Bicycle Speeds Question

[Solonger]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. I am young (22) and naive, most of you are probably much older than me and have experiences that i do not have yet so i appreciate your comments and i will definitely carefully read each suggestion. I am doing this tour because i love riding bicycles, i love to travel, i love to meet new people, i love seeing beautiful natural scenery, i love physically pushing myself, i love living out of a backpack and i love the thrill of exiting my comfort zone. I think that my touring experience will be a unique blend of all those qualities listed above and that there is no right or wrong. But im certainly open to suggestions on how my experience can be better! The performance aspect is certainly a quality that i enjoy but it is by no means the determining factor, nor do i want it to be.

[Tandem4Rider]

Some years ago a young high school kid was curious about riding, etc...  We talked, and eventually he got a bike and rode with me.  In those early days that poor lad, despite my coaching, went through some of his most painful miles ever in the saddle and I had to keep slowing down for him.  Now, years later I can't keep up with him and he is teaching a me a few things.  I'm an educator by profession, and I am well pleased when my students become the professors.

You seem like a remarkably dedicated and enthusiastic cyclist.  Young - yes indeed, but not nearly as naive as you may think.  Seems your head is clear and your attitude is focused.  I, personally, look forward to hearing about what you learned and experienced on your ride.  Be safe, enjoy it, and pass it on.  Inspire another young person to follow in your path - best wishes!

[tonythomson]

Solonger I think you have probably got it right and doubt if you need us oldies to teach you too much.  Part of the fun is working it for yourself and trying things out, see what works for you. In the end there really isn't a right or wrong way of doing it - in fact the only wrong way is not doing it.

Get on that bike load it up with far too much - we all did.  Throw it away or post home after a week lugging stuff up hills. Buy decent tyres after 10 punctures in a day. By the time your 64 you're still trying out different saddles to get a comfy one. 

Have fun & good luck oh and give us oldies a wave as you go past us.

[johnsondasw]

Get on that bike load it up with far too much - we all did. 

Ain't that the truth, Tony! On my first backpack in 1969, I brought a full size frying pan, a full size ax, and several large cans of chili and beef stew.  And, being 20, had little problem lugging it all up into the mountains for 3 days.  Loved every minute of it!

[tonythomson]

Don't you make great mistakes when you are just setting out, that you look back all your life and laugh.  At 16 as an apprentice five of us were sent by the company to see if we could survive with a small amount of money, a tent and a one ring camping stove. We decided to buy a large can of treacle pudding each, sweet - full of stodge, figured that would get us through the night and the next day.
Time to eat at about 9pm when we finished hiking discovered that each can took 45 mins to cook, meant the last person would be eating at around one in the morning 

[ducnut]

Like the OP, I used to ride a TT/tri bike. Likewise, I averaged ~20mph on nearly every ride and focused on keeping my speed up for training purposes. I competed in the weekly TT. Unfortunately, I got tired of being restricted to nicely, paved roads. I started riding more chip & seal and dirt. I ended up buying a cyclocross bike and setting up the cockpit like my TT bike, except with much higher stack height. It does have aerobars, fenders with flaps, and the occasional rack. It is much slower (~6mph less). But, it's much more comfortable over long distances, less terrain restricting, and altered my mindset when it comes to riding. I no longer care about speed. I just like to get out and comfortably cover as much area as I can, while enjoying nature.

At 22, I know I wasn't astute enough to realize there's a whole 'nother world in tour/adventure cycling. For that, you have my admiration.

[Pat Lamb]

I wonder if the OP would be more interested in randonneuring than touring?  Check out www.rusa.org for more details; the overview is that you try to ride a given distance within a time limit.  The time limit isn't so strict that you have to race, but apparently it gets to be a challenge when you do the longer routes.  Randonneuring involves structured routes with minimal support.  On the flip side, it's shorter durations (1-4 days) than the long (1-12 week) rides we usually discuss in this forum.

Long rides, brisk tempo, new terrain.  I'm about to talk myself into trying it!

[alfonso]

Excellent suggestion, pdlamb! And there's no reason why one project should exclude the other.

[steelhead]

I keep my speed up by keeping my weight down. My 2007 REI Safari with out panniers is 33 lbs. I try to keep my BMI to 22/23.

[Pat Lamb]

I keep my speed up by keeping my weight down. My 2007 REI Safari with out panniers is 33 lbs.

Interesting datum; my Randonee is about 32 pounds.  Do you ride with panniers, and if so, what's your average speed when loaded?

[cheesehawk]

I think that the only thing I would add for OP re touring to the above discussion is that it does not have to be an "either or" proposition in my view. Yes, your road bike will always be lighter and faster, but that does not mean that you cannot maximize your performance while still making time to tour. When I was your age (and younger) I routinely rode on tours where we basically rode as hard as we could between bar stops. Similarly, you can tour and ride hard until you see something worth stopping for - whether its a bar, museum, or just a pretty spot to have lunch. Or you can ride hard all day and soak in the culture of the place where you spend your overnight. I think that you will find that most of your memories of your cycling time will be about the stops amd the people. But how often, when and where you get your off bike time is really up to you.