New World Tourist, Progress Report

I have had the Bike Friday NWT for four warm months, and I'm happy to say that it is filling its niche perfectly. I have put nearly 1000 miles on it; I have taken it on a flying trip in its suitcase; I have taken it on a driving trip folded up in the trunk; I have toured with it (twice); and I have found other spontaneous uses for it.

By the shores of Torch Lake.VO front bag; Banjo Bros seat bag.

First the tours. In June, I loaded up the trailer, hooked it up to the NWT, and set off on an overnight to Barnes Park, on the north end of Torch Lake. I rode 85 miles out and 75 miles back. I really wanted to test it out, to see if I could imagine flying off somewhere, unpacking the bike, setting up the trailer, and going on tour.

I'm happy to report that I can imagine it. That first two-day trip was fine. Towing the trailer is a little odd, but then so is riding with full panniers. Mostly, it was no big deal. I quickly stopped noticing it was there.

Then in July I rode the NWT/trailer combo down to Ludington (90 miles), where I met Jon coming across on the ferry. Over the next three days, he and I rode on the diagonal up to Cheboygan (that's in Michigan), where we caught the ferry to Bois Blanc Island to stay with Jon's in-laws. Again, the trailer was fine. It slowed me down a little, but not that much. It certainly didn't feel a lot harder to ride with the trailer. Now, the trailer was not stuffed full (but then, I like to tour light), so it easily could have weighed twice as much. But it's possible to overpack panniers, too.

One nice benefit of having the trailer is that it's racoon-, squirrel-, and gull-proof, so we could store food in it. Not bear-proof, by any means, but we weren't camping around bears on this trip. (In fact, a bear would tear it absolutely to shreds. Must remember not to leave food in it when in bear country.)

So I can safely say that the trailer works great. Rolls smoothly, handles well even at high speed (I had it up to 30 mph with nary a twitch), and it's really convenient at the camp site.

The portability and rideability of the NWT make it perfect for spontaneous bring-alongs. When I go somewhere overnight and don't want to rig up the car rack, but I do want to bring my bike, I can just throw it in the back of the car. Today, Cindy was flying back from out east, and I thought it would be fun to meet her at the airport, where she had left her car. So I hopped on my NWT and rode the 33 miles, up hills and down (averaging 15 mph, which isn't bad for a pleasure ride), found her car, and popped the bike in. She was surprised to see me.

The fact that the bike is so much fun to ride (admittedly less fun than my Rambouillet, but then, that's the perfect bike), means that I don't hesitate to ride it like a real bike. I don't feel like I'm compromising by riding it. I have been surprised at how stable it is: despite the slightly twitchy steering, it tracks perfectly while being ridden no-handed, even at 20+ mph. And because the measurements were according to my specifications, it is, in many ways, my most comfortable bike over long hauls. The handlebars are exactly where I like them.

All in all, I'm very pleased. Highly recommended.

Fenders

Fenders are a good thing. No doubt about it. I have them on all my bikes. HOWEVER, I must add a caveat.

While we were riding the GAP Trail, Cindy and I both picked up sticks between our fenders and tires. In both cases, the sticks got caught enough to pop the quick-release mechanism on the fender spars. (I had added QRs to Cindy's fenders before this trip.) In Cindy's case, the stick stayed wedged, and it actually caused the fender to fold  until it was completely doubled under. Because it's plastic reinforced with metal, it didn't break, and it was bend-backable. However, I didn't remount it. What if it had happened on the 24-mile downhill while we were going 15 mph? I left the fender off the rest of the trip. When I remount it, I'm going to be sure there is at least 1/2" (maybe more) between the fender and the tire.

We have picked up sticks this way both trips. It seems to happen only on the soft surface, perhaps because the tires are stickier.