modifying a Vision

For about 5 years I have happily pedalled my Vision 42, serial # 844 or 344, which is one of the
earliest models. Is there a Owners Manual for this bike?

I am now considering Touring which raises some questions.

1. Can I change that 342-37 1x3/8" Narrow front wheel for a wider and tougher touring tire combo?

2. The rear wheel uses a Tire which is 559-32 26x1.25, and can I find a good tough touring tire in
this size?

3. I think that the LWB, OSS rig is adequate for touring, but would I be better off with Bags or
a trailer?

Charles

I should think so, I had a 1.75 on the front of mine and it seemed to work okay although I put
2,500+ miles on the stock Primo tires.

Use bags, that thing will be dog slow with the wider tires AND a trailer

"Charles Ede" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For about 5 years I have happily pedalled my vvVision 45, which is one or their earliest models. I
am now considering Touring which raises some questions.
1. Can I change that 1" Narrow front wheel for a wider and tougher 2.25" tire combo?

2. The rear wheel uses a Tire which is 559 something, and can I find a

good

Quoted message said:

tough touring tire in this size?

3. I think that the LWB, ASS rig is adeq uate for touring, but would I be better off with Batgs
or a trailer?

Charles

I have found the Shwalbe Marathons 1.5" to be adequete, though they are also available in 1.75"
widths if you insist. But I dunno 'bout a 342 mm front wheel. I assume you mean 349? If so, there's
not much available for that size. If you can fit a 406 mm wheel, however, you'll have a much better
selection of rubber.

Bill Anton 2001 Vision R-40 SWB, OSS Lubbock, TX, USA

"Charles Ede" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

For about 5 years I have happily pedalled my Vision 42, serial # 844 or 344, which is one of the
earliest models. Is there a Owners Manual for this bike?

I am now considering Touring which raises some questions.

1. Can I change that 342-37 1x3/8" Narrow front wheel for a wider and tougher touring tire combo?

2. The rear wheel uses a Tire which is 559-32 26x1.25, and can I find a good tough touring tire
in this size?

3. I think that the LWB, OSS rig is adequate for touring, but would I be better off with Bags or
a trailer?

Charles

"Charles Ede" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

For about 5 years I have happily pedalled my Vision 42, serial # 844 or 344, which is one of the
earliest models. Is there a Owners Manual for this bike?

I am now considering Touring which raises some questions.

1. Can I change that 342-37 1x3/8" Narrow front wheel for a wider and tougher touring tire combo?

That tire (ISO 37-349, 16 x 1 3/8"😉 is the widest one made for that rim. You could switch to a 16 x
1.75" tire and rim (ISO 47-305), but that would probably require relocating the brake mounts. If
you're using the long-wheelbase configuration, the narrower tire should be fine.

(If you're curious why two different 16" tires require different rims, you should read Sheldon
Brown's tire sizing article: sheldonbrown.comtire sizing.htmlOpen ↗ .)

Quoted message said:

2. The rear wheel uses a Tire which is 559-32 26x1.25, and can I find a good tough touring tire
in this size?

There's quite a few tires available in 26 x 1.25" (ISO 32-559). Any should be adequate for touring.
If you want a lighter tire, the Panaracer Pasela is a sweet, low rolling resistance tire. The Tioga
City Slicker is tougher and heavier. Continental's Avenue is highly thought of in some circles.

Also, your rim will accept any tire made for the 559 bead seat diameter. That includes almost every
mountain bike tire made in the last 25 years, so if you want a wider tire, you could probably put a
1.75" wide slick and not notice the difference. Here's a selection:
sheldonbrown.com559.htmlOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

3. I think that the LWB, OSS rig is adequate for touring, but would I be better off with Bags or
a trailer?

The bags vs. trailer argument rages on in many camps. Read for yourself: tinyurl.comjz4oOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Charles

"Charles Ede" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For about 5 years I have happily pedalled my vvVision 45, which is one or their earliest models. I
am now considering Touring which raises some questions.
1. Can I change that 1" Narrow front wheel for a wider and tougher 2.25" tire combo?

2. The rear wheel uses a Tire which is 559 something, and can I find a

good

Quoted message said:

tough touring tire in this size?

