I built this as my first touring bike.
It’s an 82 Ritchey McKinley. It took about 2 years to build and then when the DC Lockdown happened, I and a friend took off and rode a section of the C&O canal.
It weighed 85# when fully loaded. I had never ridden a bike of this weight but it handled remarkably well and the sheer weight allowed it to plow right through the deeper sand holes on the trail. I used a SON dynamo hub and an Edelux2 headlight. This bike came with a rare kickstand plate, so I ended up using an Ursus dual leg kickstand. Kara Ginther did the hand tooling on the Brooks from a drawing by Ernst Haeckel. All the bags are vintage Jandd. I don’t end up taking the AR, instead I opted for a small .32 Russian officers pistol.
This trip was fun and a great touring experience. As part of the lockdown, all facilities along the trail were securely locked or rendered inoperable by various means. Some lady gave us a bunch of bottled water after we .learned that all the hand pumps had been locked. We camped in an otherwise off-limits to the general public, Boy Scout campground in Mather Gorge and from my hammock, I could see the sunrise over the gorge. We camped under fallen tree just south of Whites Ferry and had t listen quietly to a huge pack of singing coyotes all night long.
Luckily Whites Ferry was still running and we crossed there, then headed home to Reston.
by Busy-Course-9855