|
In August 2008, Frank A. Cavaluzzi successfully toured Western Iceland, solo
in a standing position, on a custom-configured fully loaded mountain bike.
This challenging route consisted of both on-road and technical
off-road trails between Reykjavik and just south of the rugged Northwest Fjords. Six months of training and planning
led up to six cold, windy and wet actual riding days. An average of 39 standing miles/day with several 55+
mile days, with no injuries and relatively few mechanical issues.
A journal was kept on optimum rider positoning, footwear/orthotics,
nutrition, heartrate, mileage, weather, and allergic asthma management throughout the trip.
TECH Summary
The "standing" BTT project bike for this trip was a modified
Specialized mountain bike re-configured with 24 speeds, BMX bars/stem, a single rear brake assembly, and rigid fork with an
uncut steer tube for added height. A handlebar bag and front and rear racks/panniers were added for transporting one weeks
worth of gear. Wide hybrid tires pumped to 50 psi mounted to burley RhynoLite wheels helped keep the 80 lb. rig
in motion. 175 mm crank arms provided the best balance between leverage and knee comfort. The final point to note - no
seat or seatpost of any kind.
|
