Priority 600 2-Year Review

THE ACCIDENT!
Following a review of my basic configuration I had planned on doing a simple quick ride to see how the Priority 600 handled “under load.” And then, while videoing my ride, I came upon a car vs. tree accident and captured the response of our small town police and first responders as they deployed to and secured the accident scene. That then changed my ride from a simple out & back of 5ish miles to a loop of nearly 12 miles. That gave me some more hills to climb - in addition to the last killer hill to my house at the end of the ride.

CHANGED CONFIGURATION:
This was my first ride of the year with a loaded bike and it was interesting to me as I have changed my configuration in a major way since my precious bike tour. My tour through Maine had two large panniers (bags) hanging off of the bike’s rear rack and a metal rack with two panniers on the front of the bike. I was unhappy with the steering with these large heavy bags on the front fork so I removed the front rack and placed some very small bags packed with light items that were connected directly to my front fork… No rack. The material that was packed in my larger front bags was then moved to a large seat pack that I previously used on my gravel bike for lightweight motel touring.

BOTTOM LINE BULLETS:
- I have owned this bike since 2019 and bought it initially for “credit card” touring… no camping or cooking. My touring changed in 2020 with my Tour of Maine… 500+ miles with State Park & Campground lodging. The Priority 600 was not designed as a touring bike so very few connection points - everything dealing with bag and pannier connections you see had to be thought out carefully.

- The Priority 600 has a German designed Pinion Gear Drive with a carbon fiber composite belt instead of a chain. The only change this year is that I am carrying an extra belt in case of a rare belt failure. The benefits of this “transmission” are low maintenance, a smooth and quiet ride, and gearing designed for climbing. When tensioned correctly it does not skip or slip as some YouTube reviewers have recently mentioned. While fully loaded I am able to spin up inclines of less than 12% assuming the heat, humidity, and lengths of the climb are reasonable. With just a bare Priority 600, there has not been a hill I could not climb… I made it up Whiteface Mountain in NY last year with no issues.

- The bike handled so much better under load with the weight redistributed to the rear. I remain concerned about the impact of the weight on the structures in the rear of the bike… wheel structure in particular.

Now the work will simply be training with a loaded bike… ride, ride, ride. My tour in Canada will likely be late August so I have time for sure.

[scottdasilva]

Those hills are steep for a commute and even more so for touring weight. Excellent job!

[rex]

Thank you. That will answer my questions about this bycicle. My hat to you, you are in great shape, climbing that hill is not easy clime. But you have the will my respects to you and happy birthday soon.

[johnsmith-kesr]

Congratulations Sir on a very entertaining video, thank you. Plus I'm delighted to see the Priority 600 although I believe there is now a Priority 600X which is more of a touring bike with suspension fork. I'm just a few years younger than yourself so I found this inspirational
thank you. I think I'll try the Priority 600X but I'm concerned you didn't have a low enough gear option in the claimed 600% gear range for the hill.
Anyway, thank you very much and may the wind always be at your back.

[edwardgomez]

Nice job! Thanks for the video. I can’t decide between the 600 and 600x. You’ve got your bike set up really nice.

[Rino-bicycle]

Thanks for the review, very interesting, I was looking at the Priority 600 as my next touring bike, my biggest concern was the lack of connection points, I'm glad to see that you have found a way to get the bike more stable with luggage, we are not very far from each other, I'm in New-Brunswick. I will follow you if you cross Canada, hope someday to have the chance to do the same.

[Spectt]

I noticed the familiar looking emergency vehicles and realized we are neighbors! I live in Middletown CT.

[Luigi]

You did very well considering the weight you are carrying and the steep grade of the hills. I have seen a lot younger men that don't have a lot on their bike and stuggle to carry themselves on a 3-4% grade hill. Keep it up it is a lot better than any health insurance when you do these types of activities for sure? Cheers.

[HullioGQ]

How does the hub generate electricity? All I remember as a kid was the dynamos from China.

[richardsimms]

I am 70 + years but I would be terrified to carry that weight on my bicycle. Maybe I should start adding a few things to my bike, one at a time. RS. Canada

[briantyhy]

thanks for posting dave. I would love to purchase the 600 but the thing that is holding me back is the 650 tire size. I am used to the 700c which makes for much smoother ride. Do you have any 700c bikes and what do you think of the 650 tires size. thanks for posting

[ehyle]

Wish you would say what gears you are in, especially on climbs.

[krissozolins]

I like your tyres. Can you share a model?

[rptempmail]

Hi and thanks for the review. can you please let me know if you went tubeless with your bike or running your tires with tubes and what are your thoughts on going tubeless? thanks again!

[familyridesatl]

what are you using on the front fork to attach the small pannier bags?

[speterson]

Hi Dave. At one point in this video you mentioned that you were filling your tires with something to prevent flats. What did you put in your tires and how is it working?

[kathleenclarke]

I just thought of great go up and down that road everyday! sally riding on the back!

[mnnsjr]

nice content! thanks. The audio must be better!