@alex bicycling.com/rides/trends/…

@Rider_X They exist because some people like building things more than they like riding. There's a fucton of building in a camping trailer, and I'm going to guess also not a lot of riding. Like I said in my answer, I've cycle toured with big heavy things and it's not a huge amount of fun. I now tour with less, but still heavy compared to actual lightweight tourists (I find it hard to leave the DSLR at home, for starters)

The idea of having a big comfy shed when I'm at a campsite appeals quite a lot, especially on the third or forth day of solid rain. Or when there are mosquitoes in quantities that defy polite description.

But for those days... I carry a credit card. I'm not too proud to rent a cabin or motel room, screw being wet, cold, miserable and principled. I think the worst was riding from Chch to Arthur's pass, just at the bottom of the first hill it started raining and the promised southerly change turned out to be a lie, so I rode ~120km, climbed ~800m, into a cold, rainy headwind. By the time I got to the pub $120 for a night in a dry room with a shower seemed like a bargain.

ok, 1500m of climbing. Whatever. google.com.au/maps/dir/Christchurch,+New+Zealand/…

I went to uni with a triathalete who used to ride to almost there, run ~30km round one of the walking loops, then ride home. Pretty much guaranteed a tail wind one way, but still a long day.

@Batman I quite like that idea. It would make a good base for a touring bike, I think, if you wanted an upright touring bike for some reason. But it needs a pinion drive option, I think (or maybe I just want a pinion drive)

Course you do - gotta collect the set somehow :)

A mid-frame gearbox would be great, but as I've said before, needs standardisation.

so a frame with a whacking great hole in it

but all the bolts and offsets are documented

you can put what you like inside the box, but the box has to fit the mounts.

Of course, noone big will go for it

and noone small could make it stick in the first place

@Móż Scariest ride up porters pass is on the old stagecoach track.

It doodles along the valley floor and at the very end it goes straight up, about a 20-30% grade.

How to confuse buyers

trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=1215563352

he shows a schlumph drive but pictures it with two chainrings.

Saw that a while ago @Criggie

I've seen him on his bike once or twice, doesn't get pout much these days, being PM and all

the previous king's about a bit too

@Criggie I ran two on mine. Doesn't everyone?

@Criggie yeah, but doing that with full touring kit is a bit hardcore for me. I am old and lazy. Even back in the day I only did that route once, it didn't seem to gain anything. Whereas Murderer's Pass (Maungatapu Track) chops a big section of busy motor traffic off the route from Nelson to Picton. And it's scenic!

heh my bike bounding box is small compared to yours.

I've not ridden outside of canterbury and north canterbury and banks penninsula, ever.