We’d been touring on our old bikes for about 18 years. And, like the frog which allegedly doesn’t feel the water heating up, we didn’t really realize how different bike touring could feel. I was finding my old bike to be more and more uncomfortable, with my hands hurting and going numb on long days, or my knees being quite unhappy. Each change to new handlebars or pedals helped a bit, but after test riding a Koga touring bike in Groningen last year I knew it was time.
We had toured and bike camped on our old bikes all over the place. Canada, Italy, France, Germany, the US, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, and the UK and Ireland. The upsides were that the frames were pretty lightweight and they were unique looking in Europe. It was always fun to have the bikes worked on at a bike shop on the continent and have the mechanic share how much they loved working on old steel frame bikes. Or to have another steel frame aficionado approach us outside a grocery store or bakery to admire the bikes.
After I test rode that Koga in 2022 however, I put my foot down. That’s it, I said. I’m getting a new touring bike. Something more upright, something more comfortable. A bike built for touring. And oh wow, was that a good idea. And Rich’s Paul Taylor was already rebuilt once as he cracked the original frame from heavy touring loads on a bike designed for cyclocross.
We decided that the new touring bikes would be our 25th wedding anniversary present to each other. If you’ve ever looked at the that funny old list of “traditional” gifts for wedding anniversaries, 25 is silver. What do we need with silver? So, to mark 25 years, which was last year, and to keep us rolling for as many more years as we have, new touring bikes it was. Sitting in a guest house room in Sri Lanka we ordered two new Koga World Traveler S bikes. Koga estimated 12 weeks to deliver our bikes to the shop we had chosen in Freiburg, Germany.
When we took trains to Freiburg to pick up the bikes, we also took with us my saddle, bike bell, and pedals from my old touring bike, and Rich took his pump. The saddle that came with his new Koga was not working for him so he bought a new saddle before we left Freiburg. A comfortable saddle is key. Of course, our first week bike touring, about day three and hour 6 of the day – neither of us could find a comfortable position on our saddles. It takes a while for your rear end to adjust to hours and hours on the bike.
Although we both were a bit surprised by the front racks from Tubis, with a very low profile for your bags which keeps your center of gravity low, and no rack over the front tire at all – which is where Rich would usually have his rain jacket, we are very pleased with how sturdy they are. I like the rear set up which has two levels of tubing. The very top allows you put things under a bungie cord, and the slightly lower level is for your pannier.
These bikes have features we didn’t have on our old bikes, such as the built in Shimano dynamo hub front and rear lights. So far we’ve only been touring in the summer so we haven’t needed the lights to actually illuminate our way, but they are excellent for being seen. The steering column has an internal steering limiter which prevents the wheel from flopping sharply to one side or the other. The frame is stout and designed for over 140kg (310 lbs) total load. It all makes for a very stable ride. We chose the Deore XT 30-speed(3×10) drivetrain over the 14 speed Rolf internal hub belt drive for ease of repairs and replacement parts globally. It’s a classic set up that we’re familiar with, and so are most/all bike mechanics you will encounter.
On our previous bikes I only had rear panniers, while Rich had front and rear. We traveled around to Freiburg from France, where our old touring bikes live, with all our panniers and a couple of extra bags. I bought new front panniers, and Rich was convinced, by me, to get a full set of new panniers. His old rear panniers had certainly seen better days and the style was not as easy to load and go. We were a little sad to let go of our mis-matched old school style look, but it felt nice to be fully kitted out in new gear on our new bikes. Rich left the old panniers for re-use at the bike shop.
It takes a bit of work to adjust the panniers and set the clips – which hold the panniers on the rack – and the hooks – which keep the panniers from bouncing out from the racks and thereby reduces stress on the clips – correctly. Each pannier must also be adjusted as a right or left pannier. And then you have to be able to tell them apart.
Rich just eyeballs his clips and hooks and knows which is left and which is right. It makes loading the panniers onto the bikes faster if you can easily recognize your left versus right. For starting out in the morning, for train rides, and for adorable little foot passenger ferry rides where you might have to lift your bike down into the boat, which is easier with the bags removed, and then try to quickly reload the bags at the other side.
Your panniers are identified and loaded, now what’s in those things? We got that question quite a bit in Germany and Holland, where most cyclists were day trippers with just one pannier, or out for a weekend or week with two panniers. No, we’re not camping, but we are out cycle touring for four months, we’d explain. So, rain gear and colder weather gear, which takes up space. Comfort items like my travel yoga mat and our little down pillows, and our two camping chairs. Picnic gear, lunch food and snacks. Boxes of contact lenses, tools, etc…
Do we try and keep everything organized? Yes. We have reminders for ourselves of where items are. Rain gear right. Leisure left (chairs). Picnic supplies port. Does it work? Sort of. We know what’s in front instead of back, but the rule of bike touring seems to be that the item you’re looking for is in the other pannier. Hat? Oh left, definitely. Not. Open up right pannier too. It’s somewhere.
We’ve learned over the years that it’s not as easy to fill water bottles during the day as you would think. Especially if you’re off the popular routes and not stopping at restaurants for lunch. Coming from California we are a bit spoiled when it comes to parks and playgrounds having a water tap. We expected more taps to be available but they are not. Water is heavy to carry, but being well hydrated is important. We always pre-game in the morning by drinking water, it’s easy to get a bit dehydrated if you’re not careful. My bike currently has only one bottle cage, and I carry an extra water bag with one more bottle worth of water. Rich has two bike bottle cages and the larger water bag. Both our frames have additional mounts that would allow an additional water bottle below the down tube. We may use this in the future.
If we’re staying in an apartment with cooking facilities that little bit of olive oil comes in handy. It’s enough to get you through one or two dinners. And when we have the opportunity to boil eggs to take them with us for lunch or snacks, the salt and pepper are key.
When we first starting riding our new bikes, loaded up with panniers and front bags, we both felt as if we were on e-bikes. The feel of the strong aluminum frames and the way your pedal strokes are converted to power, not lost in the flexing of the frame, was pretty stunning. On our old bikes I could climb out of the saddle only very carefully, the sway would get out of control easily. Rich couldn’t climb out of the saddle with his full front and back pannier load. Now, we can both stand up and dance on those pedals up the hills.
So after more than 2000km of bumpy, hilly, and cobbled roads and trails, both our bikes have delivered touring joy. Just a bit of expected regular maintenance and adjustments to the disc breaks and derailleurs. All our wheels are still perfectly true, thanks to stout rims and a 36-spoke configuration. The 700c x 39mm Schwable Evolution tires are perfect for our riding style, and handle well both on-road and on rocks, roots, and mud.
The wide frame clearance allows for much wider tires (50mm+) for more off-road performance or serious terrain. And given our confidence and love of these bikes, we might just put on some serious fat tires and take them on the first trip to Mars.
Less Car, More Life 