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Hey there, that sounds like a great trip. I'm thinking the same about front end loading on this bike, feels really good and stable even with heavy loads. It convinced me that a stiff front end is the key to this rather than trail/geometry, which is also important ofcourse.
On another note, should I bring an extra freehub with me?
Heldring
rj
Hi,
I'm about to finish a London - Berlin ride on my Troll, our first big tour since I built mine up a couple of months ago. Just thought I'd share my experience.
Putting the weight on the front works great, the fork handles it well and doesn't affect steering or balancing, when out of the saddle for example. I run my tires (hard Schwalbe Land Cruisers ... not fancy but reliable and good for the mixed terrain on this ride) at fairly high pressures. With the weight spread across the bike it's just enough bouncy.
I think I'll swap the wheels for 700c at some point as there's lots of space left for clearance, although I enjoyed the 26" with cantis in the back to save weight, was never short of braking power with just the front disc. Again, weight in the front does help deceleration and your front brake will do most of the job anyway.
In terms of stuff carried - of course I took too many things. No need for six tshirts, three is plenty.. but good to carry extra warm layers and a second waterproof jacket. In the saddle bag I could fit a pair of shoes, full waterproof layer (trousers - jacket - overshoes), a high vis vest for the odd occasions when I had to take busy roads, and a foil emergency blanket.
I left my B17 at home because I wanted to try something else but that would be my choice as well had I been out on a longer ride.
The setup is a rather boring 3x9 deore with dura ace thumbies and deore hubs on mavic xc rims. No issues whatsoever I expect these to go a long way. Will maybe swap out the bb and cranks for square tapered ones at some point.
Good luck with the preparations!