Living on my bike

[ravencr]

For me, I plan to eat relatively healthy on my trip, but the reality is for me that I used to train/exercise in the past so I could feel like I could eat whatever I wanted. LOL...back in the days of lots of exercise, I'd eat generally healthy, but splurge anytime I wanted if I felt like it and I never gained any weight. Take away the exercise, and now I'm 50lbs heavier, though! On my trip I'm planing to eat healthy, though, probably frequenting the ice cream shops along the way, as needed of course.

Chris

[Westinghouse]

When you are putting in the miles on a loaded touring bike you can be a bit more liberal with eating. The fact is, I could never get enough energy for that kind of cycling from fruits and vegetables alone. I eat in restaurants, out of food stores, and convenience stores too. That extra charge of energy from highly refined sugar gives a raggedy let down later on, or at least it did for me. What is excellent for cycling in sun and heat is a quart of freshly extracted carrot and celery juice mixed half and half. Of course, getting a regular supply of that on a long tour would not be the easiest most convenient thing to do. It might be possible with a had-cranked juicer.

[staehpj1]

Three of us had three very different experiences with regards to weight gain/loss on tour.  We all ate a lot, but one lost a lot of weight, one lost a moderate amount, and one gained a few pounds.  I ate maybe 5000 calories a day and still lost quite a bit the first 30-40 days and put a bit back on in the second half of the trip.  I found that for me it is just a matter of my body taking a while to adjust to life on the road. 

[johnsondasw]

On a 3 week tour down the west coast, I gained 5 pounds and about 1 inch around each thigh.  I was 57 at the time, and I've never lost the weight.  We ate over 5000 calories daily after the first week, because I got very weak for several days at about that time and realized I was not getting enough fuel.  It was fun from there on to be able to eat all we wanted and basically anything we wanted.  I know now to really load up early in the tour so as not to get in a calorie deficit situation and have to ride with that constant awful tired feeling all day.

[niles]

Do you think im nuts for wanting to do this or is it something you become accustomed to quickly? I already camp out most of my days,  I average 2 to 3 weeks out of the month camping so doing it full time would not be much of a change for me. I love the outdoors and have always thought about living this way. Any imformation, tips, and tricks for this lifestyle would be much appreciated.  Thanks.

Robert

Hi Robert,

Interesting threads and posts. I saw your thread on CGOB. Have you tried bikeforums.net? You might get some interesting replies there as well.

Somewhere you mentioned an aspect of spiritual experience, or of being drawn to it for that reason. I've studied and read about that feeling over the years, and I think it can be something very genuine and valid and worthwhile exploring. It seems like something that people can ignore (many do), while they cave in to pressures from society. But you can also be true to it. Being true to one's innermost self or innermost feelings about life, being honest on that level, seems worthwhile -- it makes life worth living. And that way you are no longer living a lie.

[indyfabz]

"I am just saying I tend to treat all people pretty much equally until I know I should not,..."

That's nice to know.  I lived on my bike off and on in '99 and '00.  Did Seattle-Bar Harbor-Philadelphia-Coean City, NJ in '99.  The following winter I sepnt 2 months cycling in Andalucia, Spain.  I went back out to Seattle in May for an extended tour to Cortez, CO to vist some friends working at Mesa Verde.  While in Glacier National Park I crossed paths with Adventure Cycling's North Star tour to Alaska.  My '99 x-country trip was with AC so I struck up a conversation with the leader.  His group was going to ride Going to the Sun the next day.  Since I had done that climb the year before and could give the group advice, and because I was an AC tour alumnus, the leader invited me to share their dinner with them.  I had been getting a couple of odd stares from people in the group.  Like because I was a miid-30s guy alone (i.e., without any friends to ride with) that there must be something wrong with me.  When the meal was ready the leader called me over.  As I was dishing up some chili I overheard a woman on the tour say to him in a very condescending tone "What?  Did that guy just bumb dinner off of us?"  Truth is that I had plenty of my own food and was probably better off financially than than she was even though I hadn't been working for over a year.  I really wanted to turn to her and give her a piece of my mind.  Not because she suggested that I was a bum.  But because she came to an unwarranted conclusion about someone as a result of a total failure to ascertain any of the facts.  The tour leader calmly explained to her that he had invited me and why he had done so.  I hope she learned something from the incident.

