've been biking since I was about 3 years old - took a couple years off when it wasn't cool in high school, and have been riding since. Mostly what I call trash riding - I just ride - try to get the miles in.

We have done many trips to Moab Ut with the trailer and bikes.

Ken

tandemfish · 01-31-2005, 05:12 PM

I think I have you beat. I have a Cannondale road, mountain and tandem. Wife has a Cannondale hybrid. Also have an old Schwinn tandem single, 2 recumbents, and last but not least, my Bike Fridays. These pack down into suitcases for air and train travel. Have an Air Friday, Pocket Rocket (14 years old daughter rides this), a Tuesday (Tandem) and a Saturday (Recumbent). I also forgot to mention the kid's bikes! Too bad I can only ride one at a time!

This year, I am going to mount a five bike mount to the front of the Argosy MH and pull my '79 Fiat Spider convertible as the toad.

Anyone have any good multiday rides in the NH, Vermont or Maine area?

flyfisher · 01-31-2005, 05:14 PM

I take my old Cannondale mountain bike with us whenever we go camping. I just fasten it upright with a couple cam straps (from Northwest River Supplies) in the bed of my truck. I rode it practically every day all last summer in MT, but not on any long, strenuous trips.

For anyone thinking of combining some camping and biking here in PA, there's no place better than the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania in the northcentral part of the state, just west of Wellsboro. You could stay at one of the state parks or private campgrounds in the vacinity, and bike along the former railroad grade that follows Pine Creek. The scenery is outstanding, and the trail is relatively flat and easy to negotiate. I'm not sure exactly how many miles of this trail are open now -- it may be over 50 or so.

John

Theo · 01-31-2005, 05:19 PM

We bike every day, when out with the Airstream.. We both have Trek bikes, that we bought in San Diego last year. Bikes and Airstreams go very well together, though there is no where to put the bikes.

Theo

Ken J · 01-31-2005, 05:22 PM

Tandem

Yup you have me beat - and yea we can't count the kids bikes - my son did some bike racing so we have other bikes hanging in the garage - then there is what I call his "bubba bike" made for downhill racing - kinda like a motorcycle with no motor.
I think you should mount a Yakama bike rack on top of the Argosy - that would be too cool. (just watch out for the overpasses

)

Ken

driftwood · 01-31-2005, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rseagle

All four of us have mountain bikes. I know there has been alot of discussions here about how to carry bikes with Airstreams. A/S trailers are not particularly bike friendy (ie: can't put a rack on the rear bumper).
I wouldn't have room in my truck to carry all my other stuff, if I carried bikes in there. Carrying a bike rack on my high topper truck cap would require a ladder (another thing to carry).
I'm thinking about having a hitch receiver welded to the front of my truck for my 4-bike hitch rack. I've seen bikes carried on the front of vehicles, so I don't think that it will obscure my vision, if properly set up.

Anyone carry their bikes on a front mounted hitch rack?

I most always carry both a road bike and a mountain bike when traveling.

When without the Airstream, the heavy duty 4-bike rack plugs into my 2 X 2 reciever of the tow vehicle.
When traveling with the Airstream, the rack fits into a 2 X 2 receiver tube I welded to two transverse channels welded to the Units rear frame.

Further, the aft reciever is nice if one wants to insert a platform carrier and strap down extra fuel tanks, like for a generator when in remote areas for extended times.

I have yet to fabricate an elevated license plate bracket, although the plate rests well inside the rear window.

I have found no detriments to this install after 16,800 trouble free miles this last Spring and Summer. Bought a two (2) bike cover from Camping World and it has served me well for three years now. Keeps the bikes remarkably clean. No navigation lights are obscured.

bikrmikey · 01-31-2005, 05:56 PM

We bought our Airstream as a base for our cycling adventures. Being bike geeks we have 11 bikes in the house, for 2 people road racing, cyclocross, mtn and townies of course. Yeah we are bike geeks. All our bike geek friends love our Airstream, so it must be in the blood.

Carrying we put them in the back of our Tundra or on racks on top. In a Caravel there is no room. We took a 30 day trip in a 28 ft SOB motor home and it was a real pain trying to transport bikes inside, once in they were fine but a pain to manuever. Plan to put the bikes in the TV or on racks.

My polished Litespeed Ultimate is the best match for the Airstream.

85MH325 · 01-31-2005, 06:22 PM

The variety of folding bikes available today is astounding! No doubt that Bike Friday makes some of the best on this continent. A number of interesting ones, most notably the Brompton hail from England and Europe. Dahon has really begun producing some quality folders in the past couple of years.

In a search last year for an affordable, yet useable folder, I found the Giant Halfway. As I'm 6'5" tall, I had to try it on before I bought one, and much to my surprise, although the handlebar is a little short, it actually fits me quite well! My next choice was a $1500 custom Bike Friday, and I just didn't want to spend that much. I got the Halfway 7 speed on a closeout in San Diego last year for $300! We have since acquired a couple of early Dahon 16" wheel folders for my wife and youngest son (although he's outgrown the Dahons in the last 6 mos...)

The folding bikes fit in the back of the Excursion nicely with plenty of room left for other 'stuff'.

Roger