Azub: (Edited) Among bikes from Azubs special edition models, you can find also an expedition recumbent. Over the years of riding our recumbents on roads in different countries and selling bikes to long distance cyclists we think we have realized the optimal bike for serious expeditions.  Of course, it depends on your budget and the conditions in which you will ride, but some basic rules should be followed when specifying the bike.
AZUB 6 – we think it is better to have a combination of 20 and 26″ wheel as the bike is lower and you have better stability when you stand. Also balancing the bike with heavy load is easier. And the disadvantage of the smaller wheel is not that big compare to all those advantages.
ASS – Under seat steering is known as the most comfortable and the best choice for expeditions. But over time we have realized it is important to have a maintenance-free and virtually indestructible bike–the problem with USS is it can be damaged when dropped. Most of the riders who went for long distances with USS usually came back with bent bars at least. So we prefer to use the above seat steering instead as it is bomb proof.
MEKS front fork – with 20″ front wheel it is good to have front suspension. And the best available at the moment is the MEKS carbon fork.
V-brakes – simple, easy to adjust, efficient, with spare parts all around the world.
8 speed chain – it is more durable than the 9- or even the 10-speed chain. And it is also easier to find a spare chain on the way. The problem is that Shimano, like SRAM, continue in increasing speeds for all their component groups. At the moment the only available component group with 8 speeds in the rear is Shimano Alivio. Many feel it is too low a quality, but we think it is still good enough for long distance tours as it is simple, not super light and it shifts well. In past years we combined the Alivio 8 speed shifter with Deore or XT other components, but our experience is that this is not idea. So we use only the Alivio now.
Expedition extension and super expedition carrier – you need to have a lot of things for long distance touring and to transport these things you need to have lots of bags. For lot of bags you need to have good carriers.We have developed the expedition extension of our standard carrier for another pair of bags and also the super expedition carrier so you can have all the bags as low as possible, keeping the center of gravity low. This makes the handling of the bike very easy and the ride is even better than with our standard carrier.
If you have any question regarding the best set up for your future bike, please contact BRC: (541) 323-3460.