long distance cycle

[qweisber]

Hi, I am interested in taking a trip from Miami to Virginia.  I will try and follow the Greenway.  Any suggestions on bikes I should be looking at, or where I should research bikes for this type of trip?  

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Quinton

[alfonso]

Where to start? This site is a standout suggestion. Go to the home page
and click on 'how-to'. Then check the archives - they don't offer more
than 6 months' reading's worth of brilliant info.

Sheldon Brown, a secular saint and minor genius, runs another
excellent site with far too much information.

Enjoy the trip & best wishes!

[miles2go]

Hello Quinton,

Well, I think every tourer would enjoy looking at the examples of what others are riding.  You can find the fully loaded touring bicycles of over 150 fellow tourers here: www.fullyloadedtouring.com

The type of bike that will be right for you depends largely on you and what travel style you prefer.  People tour on every kind of bike imaginable.  I was recently on a site that highlighted three folks on a long distance tour on unicycles.  Chances are that you'd be interested in something closer to what the mass of tourers ride.  One of the most common touring bikes in the US is the Trek 520 but for the money (and even less), there are many others that might suit you better.

The more details you provide here, the more focused the advice.


Cheers,

Ron
www.fullyloadedtouring.com

This message was edited by miles2go on 2-24-07 @ 1:15 PM

[TCS]

What kind of trip?  Self-contained or supported? Camping and cooking meals or resturants and motels?  Solo or sharing equipment?  It makes a difference in how what & how much gear you'll need, and that can make a difference in what bike could serve your needs.

I'll take a stab at it.  Since the East Coast Greenway is an off-highway path whose surface seems to vary from nice smooth asphalt to dirt (and in the Southeast, that means mud!), I'd imagine you'd be reasonably well served by a front suspension mountain bike (examples: Trek 4500, Cannondale F4, Specialized Rockhopper).  You will most likely want to change out the factory pedals and saddle with your personal favorites.  You may also want to replace the stock knobby tires with some that have a smooth-center/knobby-outer tread pattern (examples: Schwalbe Huricane, Continental Traffic).  Again, depending on how much gear you have, you'll need anything from a saddle bag (example: Carradice) to front & rear racks (examples:  Old Man Mountain, Tubus) and panniers (examples: Arkel, Ortlieb) to a trailer (examples:  BOB Yak, Burley Nomad).

HTH,
TCS