On a diet.

 Yeh, Yeh,   I'm working on the Covid beer gut, but I'm talking about the Hunq.  I was thinking, after a few discussions with other tourists that, despite years of trimming down my gear, I had unconsciously gone the other direction.  Having a stout and capable bike like the Hunqapillar one thinks that saving a little here and there is like pissing at a hurricane.  After all, the bike is heavy by modern standards so adding a stout and stable rack makes sense.    

                              

I added two. 

That led to the ability to add a basket, a larger saddlebag, two more bottle cages and all the shit to fill them.  

On my last trip I started thinking that the racks were unnecessary since I had bags, smaller ones, that didn't need the support.  I packed those with the minimal touring essentials and took a "backpacking" look at the gear. 

 

 

      It looks a lot leaner.  It still needed a saddlebag support.  I went with the really light Pletscher Athlete rather than the heavy duty Inova version.  Between that, using minimalistic Blackburn low riders and SKS Velo 65 fenders, I saved nearly 10 lbs.  Going through the gear I replaced my stainless steel cook set with two titanium pans, the utensils with a titanium spork, and, since I use an alcohol stove, I removed the MSR bottle of alcohol and plan to buy HEET at C-stores and gas stations as needed.  I discovered I carried 5 knives.  Yeah, that's what I said.  I had one in my cooking utensils, my pocket knife, there is one on my multitool, another tiny pocket knife on my car key chain and one on my Leatherman tool.  The Leatherman is essential to any camping in my opinion, they're just too useful, the rest were redundant.   I managed to eliminate almost 25 pounds from the bike and still carry all the essentials I outlined in the book.  How much does it weigh now?  I think between 55-65 lbs, but honestly, I don't want the exact answer.

      I took it out for an overnight since I had just rebuilt it.  It was a beautiful weekend, with temps in the 70's and little wind.  I rode about 40 miles to The Deep Lake campground in the Yankee Springs forest.  I found a few loose screws and impressed myself by unraveling a shifter cable adjusting the derailer.  I hate it when that happens, a brand new cable! I'm an idiot.   The bike was noticeably easier to ride without the extra weight The overnight was pleasant although the campground was busy with chatty kids and some MTB enthusiats celebrating a conquest.  Other than that, I slept late, packed up slowly and returned home without incident.  I'm going to follow up with a long weekend before the snow flies.