Bike Touring Basics
8 April 2007 | touring, how-to | No Comments
I wrote this for the SF Bicycle Coalition’s website, so I thought I’d share it here as well
Many of the cyclists I know at one time in their cycling life get the urge to take their bicycle further than to work. And who wouldn’t want to? With the increased marketing and promotion of adventure and active travel companies, cyclists are constantly exposed to images of lycra sheathed models sipping wine outside of a small café in Tuscany. Unfortunately, the cost associated with taking an organized tour can add as much as 2,000 dollars per week to an individual tour cost versus organizing the tour for him or herself. But before thinking about a grand, self guided tour through Europe on one’s own, riders should consider a number of factors in creating an enjoyable.
When preparing for a bike tour, there are several considerations I evaluate:
- Geographical and Climatic Considerations: What’s the temperature? Will it rain? Is there a strong prevailing wind? Will I have to climb 8,000 feet?
- Bicycle Considerations: How long has it been since I’ve had a tune up? Do I need front panniers or just a bag under my seat? Are the tires bald? Do the brakes work?
- Mental and Physical Considerations: Am I confident I can ride the distance I’ve set out for myself? What’s the next longest ride I’ve done? Are there physical ailments that would not allow me to continue a
ride? - Worst Case Scenario Considerations: Is there someone who could pick me up in case of an accident? Have I informed people of my bike tour to let them know where I will be? Do I know how to react to bad pavement, little or no shoulder, riding at night? Am I comfortable with fixing most anything that would break on my bike? Am I prepared for strong rain or wind?
There are two camps when it comes to preparing for a bicycle tour. There are the cyclists who are spontaneous and don’t prepare at all, and the cyclists who have considered every scenario and brought everything they could possibly need. But if I were to base my preparation on a simple one day trip to Santa Cruz, I like to prepare somewhere in between these two camps. That is, I will check the weather and road conditions, and I will dress and pack appropriately, but I will not haul every tool and every spare part I could possibly need, nor would I bring camping gear. As well, I will generally select the roads I will want to take, but I don’t feel compelled to know all the elevations of the road before I start the ride or even stick to the
roads that I originally selected.
After considering all the parameters of the ride, I also like to consider why I want to do a bike tour. Why someone wants to ride may seem obvious, but in larger group tours, everyone has their agenda or desire to be fulfilled, and it’s important to get this out in the open as soon as possible. An example of a ride I did several years ago showed a huge gap of communication in the desires of my tour ride, and that of the person I went with. The ride we did was down the spine of Italy from Venice to Rome. We had 30 days to get to our destination in any way we saw fit. The first several days were perfection through the flat valleys of the Veneto, but when it came to crossing the rugged landscape of Tuscany, my partner’s spirit began to crumble. We soon discovered that we had different agendas as to why we were there on that ride. I wanted to ride the hills like a roller coaster all day and eat and drink all night. For her, the trip was about going 15 miles to another small town, and plopping down in a café and meeting people. We definitely would have benefited if we had established our desires up front because then we could establish ways to fulfill what either of us wanted to do and still be able to ride together. What ended up happening is that we road the 15 miles and settle into a hotel, and then I would go do my own excursion for a couple of hours extra. This style worked out well, but not without some initial animosity.
As well, an important feature of a tour for me to consider is how I want to do a bike tour. What I really mean by this is how am I going to spend my evenings after I’m done biking. I’ve done tours of all types. I’ve camped, I’ve stayed at motels, and I’ve stayed at friend’s homes. However I decided to travel, I have to prepare accordingly. Without a doubt, cycle-camping requires the most gear, thus weighing the bike down tremendously. Obviously, when I do this, I don’t expect to bike long days, or a least I end up going much slower. My current favorite type of bike touring is credit card touring. This is where I bring absolutely no gear except for my water bottles, some cash, and a credit card. I ride until dusk, get a motel room, and immediately wash my
clothes in the sink of the room. By the time the shirt and shorts dry out, it’s time to go to dinner! No matter how I choose to ride, I consider how it will affect my speed comfort and distance traveled.
To recap, when developing a bike tour, I like to consider not only what I ride and how I ride, but also why I ride. With these tools and considerations, anyone should be able to evaluate what is a good tour for them.
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