[Westinghouse]

I have met other x-country cyclists only rarely. I did meet a group of ACA cyclists on the northern tier in 1987; then they were called Bikecentennial. I had the maps, and ended up calling it quits after cycling from Seattle to Ana Cortes to Chicago. An emergency came up and I drove back to Florida. I cycled with a newly married couple who were on a Santana tandem. They were very religious. They had a sign on their bike that said, "Holy spirit on board." They stopped at churches along the way and got money from them. We stopped at a hostel one night. I think it might have been at Sand Point, maybe Cut Bank. They had a broken spoke on the freewheel side of the back  wheel. The problem was the freewheel had tightened so much he could not get it off. He tried with all his might until it broke the teeth right out of the freewheel. He ended up spending an inordinate amount of time micro-bending a spoke until he finally was able to get the spoke to fit between the flange and the free wheel, and up to the hole in the rim. I remember he had been talking about how much the bike and gear had cost. He had told me the rear wheel was high quality and cost something like $200.00, which was more than my entire bike cost. It seemd to me then, and it still does that if a rear wheel was so expensive, and it was used on a tandem going over mountains, such a problem as they had would have been foreseen, and some sort of stop should have been built into the wheel threads to prevent the freewheel from overtightening the way theirs did.
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When it comes to making unwarranted inferences and conclusions, people do it all the time. Internet discussion forums are full to the brim with it. They seem steeped in it. It is a willful national pastime in the United States.

[Cycnus]

Hi all -

New here and fully intrigued by this discussion as it dovetails into what is going to become a lifestyle for me very soon.  For the past year I considered the possibility of living on my own, riding a bicyle, criss-crossing the country.  I made the decision to begin my journey this year; hopefully by August at the latest.  Here's what I've done to prepare:

1.  Bought a Croozer cargo trailer, changed the tubes out to the "puncture proof" series.  Bought two extra tubes and the "sealant" to with.

2.  Purchased 2 additional tires and puncture-proof tubes for my bike, with sealant.

3.  Took a bicycle repair class, bought a good, but basic tool kit, extra brake and shifting cables, etc.  Bought extra brake pads.  Some things I can repair, some things I cannot; just have to be careful.

4.  Bought a tent, sleeping bag (below zero rated), small table, camp chair, privacy tent, portable toilet, shower bag, two small fuel tab stoves, lantern, med kit, etc.  ALL of this fits into the trailer, with room to spare and about 65 lbs total weight.

5.  Set up a bank account that I can access via the Internet (have a handheld PC) with full wireless.  Bought MREs to last for about 6 months, will buy a bit of food as I need it along the way.  Also bought a collapsible fishing rod and small reel to fish if necessary.

I am preparing to leave and not work unless I have to do so.  I've been working at buying all of this material for the past year - total cost for trailer and gear, just under $800.00.  Not taxing my income too dramatically, but buying as I can afford to do so.  I'm almost where I need to be to take off.  I have a blog, but for now I'm leaving it private - until I'm really on the road and living the life full time.

Hope you doin't mind me dropping by and sharing a bit.

[Westinghouse]

It looks like you are preparing for an expedition, and for having a great time. A table and chair are more than I would carry, but I was looking at a journal on CGOAB.com, and one guy was hauling 100 lbs. in gear, much more than I ever would. How will you carry six months worth of MREs. If you are talking about the military style meals, they weigh quite a bit. I have read stories about people hiking the Appalachian Trail who hid MREs along their path ahead of time, and dug them up as they came to them.

