Long Distance Cycling

Kiith

Does anyone have any good site recommendations with tips / advice for long distance cycling tours? There's a ton of stuff on google, but if anyone know's good ones from experience that'd be great. I'm planning a pretty massive tour around New Zealand in a few months, and it's going to be my first serious long distance tour. Will be taking my time, but will also have a pretty huge distance to cover.

Just looking for advice on gear and general tips for this kind of long distance cycling.

endacl

Kiith wrote: »

Does anyone have any good site recommendations with tips / advice for long distance cycling tours? There's a ton of stuff on google, but if anyone know's good ones from experience that'd be great. I'm planning a pretty massive tour around New Zealand in a few months, and it's going to be my first serious long distance tour. Will be taking my time, but will also have a pretty huge distance to cover.

Just looking for advice on gear and general tips for this kind of long distance cycling.

Stick up a new thread with New Zealand in the title. I know we've a regular poster on here from kiwiland, but I can't for the life of me remember the username....

So, not advice as such, but maybe helpful...?

endacl

In the meantime...

http://www.regenerative.com/cycling-gear

Kiith

Yeah, already put one there as well, to get some local advice. Here was more for general cycling advice though.

endacl wrote: »

In the meantime...
http://www.regenerative.com/cycling-gear

Cheers, will have a read through that.

alexanderomahon

http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/

Colonialboy

Depending on where you are sleeping each night, best tip I heard of was a chap who toured around France for months with just a medium size touring bag hanging over the handle bars.
He had two changes of clothes, every evening when he arrived in his destination he would shower in his clothes wash them and let them dry overnight or thru next day and wear the other set.
I found Trangia cooking system light (a bit bulky) but easy and reliable.
I also strap a small fishing rod on the cross bar, alternatively camp near the harbour where boats come in and blag some fresh fish each monring.
Couple of cans of cider ease the pain each evening.
Mark all the towns you might pass thru with cycling shops on a map before hand.
If you come to a fork in the road ... take it ;-)
Leave some of the problems to discovery you cant plan for everything, dont over think it , thats part of the touring. youd be surprised by how resillient you will be.
Tiger balm. Windup/solar recharging torch.

QueensGael

If you want to get some mileage in, you might be interested in this

http://www.audaxireland.org/calendar/

As well as getting the long distances in, you can pick the experts' brains on how to plan and do long distance cycling

Inquitus

QueensGael wrote: »

If you want to get some mileage in, you might be interested in this

http://www.audaxireland.org/calendar/

As well as getting the long distances in, you can pick the experts' brains on how to plan and do long distance cycling

These Audax boys don't travel light though, often I seen a kitchen sink peeking out from inside their saddle bags on an Audax ride

Captain Havoc

Colonialboy wrote: »

Depending on where you are sleeping each night, best tip I heard of was a chap who toured around France for months with just a medium size touring bag hanging over the handle bars.
He had two changes of clothes, every evening when he arrived in his destination he would shower in his clothes wash them and let them dry overnight or thru next day and wear the other set.
I found Trangia cooking system light (a bit bulky) but easy and reliable.
I also strap a small fishing rod on the cross bar, alternatively camp near the harbour where boats come in and blag some fresh fish each monring.
Couple of cans of cider ease the pain each evening.
Mark all the towns you might pass thru with cycling shops on a map before hand.
If you come to a fork in the road ... take it ;-)
Leave some of the problems to discovery you cant plan for everything, dont over think it , thats part of the touring. youd be surprised by how resillient you will be.
Tiger balm. Windup/solar recharging torch.

I did almost exactly the same just with the bag on a rack to the rear. I was able to average 150km per day. I had one jersey, two shorts, two pairs of socks, two pairs of jocks, pair of normal shorts, pair of sandals, gilet, waterproof jacket, t-shirt, base layer, maps, tubes, spare tyre, multitool and a pump. I would wash my clothes in the shower, the jersey would be dry the next morning, the shorts not always (hence having two), if I got to a town early enough I'd seek out a launderette. The key to packing is, if you want to bring it, don't unless you need it. I used to stay in F1 hotels or Etape if F1 wasn't available, they're cheap but clean.

