The Beginning of the Beginning

As some may already know, Lindsey and I (Joe) are planning a West Coast bicycle tour for next summer.  We are going to try to keep this updated with how the trip planning is going for everyone to follow and ultimately try to keep people updated while we are on our trip.  We'll track everything here from packing lists to route choices and equipment purchases.  

As of right now we both have our panniers and touring racks which we picked up yesterday.  We both got the Ortlieb Back-Roller packs which each hold 40L, I believe the racks are Axiom Journey and have a load capacity of 70Kg.  We found the packs at the Hub Bike Co-op in Minneapolis for $150.00 and the racks were $34.99, not a bad find.  

I've also found the bike I will be touring on, a late 90's Bianchi Brava.  This was a find on Craigslist in which I contacted the seller about 20 minutes after the posting and the transaction was made not much later.  I had been watching the list for a while and decided I wanted a steel framed bike, as that is my general preference.  Its a solid frame and nicer components than what would normally come stock on the Brava.  

Lindsey is still looking for her bike of choice, the smaller frames are a little harder to come by.  Currently watching for a 49 or 50Cm. steel frame with solid components in order to avoid excessive upgrade work on the bike, although it would be a blast to fix up its just not the greatest way to save money.   

I'll post more on the route next time and also try to get some pictures up.