Jerry, an RBR customer, recently shared his Bacchetta touring experience with us and followed the magic formula: attached photos + plug for RBR rally = blog post.  Honestly, you don't even need the plug.  He followed the Southern Tier route from San Diego, CA to St. Augustine, FL.

I arrived home safely about noon on Monday following 3178 miles. I recorded a top speed of 44.4 mph on one of the screamer downhills and my computer says that I averaged 11.27 mph for the trip, although I don't know how accurate that is.

Sixteen cyclists started the tour in San Diego and ten of us finished in St. Augustine.  I was the only recumbent rider. The basic bike performed nicely and held up to the rigors of touring.  The additions (fenders, fairing, racks) were less sturdy but I learned a lot about them and the adjustments that are necessary for the long haul.  One of the changes that I want to make to the basic bike is to change out the front fork for the newer model that has more tire clearance.

I was the only person on the tour that did not suffer from flat tires, broken spokes and bent rims.  The bike was incredibly stable with the underseat panniers, even with the back rack piled high with my sleeping bag and thermarest mattress.  The Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires handled the roadside debris and the rough roads extremely well.  There were times I wished for a little less rolling resistance, but in some of the downpours and rough roads I was glad I had them on.

I have attached a couple of pictures for the web site.  The first one shows me at the Continental Divide and the second shows me on the beach in St. Augustine.  See you at the RBR rally.