The Value of Field Testing
I was thinking about bike camping yesterday; I don't know why it came to mind. My first bike camping experience was a great lesson in field testing though. I had done all of the "integration" testing I could at home. I packed up all of the equipment and supplies onto the bike. I had ridden my bike around the neighborhood. Everything was golden.
The day came. I packed the car. I drove to the trailhead. I was going to spend the next several days exploring the park service roads – a huge network of rough trails that are adequate for bikes and off-road vehicles. But I didn't get more than a few feet outside the parking lot.
Despite all of my neighborhood testing, I hadn't accounted for the balance of the bike. When I started heading uphill out of the parking lot, the front tire lost all traction due to the heavy load on the back of the bike. I couldn't steer at all. I didn't have any means to shift a bunch of the weight over the front wheel. After all of this planning and prep, I wasn't going home without a bike camping experience.
I pulled out my map and looked for alternatives. I found a trailhead camp site miles away. My bike camping experience would have to be on mountain roads and highways instead of gravel trails, but at least I'd get to camp.
The ride was a mix of pleasant mountains and "whooshing" logging trucks flying past me. It really wasn't bad. It was far better than just going home. I never did follow up with a park service road bike camping trip. I'm not sure why.
The Bryant bike was crazy heavy, but I loved all of the tech on it. Amazing bike.
Curtis Jones