Author Topic: Another Beginners Question  (Read 6477 times)

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Offline GrumpyGrizzly

Another Beginners Question
« on: June 05, 2017, 01:40:38 am »
I did some searching and didn't find anything along the lines of what you guys and gals are carrying in the way of food and camping supplies.  If you have a link you can point me to, that would be awesome.

I've got a Cannondale mountain bike that I swapped out the knobbies with road tires and I now get about twice the roll distance as well as pretty much no vibration from the knobs.  I also put a set of beach cruiser handlebars as the hunched over position just isn't comfortable at all.  I'm thinking about mounting a couple of end bars on this set of handlebars to give me a few other places to place my hands.

I've got a two seater kiddie trailer that I've taken the seat out of and pop-riveted 3" wide aluminum straps on the bottom to allow me to carry some things in there.

I'm constantly on the search for a decent set of panniers or a main tube bag to store things.  I have a collapsible metal basket as well as double metal baskets like they used to have when kids actually delivered newspapers by bicycle..  Both the front basket and the newspaper baskets are a bit heavy so I think a decent pair of panniers on the back and a lighter weight basket on the bars would be better.

Say you were planning for the Trans-America trip.  I live in Oregon and would love to ride to Orlando, Florida as my Dad lives in a town about 50 miles east of there. 

I'm not a serious biker but, I want to start spinning up to that if for nothing else than to get into better shape.

Is there a list of "must-haves" and/or "Nice to haves" somewhere on this site or maybe on a site where a guy has done this and kept a diary of it all?

I recall a guy running a site with daily log-ins when he had internet connectivity.  He was a big ole fella and that added to the problems he had with his bike.

My CannonDale isn't new by any means but, it's probably only got 200 miles on it since I won it in a drawing 18 years or so ago.  Believe me, it was a BIG improvement to the ole Huffy Mountain Bike I had at the time.  That thing was a beast and rode like one. 

I prefer a solo journey and I've found I'm not much of a club rider and enjoy the peace and quiet, stopping when I want to stop, seeing what I want to see.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Offline staehpj1

Re: Another Beginners Question
« Reply #1 on: June 05, 2017, 06:27:06 am »
There is a wide range of what and how much folks carry.  I tend to carry about the same thing as I would backpacking except I restock food more frequently and can therefore carry very little of that.

I wrote a little article back in 2011 about my adventures in going lighter and lighter.  It includes packing list advice, but is biased toward the minimalist end of the scale, but I have actually gone lighter since I wrote the article.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Ultralight

I recommend taking a little less than you think you need, but either way you can either buy stuff or send stuff home along the way if on a long tour.

I also recommend thinking about your packing list and refining it before, during, and after each trip.

indyfabz

  • Guest
Re: Another Beginners Question
« Reply #2 on: June 05, 2017, 08:35:55 am »
If you have a link you can point me to, that would be awesome.

https://www.adventurecycling.org/resources/how-to-department/

There are subcatagoires for gear, etc., on the menu on the right.

Offline John Nelson

Re: Another Beginners Question
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2017, 05:59:15 pm »
You asked a big question that cannot be answered simply. I suggest you go over to crazyguyonabike.com and read journals of others who have taken big trips. Most of them describe what they carry and how they do things.

In the meantime, I'll just give you a few random thoughts:
  • Take less than you think you need.
  • You don't always need clean clothes. It's okay to wear what you wore yesterday.
  • You can wash most clothes out in any sink.
  • Take what is necessary to keep you alive, and then a few other luxury items. Not too many.
  • Unless you know that you are about to enter an area with no food availability, never carry more than you will eat in the next few hours. Plus some emergency food for when that restaurant or store is unexpectedly closed.
  • Try not to take any single-purpose items. Most things should be able to do double duty.
  • Don't plan for every possible breakdown. Just the most likely ones.
  • Don't plan for every possible weather. Just the most likely ones.
  • There are stores along the way. Carry money rather than stuff.

Offline GrumpyGrizzly

Re: Another Beginners Question
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2017, 04:31:04 am »
Thanks a million for the input.  That link about the crazyguyona bike.com was just what I was looking for. 

One last question...  How the heck can you guys and gals afford to do this kind of long distance ride?  Do you get a lot of vacation every year, retired, win the lottery?

What would you estimate you've invested for taking a trip like this, not counting the bike you're riding. 

Lastly, how many of you are pulling trailers of one sort or another?

OK' that was more than one question, apologies..

Offline staehpj1

Re: Another Beginners Question
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2017, 06:27:45 am »
One last question...  How the heck can you guys and gals afford to do this kind of long distance ride?  Do you get a lot of vacation every year, retired, win the lottery?

What would you estimate you've invested for taking a trip like this, not counting the bike you're riding. 
My trips vary in cost depending on how frugal of an approach I have for any given trip, but I don't find the expenses to be a crushing burden.  My first tour was the Trans America.  It cost about $1500 for the 73 days and 4244 miles including airfare.

I have spent more per day on some tours and less on others, but the TA was fairly typical in cost for me.

On at least one tour, my wife commented that I was spending less than I do when at home and I think she was actually correct.  It think that was in large part due to not driving and putting gasoline in my car for that period.

All that said some folks can go for months on $5 per day while others might spend $100 or more per day.  I figure that a pretty large percentage of folks fall in the $15-30 per day range

Lastly, how many of you are pulling trailers of one sort or another?
I prefer to avoid trailers for most types of touring, but some folks use and like them.

Offline John Nelson

Re: Another Beginners Question
« Reply #6 on: June 06, 2017, 11:09:15 am »
Based on encountering thousands of touring cyclists on the road, I estimate that only about 25% of people doing a bicycle tour use a trailer. Most use panniers.

How do people afford it? The answers are as varied as the number of people doing it. As far as getting the money, probably the most common answer is the simplest: live frugally and save up for it. As far as getting the time, some people take time off without pay, some quit their job and get a new one when they get back, some save up vacation for years. A decent percentage of touring cyclists are retired, between school and job, between jobs or self-employed. Others have flexible employment that allows more vacation. Very few touring cyclists are rolling in cash. In fact, most are quite poor, because they have traded the consumption-oriented lifestyle for the open road. Likely fewer than 0.1% have a sponsor. Getting a sponsor is very rarely a realistic approach. Some try to cover their expenses by collecting money for a charity. This does not often work well and is not very fair to the charity nor to the donors if you are siphoning off donations to pay for your vacation. Some might set up a GoFundMe account, but you better have a very compelling story if you expect many donations.

How much does it cost? You have a lot of control over that. Most cyclists probably fit between $10/day and $150/day. The $10/day cyclists would never pay to sleep (you can usually find a free place to sleep if you work at it and don't mind some slightly uncomfortable situations) and eat all their meals using grocery store food. The $150/day cyclists stay in motels and eat in restaurants.
« Last Edit: June 06, 2017, 11:14:42 am by John Nelson »

Offline staehpj1

Re: Another Beginners Question
« Reply #7 on: June 06, 2017, 11:36:06 am »
Based on encountering thousands of touring cyclists on the road, I estimate that only about 25% of people doing a bicycle tour use a trailer.
I am surprised you put the number that high.   I would have guessed that the number would be 10% or less.  I never actually counted or paid close attention though so I may be wrong.