Bicycle Touring - Doing it Yourself
Some observations, suggestions.

  1. Equipment
    1. Bicycle
      1. regular road - credit card
      2. light tourer - some camping, weekend or 1 week
      3. heavy tourer - home on the road "the truck of bikes"
      4. mountain bike - lots of work, only if all off/road, usually no way to easily attach racks and panniers
      5. recumbent - I have no experience here, so I'm not going to cover this.
    2. Racks
      1. Standard pannier racks are attached to the bicycle via bosses at the dropouts, seat stays and the front fork
      2. Seat post racks will work on bikes that do not have bosses at the dropouts by attaching to the seat post. Most current bikes, both road and off-road, fall into this category. These racks usually hold about 15 pounds max.
      3. There are companies that make racks that are designed to fit off-road bikes with suspension.
    3. Panniers and bags
      1. Panniers come in varying sizes and levels of quality. Prices for panniers reflect this. The quality you get depends on how you intend to use them. If you do weekend trips only or one or two week long trips. Medium price panniers will do fine. If you are going to South America for 2 months you should look to getting high quality panniers. It's best to do some research on the web because you can spend quite a bit of money on panniers. One thing to note, in my opinion it is best to purchase your rack first and then buy the panniers that will fit your rack. Mounting systems on panniers vary and sometimes racks and panniers will not mate without a lot of fuss. It's best to avoid this.
      2. Trunk bags are not used by tourers much, since they occupy the space where the tent and sleeping mattress are attached. They are used by credit card tourists and are well suited to be used with seat post racks.
      3. Handlebar bags are a personal preference. They are good places to carry snacks, jackets, maps, cameras, sun block, etc. Anything that you need to get to quickly. But they do affect bike handling if you have a lot of stuff in them. They also take up space on the handlebars and increase wind resistance. If you do look at handlebar bags, look for ones that mount to a bracket and can be easily removed. Also look for ones that have a carrying handle or better yet a shoulder strap. This makes them easy to carry around when off the bike.
  2. What to Take
    1. Maintenance and Repair
      1. minimum - 2-3 tubes and a patch kit, pump, small tool kit, duct tape, chain lube
      2. better - 2-3 extra spokes, a more extensive tool kit with chain breaker and' spoke wrenches, extra tire (only if going to a very remote area), brake and derailleur cables, replacement screws and nuts.
    2. Clothes
      1. minimum - 2 riding shorts, 3 riding shirts/jerseys, bike shoes, gloves, socks. For non cycling activities - 1 or 2 pairs of shorts or pants, walking shoes or sandals, 2/3 shirts.
      2. better - Add cold/cool weather or rain gear. What you take depends on the season and the climate of the area you plan to tour in. Do some research. A KATY trail ride in June has different needs than a Rockies ride in April.
  3. Camping Gear
    1. to camp out - sleeping bag, light weight mattress, backpacking tent, rope and clothespins for clothes line, flashlight, maps, towel-washcloth-soap. The best kind of towels are the camp towels - small and light, absorb lots of water, dry quickly. I like the liquid soap that comes in bottles - much less mess. If the nights promise to be cold, long underwear to sleep in (your biking tights can double here). Stoves and cooking pots are only necessary if you are going to areas with few facilities or do not want to eat in restaurants very often.
    2. other items - Sunscreen, insect repellent, first aid kit, any medicine that you may need.
    3. food - For snacks along the way, I will pack trail mix and dried fruit (apricots). I'll buy bananas, apples and fig newtons along the way. For meals, I usually eat at restaurant or get deli sandwiches at supermarkets. Cooking. I haven't done any cooking yet. I will on my 2004 tours and I will report what I find then
  4. Planning your Trip
    1. Route - Planning your route is probably most time consuming activity related bicycle touring. Some tools you can use are state bicycle maps, highway maps, and Adventure Cycling Maps. I also use the web to look up information on towns (Such as Kansas's web site) along the route, campgrounds, motels, restaurants, and any other
    2. Pacing - How far do you plan to ride in a day? That is a very good question. From my experience you can expect to maintain a pace of 10 - 12 mph. For ease of calculation and to err on the conservative side I use an average if 10mph. So if I plan on riding for about 6 hours per day, or 60 miles. From this you can estimate how many days of riding it will take to reach your destination or devote to your tour. Remember to keep your mileage under control. Wind, terrain, adverse weather and other factors can affect your ride time.
    3. lodging - If you are camping, look at where camp sites are. For example, Kansas has tree icons on their state map which indicates camp sites. Check out the web site access Kansas to get information on Kansas's state parks and fishing lakes. From my experience, you will not need reservations for the camping areas in the Midwest. There are always plenty of primitive camping sights available. To select motels, it is a good idea make as many reservations as you can. For Kansas, I used the cities link from the Route section above and looked on the city's web site to check out the details on potential overnight destinations.
    4. food/water - Carry enough water to cover about twice your estimated needs for the distance/time you are planning to ride. I carry six of the 20oz water bottles with me. I try to make sure they are all topped up at every opportunity. Where to get water: City parks with a baseball diamond, there's usually a water source close by. Any place that you eat. If out in the boonies and you see someone in their yard, ask nicely. You'll usually only have to answer questions about your trip in exchange. If you need to buy water, go to a supermarket (or hardware/general store) and buy a gallon of distilled water. They usually are less than $1.00. Refresh all your bottles and drink the rest if you can. As far as food goes, look in the camping gear section.
    5. Gizmos - These items are usually not necessary, but each has it's use. Radio - breaks the boredom, weather forecasts; I have a CD/Radio and I'll take a few CD's with me. Camera - good for recording your adventure, critical for touring web sites. GPS - why? Cell Phone - Good Idea, coverage is often spotty in the remote country, but it is getting better for all vendors. It is a good idea to call home regularly to let everyone know that you are OK. I also buy a prepaid phone card so I can use a pay phone without worrying about having enough change. Stool - There are some light weight stools for sale. Stools are bulky, so if you think its needed... Note book for writing in. I think keeping a journal is very important and always carry one. Freezer Bags - I use freezer bags as waterproof containers and stuff bags. They also work well as food contains when camping. Some of the camp sites have lots of critters and they will go through your stuff at night when you are asleep. These creatures use their nose to find food. The freezer bags mask the food smells so critter thinks "no food here" and moves on. By the way, do not leave food in panniers that are left outside your tent. The critters will tear your panniers apart getting at the food inside. In bear country, use bear proof containers or don't have food that the bear can smell (cans, etc). Check with the local rangers or park people about avoiding bear problems. They usually have a good handle on this situation.
    6. Bail out/Abandon - We don't like to admit failure but sometimes things happen; injury, equipment failure, attitude failure, family emergencies, etc. can all take place while we are on tour. The easiest way to bail out is to rent a car at the first opportunity and drive home. You can also look into using the bus or Amtrak, but you cannot depend on these services in most places in the U.S. Also, you usually will need to ship your bike and both of these transportation systems are spotty at best when allowing for bicycles.