Well, after getting the tandem disassembled down to the bare frame, and before that, riding it for a few miles, I realized something. This bike handles unlike any other bike I have ever ridden. Not that it handles bad. Quite the opposite. It is a joy to ride, but the long wheelbase really makes it unique!
On the plus side, it is a much much more comfortable ride. Better that even a full suspension bike. Really nice. That long wheelbase really softens out the bumps. It is also a more relaxed ride. It doesn't feel very "fast", so it is somehow "comforting". It's tough to explain unless you have ridden one yourself i think. And with it being so long, I have the space I need to do with it what I want.
On the down side, it is not very maneuverable. The "not very fast" feeling I mentioned above is from the delay between bumps on the road, the slower steering, and the fact that there is almost 4 feet of bike behind me instead of less than 2. As I lean to turn, I can tell the rear tire is never where I expect it to be, but I cant really tell where it is either. I feel very "disconnected" from the rear of the bike, simply because it is further away than on any other bike. On a single person road or mountain bike, I can pretty much put it where I need it, when I need it there. This bike is never going to be so fast. I have to relearn how to handle it, and out on a wild adventure, miles from any real support system, is not the place to be making novice mistakes!
Also, as a smaller concern, it is quite heavy. Since I will be loading it down with my own gear, I will not notice an extra 20 or 30 lbs by the time it is loaded for travel! And besides, I expect to be losing that much weight as I go along!
So, given the fact that I have to train myself to drive defensively on a very different rig than I have ever rode before, and would like to be in a little better shape to start, I have decided to put off the trip until August. Still plenty of time to go, tho it may be a bit cool in Michigan by October :)
And since there is now 6-ish weeks before I go, instead of 2, I am working on an additional reason to take the trip. I have had it in the back of my mind for some time now, but given the short schedule, there was not really time to pull it all together. Well, now there is time. I will blog about it later this week.
As a teaser, I'll tell you this. I know a girl, who knows a child predator. She knows what he is. And she likes it. And you know her to. But we don't talk about these things. Too invasive.
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