[Cycnus]

Hi Westinghouse -

The table folds flat and weighs 1 lb, 8oz total.  The chair weighs just over a pound.  MREs are no longer packed in cans, pouches now and they are very light weight.  I also bought some Datrex food bars that have about 3,600 calories and are something I've used for hiking and so on.  Very handy and they do the trick for a quick pick-me-up.  However, most of my things wiill be with my sister and I will have her ship them as I need them or pick them up as I will use her place as a staging area from time to time.  The MREs are one way of exploring the weight issue as you say, but I'm not carrying 6 months with me for now.  This is all a new experience for me (well, the biking around the country is) so I am trying to find a means of having a safe haven I can carry on my back, so to speak.  Most of the time I will pick up a few fresh fruits and vegetables and things I need as I camp. 

Since the great outdoors will become my new home I will figure things out by trail and error and eventually find a balance that works for me.  At least that's the plan.    Then again, we all know the best laid plans of mice and men....

It looks like you are preparing for an expedition, and for having a great time. A table and chair are more than I would carry, but I was looking at a journal on CGOAB.com, and one guy was hauling 100 lbs. in gear, much more than I ever would. How will you carry six months worth of MREs. If you are talking about the military style meals, they weigh quite a bit. I have read stories about people hiking the Appalachian Trail who hid MREs along their path ahead of time, and dug them up as they came to them.

[Westinghouse]

It sounds like the way to go. You should have a great time. If you need any particular advice on the touring on the road and camping parts, I might be able to give you some tips. Are you going to stealth camp, use campgrounds, stay in motels, all three?

[bobbyrob22]

Hi all -

New here and fully intrigued by this discussion as it dovetails into what is going to become a lifestyle for me very soon.  For the past year I considered the possibility of living on my own, riding a bicyle, criss-crossing the country.  I made the decision to begin my journey this year; hopefully by August at the latest.  Here's what I've done to prepare:


Hope you doin't mind me dropping by and sharing a bit.

Dont mind you popping in at all, im thinking of living this very life and would love to hear about your experiences. I was wondering if I could check out your blog, if so email me at unitedwarior24 at yahoo dot com. im thinking of setting off on my journey around august or september, when i do ill do my best to keep a journal on CGOAB and  ill post here to as much as I can. I already have all the gear ill need and am anticipating taking off even sooner, call it itchy feet but anyway I think its great you are going to do this and I wish you the best of luck. Hope I meet you along the trail one day. May the wind  always be at your back, and happy trails, and welcome to adventure cycling.

[Cycnus]

Robert -

An email is on the way.  If our paths cross, be sure to drop by.  Congratulations on making the decision to make a go of it.  I wish you well and equally look forward to hearing of your adventures.

Dont mind you popping in at all, im thinking of living this very life and would love to hear about your experiences. I was wondering if I could check out your blog, if so email me at unitedwarior24 at yahoo dot com. im thinking of setting off on my journey around august or september, when i do ill do my best to keep a journal on CGOAB and  ill post here to as much as I can. I already have all the gear ill need and am anticipating taking off even sooner, call it itchy feet but anyway I think its great you are going to do this and I wish you the best of luck. Hope I meet you along the trail one day. May the wind  always be at your back, and happy trails, and welcome to adventure cycling.

[Cycnus]

Hi Westinghouse -

Thanks so much for the offer!  I will check in with you from time to time.  I plan to stealth camp if I am away from areas with campgrounds.  Otherwise, I will try to stay in designated camping areas.  No motels for now.  With the privacy tent, shower bag and portable facilities I should be able to maintain without parking at a motel. 

It sounds like the way to go. You should have a great time. If you need any particular advice on the touring on the road and camping parts, I might be able to give you some tips. Are you going to stealth camp, use campgrounds, stay in motels, all three?

[GaryRides]

Wow---what a fabulous sense of freedom one must have to live on their bike and be rid of all the personal possessions--maybe I'll get there someday...