Tumbleweed Sunliner Rebuild - Part 1

A quick trip to the city

I shared in my last post that I was rebuilding the Tumbleweed Stargazer. Well…..Here is the first snap of the rebuild. I must say, I am quite pleased and a bit smitten with this bike and the results. It’s not finished yet but I couldn’t help but share the results.

One of the things that really irked me on the original build was the fitment and function of the framebag. I had used the hook and loop (velcro) attachment method. It just wasn’t smooth and even and with a ¾ bag, it wasn’t tight enough for the zipper to fully function without two hands. This had to change.

Updated attachment method -

With the frame bag redo, I started with updating the attachment to daisy chain/paracord strap. It’s much more secure and you can adjust the tension to make fitting straight and smooth. It also makes the zipper fully functional with one hand for open AND close because of how secure the bag is mounted.

Step two was to clean up the down tube mounting. Again, I just didn’t think the hook and loop down tube straps looked good and befitting of such a nice bike. I wanted to direct mount the down tube on the lower part. I think direct mounting to bottle or three pack mounts on the down tube really cleans up the lines of a bike.

Testing the kit out on the MN River Bottoms

Here is a not of the non drive side. I opted to go with a different color left panel with built in pockets for specific items I don’t want to lose. On the left side I put pockets for either a phone or battery bank along with rolled up power cords for recharging. It’s really slick.

I’ll go through the details of the build when it’s completed. It’s close. Real close. Until then, here are a few pics.

Smiles for miles. Loving the Tumbleweed Sunliner

Some new art on the route

The required mid ride coffee stop to contemplate the initial findings on the rebuild

No ride seems complete without a coffee stop and shot. All in all, I had a great first ride and this rig is turning out just how I envisioned. More to come. Stay tuned for part 2!