Cookie_Monster

endacl wrote: »

Stick up a new thread with New Zealand in the title. I know we've a regular poster on here from kiwiland, but I can't for the life of me remember the username....

So, not advice as such, but maybe helpful...?

Already stuck up a few bits on the thread the OP has in NZ forum

Tonyandthewhale

Crazyguyonabike.org is a good place to read journals and discussion on gear and the like. I've a few long(ish) tours around Ireland, the UK, Western and Central Europe as well as wandering around the Balkans under my belt and I'm leaving for Turkey and the Caucuses in a about two weeks (still haven't decided what day I'm going or exactly how far I'm going or anything like that).

What I've discovered over the years is that a cycling tour mainly boils down to starting somewhere, riding your bike for awhile, falling a sleep for a while, riding your bike a bit more and so one until something happens to stop this or you end up somewhere else.
Sometimes things break, sometimes you get lost, sometimes you crash or you get sick, sometimes the weather sucks or the road suck or the mountains are two high or too far away. Sometimes you're hot, sometimes you're cold, sometimes you're tired, sometimes you're bubbling with energy but waiting in a customs queue. Sometimes you don't have what you need and sometimes you have more than you need.
For the most part these obstacles are surmountable. Where they are not surmountable you must bear in mind that they arose from an adventure that YOU decided to undertake (more than likely in the hopes of experiencing something out of the ordinary) and so long as you remember to face them with a smile they should generally add to the experience.

I didn't know all that before I set off on my first international bicycle tour at the tender age of 18. I spent months pouring over maps and journals and blogs, planning my route and hypothesizing about myriad eventualities. All of this was useful but little of it was absolutely necessary.
So nowadays when I'm planning a tour I keep things simple. I've booked three weeks off work, I've ascertained that Turkey is to my East. I have my compass and a clean pair of underwear and my bike is in working order. Most of the rest should just fall into place.

Of course obsessing over the plan is still great fun and very useful (and will certainly make things less stress free if you're new to all this) but you must remember at all times that bicycles are not like buses, they don't follow schedules and pre-planned routes and nor should they.

Anyway, now that all the pseudo-philosophical bull**** is out of the way do you have any specific questions? Or any particular areas of uncertainty? Route? Gear list? Logistics? Camping? Bike? Training?

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Whatever you do, get a very comfy saddle

You're not planning this for Feb by any chance are you?

DubVelo

http://tomsbiketrip.com/advice-planning/

petethedrummer

http://thebikeshow.net/category/touring/

Kiith

Cheers for the tips lads. Will have a read of all the sites listed above today, and come back with any questions i have.

Tonyandthewhale wrote:

So nowadays when I'm planning a tour I keep things simple. I've booked three weeks off work, I've ascertained that Turkey is to my East. I have my compass and a clean pair of underwear and my bike is in working order. Most of the rest should just fall into place.

This is pretty much what i want to do as well. I have the general route planned out, but definitely want to have an idea about the area's i'll be in. As i don't really have a time limit, i look forward to taking some time to just wander. And i didn't even think of using a compass :P

Tonyandthewhale wrote:

Anyway, now that all the pseudo-philosophical bull**** is out of the way do you have any specific questions? Or any particular areas of uncertainty? Route? Gear list? Logistics? Camping? Bike? Training?

Regarding the bike, i was thinking i'd go for a mountain bike (possibly a 29'er), as i've always just preferred them over road bikes. Heavier i know, but sturdier from what I've found. I'd also like to try some of the trails that have been mentioned above (and in other places). Was looking at the Giant XTC 29'er, which is around $1900 in NZ. I'm happy to take suggestions though...would i be better off with a road bike?

Also, when travelling long distances (i.e. 6-10 hours a day), do you do anything in particular to keep yourself entertained / sane? I'll have plenty of music, and was thinking of getting some audio books, but it is a long time on your own (which is part of the reason why i'm doing it i'll add).

Cookie_Monster

Also I'd buy what you can in Ireland and bring it with you. NZ is not cheap, only cost me $20 to bring my bike from Irl to NZ with etihad...

Kiith

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Also I'd buy what you can in Ireland and bring it with you. NZ is not cheap, only cost me $20 to bring my bike from Irl to NZ with etihad...

I'm actually in Australia already...so it's cheaper to buy it over there than here.

