The Priority 600 Touring Configuration - Do You Practice Bag Management?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 พ.ย. 2022
- Welcome To My Ride!
- - UPFRONT: As i review my bike bag setup, please understand I have no sponsors on this channel and any comments are my own opinions and were not shared or cleared with Ortlieb or Priority Bikes. - -
This was a bike ride was for my own personal training. I loaded my bike, Miss Pinion, as I would for a tour of 5 or 6 days and took her out to see how she handled. (Who names their bikes?) The bags and their contents weighed ~28 pounds and handled very well during most of the ride but it was tough climbing a couple of the steeper hills. Actually the steepest hill was the road leading directly back to my house that topped out at 13% - that was absolutely a hike-a-bike for about 50 yards.
The message here is as follows:
Plan your gear needs well and take only what you need.
When you pack your bags, do it with on-bike weight distribution in mind. The pack-out I tested today lightened up the front of the bike and added weight to the rear rack… needed to assess the handling on all terrain types. On my last long tour in Maine, I had a Tubus Tara rack and two 15 liter panniers on the front. I felt that configuration made the bike a bit unstable in certain situations. I removed the front rack and added 2 very small fork packs. I also used the large Ortlieb seat pack previously used on my road bike for credit card touring. Result… more weight in the back and much better handling with the smaller packs up front.
Another reconfiguration I tweaked - I packed my bags with an efficient camp setup in mind - e.g. place shelter items all in one bag… locate most cooking gear in a separate bag… how many sets of cloths do you need? Pack tomorrow’s set of cloths separately? Where to stow items that need a good wash?
Finally, and what I did for this ride, pack your bike and take it out for a shakedown ride before actually hitting the road for your adventure. Make adjustments and do as many shakedown rides as required to get it right. I have one or two more to go.
And then, like a play, plan on a dress rehearsal or two. Actually take your packed touring bike for at least two overnight treks. Ride 25 or more miles, set up your camp at a local State Park and assess what you may be missing or what items that you brought are really not required and can be left home.
So this ride was the beginning for me. This was the first shakedown ride of a modified configuration and I took this opportunity to pull over next to a lake and introduce you to my current bag setup. And, rest assured, this configuration will be modified. - กีฬา
Cheers Dave!
Keep ‘em coming.
Inspirational. Keep it up, very nice ride and video!
Thanks for watching!
Love your videos Dave...you're an inspiration.
Thank you for watching. I never thought of myself as an inspiration - just an older guy tryin’ to continue pedaling.
Just ran across your channel. You rock on that bike! I’m going on 63 and still mountain biking. I just gotta face you can’t do things you done in your early years!! But I can still give the younger dudes a hard time for a while!!! 😂 really like your bike. They also make a sweet mtb! Just bought a 2022 Specialized Fuse comp. Keep these videos coming. Better to get old on a bike than in a chair 🪑!!!! You are definitely inspiring!!!
Dave Thank you for your video, and happy to see the Priority 600.... like the bike your setup is good. happy new year
Thanks for watching - yes, the Priority 600 fits-the-bill for me.
GOOD SETUP
Love your set up! I have a 600 with Jones H-bars and I use it for touring as well. I have the Ortliebe Gravel and Backrollers depending on time of year. Adding a basket and bag to the front this year as I use a bar bag now. I have yet to find a hill my 600 won’t get up. Keep riding sir!
Thanks for watching. I do highly recommend the Ortlieb Handlebar Bag if you have the Jones Bar with the 2.5 Inch Rise. You would need the extension bracket for the bag. As for climbing, I have taken my 600 up both Whiteface Mountain in NY and Mount Greylock in Massachusetts. I try to choose a different mountain to conquer each year. That said, when fully loaded I had to jump off and hike more than a couple times while riding in Maine - a 13% grade seems to be my limit when loaded… and I stress MY limit.
Nice set up! I have the same panniers, and they work great - I really like the front fork bags you have. I need to move my headlamp so I can put a handlebar bag on without blocking it. Thanks for sharing!
I like the Ortliebs but you may have noticed I bungee them to the rack. They tended to shimmy and shake a bit and I began to worry about the plastic connectors breaking.
@@cc103acs Good idea! I'll take a closer look at mine and see if they need some added security also.
Great Videos! I'm on the fence on purchasing a priority 600 and you're giving some great inclination to get one. Cheers.
What alternative are you looking at?
@@cc103acs the alternative is keeping the present bike(s) , which is a Mongoose envoy cargo bike, and a specialized vado E bike, and ridley road bike. Thinking the 600 can fill the bill of the road and cargo as I do minimal heavy riding on either and help my summer commutes in cleveland to complement the E bike. Thanks!
That sounds like a plan. I assume you don’t use your toad bike for fast pace line club rides. If so, the 600 could do the commutes, do light grocery shopping, and maybe do some off road state forest fire roads and unpaved rail trails. Let me know if you need any info.
