The Montague Navigator Folding Bicycle, Amtrak, and a Burley Travoy Trailer: more information

In January I bought a Burley Travoy trailer for commuting and bicycle touring, detailed in my Jan. 15 blog post.

In February I bought a Montague Navigator full-size folding bike to use on Amtrak, detailed in my Feb. 5 blog post.

Travel luggage on Amtrak will be three carry-on bags: the black bag shown which will hold the Travoy and can be stuffed with tent and other items; the black Montague canvas bike bag (not shown) that will hold the bike and more gear (I will probably make a simple cover for the chain to keep the inside of the case cleaner); and the green knapsack above the black bag in the photo. This will include travel items and food to use on the train. Burley sells attachments to use to clip bags to the trailer. I may buy those to easily attach the bag, or I may make my own fasteners for much cheaper. Easy, expensive ($15 for 4 clips; $15 shipping) or some Velcro. I'll probably go with cheap, but the cool-looking, durable clips from Burley are pretty snazzy!
  
Now it's time to talk about the changes to the basic plan.

1. Amtrak service extends, using there connecting bus service, to my parents' hometown of Oroville, California, so I can get on Amtrak in Ottumwa, Iowa, and travel straight to Oroville. This will save me motel money that I had originally planned for disembarking at Roseville, California.I won't be riding 60 miles to my parents' home but rather 7 miles from the Oroville bus stop.
2. I've included a Velcro strap-on mirror for the Navigator--easy to remove for folded transport.
3. I've changed seats from the basic seat included with the Navigator (not an unusual move for bike purchases). I'm trying the Terry Cite-Y Gel. My next choice would have been the Liberator, but I felt I'd be spending more time in an upright riding position.
4. I don't believe I'll be taking the Navigator's back rack because I have to remove the seatpost rack when I use the Travoy's seatpost trailer hitch. I can use a small knapsack for a few tools, a tire kit, and sundry for day rides. I might think of a small handlebar bag, too.

I used the Montague Navigator/Burley Travoy combo yesterday for a quick trip down the lime-chip bike path to the store. The experience was easy and enjoyable. When the weather warms and dries up a bit, I'll try a practice overnighter to a local campground in order to see how easy it will be to transport the materials I plan to take with me on Amtrak to California.

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