Touring on a Homer H?

[Alex K]

Hi all,

A friend is considering buying a pristine Homer Hilsen from a bike shop in Tuscon, primarily for local road riding in the SF Bay Area. He mentioned that he might also want to do some touring, with front and rear panniers, weighed down with enough camp gear and such for a 2-week trip. My understanding is that the Homers would be more suited to credit card touring, with a couple of high mounted bags, carrying less gear and supplies than would be necessary for a trip involving nightly camping and cooking.

Has anyone here had experience touring or riding with over 30lb loads on a Homer?

Thanks for considering....

Alex

[Ryan Mulcahy]

I've never toured with mine but taken very long rides, sometimes with more than 30lbs of stuff, and I'd say it's not the best weight-bearer. (Compared, say, with my wife's Appaloosa, or even an old Crust Bombora we share.) But it's absolutely perfect for road riding in the Bay Area, so if that's the riding he's mostly going to do, I'd go for it. With the right prep (and tires), it won't fail the tour it'll just be kind of OK, at least going by my experience. The HH is no wimp, and I think you should buy a bike that works for 90 percent of your riding, and figure out the rest.

(Although: it's no tank, either, so how much over 30lbs does matter.)