That was ROAD bike… not TOAD bike. 😹
@@cc103acs 😀 Thanks again sir! yes looking to consolidate to make life simpler and easier on the roads & toads!
I like your attitude. I love your bike, but I think I'll stick with my 1986 Miyata 1000. I do agree with your bag set up. I was viewing the video where you list the bags that you use for different task and its basically identical to mine. I also have a 1989 Rocky Mountain Hammer that has been converted to drop bars, that I use for touring also. Same bag setup.
By the way, I'm 74 in two months, my wife is 70 and we tour here in and around Southern British Columbia. Subscribed
By the way, I do have a personal preference for drop bars and bar end shifters.
Drop bars would have worked for my goal of giving me more hand positions but arthritis in neck and lower back was calling for a more upright position. My drop bars on my road bike rarely has me in the drops. Thanks for subscribing and have a great Christmas!
I get that last mile issue well. From the time I was a kid riding a single speed coaster brake bike until now, the last mile to my parents' house on a dead end road was uphill... Overall it's about a 4% grade but some parts are about 8%. 55 or so years ago I made it up the 8% grade a few times on the 24" and 26" wheeled single speed coaster brake bikes. Getting my first 3 speed (and later 10, 15, 18, and 27 speed bikes) made it a lot easier!
I did what I called “A Memory Ride” and rode all of the roads of my childhood. My childhood home was “Long Hill Road” and it was long and steep. Good to ride it on my Priority 600… not as hard as it was back in the early 60s.
Love the videos! I started looking at the 600 as a poor man’s Tout Terrain, thinking it may be just what I need as a quiver-killer.
Since watching your vids I am convinced I’m pulling the trigger on a 600 next month. I have a load of cargo options already, but am interested in the Ortlieb Fork Packs you’re running. I went to their site and they have 4.1 L and 5.8 L sizes. What size are yours?
They are 4.1 - The 5.8s came out after I got mine. That will be my next (and last) upgrade. Thanks for watching.
Love your setup and review of gear. I will be ordering a 600 in the spring. Did you replace the handle bar yourself. I noticed your dynamo light is mounted on the fender but the priority web page indicates the light is on handle bars. Did you move the light yourself. This is the bike for me thanks for posting.
I did change the bar myself and did a video on it - th-cam.com/video/4fvQqF7E9Eo/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/37jGJqnXFGY/w-d-xo.html. Priority, for some reason, recently ships with the light on the handlebar. On my bike, it came to me where you see it. As for ordering… if you have the cash, they are having a sale - $100 off ends on 20 November. Thanks for watching!
Great video Dave, came across your channel by virtue of the Priority 600. Did you consider the 600x? I'm looking to upgrade my main bike for something more reliable and less maintenance. I like the idea of the 600x but not the price tag especially as I'm in Canada and the exchange plus shipping makes it a little too much for my budget.
Cheers
Bob...
nice setup, Dave. My 600 is being shipped! what rear rack do you use? I'm copying your blue print to set my 600 up for touring. Thank you!
Great news! My rear rack is a previous version of what is available now - the “Topeak Explorer Bicycle Rack with Disc Brake Mounts” is on Amazon for $64.99. It takes on the Ortlieb rear panniers just fine but has a real nice day ride bag that slides on the proprietary beam and locks in place. Topeak also sell boxes and baskets you can use for shopping. Good luck!
@@cc103acs rack added to cart! waiting for Fedex to deliver the bike...Monday seems so far way :-).
Thanks for the video. Do you get any "wobble" when you have the rear panniers loaded and are standing up for uphill climbs?
I actually had the weight distributed pretty well on the rear panniers so no wobble that I can recall. I got wobble when I ran larger panniers in the front. As for standing, I did it all the time on my road bike but with weight on the front of the 600 it felt unstable when I stood up. I stay in the seat and grind through the climb and then walk if it gets unbearable. The 600, however, is nicely geared for climbing. All that said, when I rode up Mount Greylock and was very lightly packed, I was able to stand for the very steep grades.
I learned about your video. I have a P 600 too. I use Ortlieb on rear, Salsa Anything fork bags, a custom frame bag and use a Nemo tent on the handlebar. The Nemo is designed for bicycling with shorter poles. BTW, I’m 76. Oh yes, I put a dropbar on it. What tires are you using?
Sounds like a great setup. Where did you get the custom frame bag? If a full frame bag where do you carry your water?
What rear rack are you using on your bike? I'm looking at getting the 600 for multimonth tours with hill climbing. Wish I could install a front rack. I have the ortlieb 40L rear bags and the 25L front bags.