3. I think that the LWB, ASS rig is adeq uate for touring, but would I be better off with Batgs
or a trailer?

Charles

I use a bob yak trailer on my R40 and seem to have no problem with it. It seems to handle better
when loaded than with bags.

In the LWB style the bigger tyre made no difference for me and I do about 5000+ miles a
year on mine.

Lee

--
Extreme... ......denial

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Charles Ede
For about 5 years I have happily pedalled my vvVision 45, which is one or their earliest models. I
am now considering Touring which raises some questions.
1. Can I change that 1" Narrow front wheel for a wider and tougher 2.25" tire combo?

2. The rear wheel uses a Tire which is 559 something, and can I find a good tough touring tire in
this size?

3. I think that the LWB, ASS rig is adeq uate for touring, but would I be better off with Batgs or
a trailer?

Charles

I am not sure that I would go with a monstrous tire size like a 2.25" width. I would go with a 1.5" or 1.75" width on both. This way, you have a wider footprint but not so wide as to cause any serious speed hinderance.

559 tires or the common size of 26" uses some great tires for touring. My personal favorite is the Avocet Cross II K tire.

As to the wheelbase and setup, I have ridden both wheelbases with my Burley. Both are more than adequate. I do not think one is really any better than the other.

The trailer vs pannier debate is wide open and discussed time and time again across the net. I like the trailer method, expecially using my Burley Nomad. It is much better than the BOB that I had for a while.

Charles,

I have an early R40 with a Schwalbe Marathon 16" tyre (349mm) in front and I use a Panaracer Pasela
26" (559mm) on the rear. I have done 100s of miles of touring with gear on this setup, and over
10,000 miles without packs. I've also tried both panniers/rack and trailer touring. Here are my
findings about your three questions:

1. As other posters have mentioned, its unlikely that you'll find a wider tyre without replacing
the rim and fork. That said, I can't be happier with the Marathon. I've bought 3 over the past 3
years (about 4000 miles a year), and I've only had two flats - both caused by "rider error" (I
hit objects - I tend to do that when I'm busy looking around, not like a DF rider :-)

2. I own the Panaracer Pasela, also mentioned on this NG. I love it, my Dad hates it. He says that
the sidewall is weak. I also have the IRC Metro Duro (kevlar) on my Tandem - it is rock solid
and it will probably replace the Pasela if/when it wears out. The Metro Duro measures 1.5" on my
rim, plenty for touring. I haven't tried it, but Schwalbe makes the Marathon Slick in 1.75 width
for 559 rims.

3. I'm using a SWB configuration on my single Vision, and (obviously) my Vision Tandem is rather
LWB. I have found that the trailer handles really well with either setup (although the Tandem +
the trailer is over 11 feet long!). You hardly notice it there - until you go uphill, that is. I
demonstrated to a local club rider that I can ride hands off while touring with the trailer.

The panniers are a different story. In my SWB single Vision, I can definitely feel the panniers/gear
on the rack, I think particularly because the weight is rather high compared to a DF rider, whose
body is much higher than a rear rack. This lead to more difficulty managing the weight at a stop or
slow speed.

On the tandem, I suck it up because it is really long already. I recently took a week-long tour in
New Hampshire and loaded 60 pounds of gear (4 panniers, tent, 2 sleeping bags, 2 ground pads) on the
rear rack of the Tandem. On two occasions, my wife got off the bike without holding it and I had
trouble keeping the bike up if I let it get at an angle.

Overall, I like the trailer better for handling and slow-speed maneuvering. It does suck, however,
when you are trying to navigate while walking, or if you are trying to camp "Ken Kifer" style
(www.kenkifer.com/bikepages).

Chris Champion 1996 Vision R40 SWB OSS 2001 Double Vision R85 USS

"Charles Ede" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

For about 5 years I have happily pedalled my vvVision 45, which is one or their earliest models. I
am now considering Touring which raises some questions.
1. Can I change that 1" Narrow front wheel for a wider and tougher 2.25" tire combo?

2. The rear wheel uses a Tire which is 559 something, and can I find a good tough touring tire in
this size?

3. I think that the LWB, ASS rig is adeq uate for touring, but would I be better off with Batgs
or a trailer?

Charles