First, my understanding was and is now confirmed, the new 600s have ample attachment points on the front fork to mount a rack. As for my rear rack, it is an older version of this one (title taken off Amazon) - Topeak Explorer Bicycle Rack with Disc Brake Mounts and is selling for $64.99. For hills you will not regret the gearing. Best of luck!
have you done the ragbrai? would you recommend the p600 for events like the ragbrai?
I have not done it but the Priority 600 would work well. The RAGBRAI stick to paved and Gravel and that is this bikes sweet spot.
Not sure about the jeans, but definitely looking into the Priority 600X. Vanduzer uses it on very tough rides and my goal is to ride some of the same routes, so if it works for him....yours is the 600 commuter. Any issues? My primary thought is the lower maintenance issues with the pinion/belt drive. No broken hangers/derailleurs/chains. At 57 years myself, I want less maintenance. I need more and more time to ride.
As a roadie as well I have a closet full of bibs, cycling shorts, colorful jerseys, and fancy socks. With the Priority and when I tour I wear padded cycling underwear and the jeans are my winter wear… American Eagle jeans are very stretchy and quite comfortable. In the summer I wear loose hybrid hiking pants… unzip just above the knee as the early morning chill warms up and turn them into shorts.
The 600X is perfect for the off road Duzer-like trails and the Pinion gear with the Gates belt is flawless, smooth, and quiet… and not needing to lube the chain on a long tour is great. Thanks for watching and enjoy the 600X.
And the 600 is a commuter bike but at the time I bought it 3 years ago there was no 600X. Priority had not yet met Van Duzer so no options in their lineup for a touring bike. I decided to turn the 600 into one and it works well.
How does the bike handle fully loaded? When you have weight on the front fork do you find the turning sluggish at low speed? There appears to be one braze-on on the front fork, did you utilize an after market clamp? Do you have any heel strikes with the rear panniers? Priority mentioned a max weight of 275 lbs. Are you anywhere near there? Do you find yourself wishing you had more gears, or maybe gears between the existing ones? Sorry for all the questions, I am interested in this bike for touring. I just have a hard time pulling the trigger.
I originally had a Tubus Tara rack on the front with Ortlieb panniers and I found the steering a bit unstable but not dangerous. Climbing steep hills where you balance and stay upright with little jogs of the front wheel was what I did not like. With the weight on the front. My next option was to keep the racks and panniers and just redistribute all of the light gear up front. But at some point I realized I was just packing too much; I ditched the front rack and panniers and went with the small Ortlieb fork packs and used the Ortlieb seat pack on the back with full sized panniers. That forced me to downsize my gear but nothing I missed (e.g. lightweight camp chair & Tarp). So, bottom line - the bike rides stable under load but it rides so much better with the lighter front end.
Heel strikes were a problem with the kickstand. The OEM kickstand did not work with a load… it was a cast aluminum and actually cracked. I got a beefier one but it was bulky and caused me to have heel strikes on it. I now have the brilliant “Clickstand” to hold my loaded bike up and that is great. I have had no heel strikes on the rear bags.
The gears are fine… well suited for easily spinning up a hill but could use one or two more for riding faster on the downhills and flats with a downward tilt. The intervals between the gears are perfect… love the pinion over all. There is a Pinion model with more gears but Priority doesn’t offer that one. As for weight, I am 190 and carry about 35 pounds above the bike’s weight so that seems to work. I was concerned about the weight on the back wheel since I redistributed my bags but only time and a long tour will tell me about that issue.
@@cc103acs Thanks for your quick response. I enjoy your videos. Priority has a show room in NYC, near me, but it is closed and they don't offer test rides. I have a bike or two I can use.
If you ever drive down I-95 over the mouth of the Connecticut River I am right in that area - about an hour and 20 from NYC. You are welcome to drop by ride my Priority 600 for a bit. I am in Essex, CT
Have you had any issues with spokes breaking or rim cracking while under load?
Yes, but it wasn’t under load… except for my weight. It happened during my Castle Craig video. If you didn’t see that one it was a steep descent on a road with many pot hole patches and bumps… very rough. I didn’t notice it until loading the bike on my hitch. Replaced it and had the wheel trued-up. The bike shop told me the rim was fine… although not high end by any stretch. Have you heard something? Why do you ask?
@@cc103acs I’m considering the 600 for light/medium touring and know there are some bike manufacturers that have touring-specific components that are “heavy duty”. I suppose I could go with the factory wheels and always “upgrade” later on
I’m a fan of the Jones bars so I would go that route like you did.
Do you find the brakes reliable under a heavy load?
@@JeffSchodde Yes the disc brakes are good under normal conditions but I need to watch the temperature when descending very steep hills. Coming down White Face Mountain was a slow-go. I had two choices - use the brakes or not. When I used the brakes I had to stop every couple of miles in places to cool them down (with water). Towards the bottom there were less extreme curves so not braking was an option. A long way of saying “they are fine, but…” Be mindful of burning brake pads.
brrrrr