Cookie_Monster

Kiith wrote: »

I'm actually in Australia already...so it's cheaper to buy it over there than here.

never mind so

tomasrojo

kenkifer.com has some practical suggestions on long-distance cycling and some philosophical musings as well. He died about a decade ago, so it's not up to date, but he had a minimalist approach to adopting new gear, so it might not be very different were he still alive.

EDIT: kenkifer.com looks odd on my phone (as if the domain has expired), but there's a link to an archive of the site from the Wikipedia page about Ken Kifer.

Alek

The archived Ken Kifer page can be found here: http://www.phred.org/~alex/kenkifer/www.kenkifer.com/

The original one seem to have been abducted by the Japanese.

Ole Rodrigo

This guy also, some great reading on his crazyguyonabike page :

http://ultralightcycling.blogspot.ie

studiorat

Inquitus wrote: »

These Audax boys don't travel light though, often I seen a kitchen sink peeking out from inside their saddle bags on an Audax ride

Kiith

Cheers again for the tips lads.

Regarding the bike itself, I was thinking of getting a Giant XTC 29'er. I prefer mountain bikes to road bikes, and I had planned on getting a new one at some stage soon anyway. Would this be a decent choice, or can some recommend a similar (or better) bike around the $2000 (1500 euro) mark.

The Ging and I

Inquitus wrote: »

These Audax boys don't travel light though, often I seen a kitchen sink peeking out from inside their saddle bags on an Audax ride

Maybe they know something.......

Qualitymark

Captain Havoc wrote: »

I used to stay in F1 hotels or Etape if F1 wasn't available, they're cheap but clean.

What's an F1 hotel, please?

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Also I'd buy what you can in Ireland and bring it with you. NZ is not cheap, only cost me $20 to bring my bike from Irl to NZ with etihad...

Nice tip about Etihad. As for buying what you can in Ireland and bringing it with you, true up to a point; however, people in the west of Ireland *hate* those English and German tourists who arrive with everything and put no money into the local economy at all. You don't want to be a latchiko.

I think maybe the best way to learn to pack is to go on a long two-day cycle every weekend, *before* you travel. That way, you learn what you need and what you don't. Tis well I remember one cycle around France, loaded down like camels; we came back even loaded-er, our finds including a metal cannonball-type boule.

Edit: Oh, by the way, "what about entertainment?" - you'll get plenty of entertainment watching what goes on around you as you cycle; no need to bring your own cultural bubble with you. If you're desperate, you can always load a few audiobooks and movies onto a phone and bring earbuds, for things like waiting for trains or buses or ferries, if you're going to be taking them.

Kiith

Cheers for the tips lads. Last question now is the bike itself. Going to buy it in the next few weeks, so i can get used to it before touring with it in November. The main questions i have are...

1. Hardtail or full suspension? I'll be using back panniers, so would dual suspension cause issues with that? I do plan on using it offroad once i've finished the trip, so i want to keep that in mind as well.

2. Would a composite bike be better? Seems like the are lighter but not as tough?

These are the 4 bikes that i'm currently looking at. Any of these stand out, or would they all be pretty similar? I was leaning towards the Giant Anthem, as it seems to have some pretty great reviews (and it looks pretty cool), though i'd be a bit worried about the added weight of the panniers on the rear suspension. So maybe the Xtc Composite would be better?

Cube full suspension - Cube AMS Pro
Cube hardtail - Cube Reaction GTC Pro
Giant full suspension - Giant Anthem x 29er 1
Giant hardtail - Giant Xtc Composite 29er 1

High Nellie

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

Crazyguyonabike.org is a good place to read journals and discussion on gear and the like. I've a few long(ish) tours around Ireland, the UK, Western and Central Europe as well as wandering around the Balkans under my belt and I'm leaving for Turkey and the Caucuses in a about two weeks (still haven't decided what day I'm going or exactly how far I'm going or anything like that).

What I've discovered over the years is that a cycling tour mainly boils down to starting somewhere, riding your bike for awhile, falling a sleep for a while, riding your bike a bit more and so one until something happens to stop this or you end up somewhere else.
Sometimes things break, sometimes you get lost, sometimes you crash or you get sick, sometimes the weather sucks or the road suck or the mountains are two high or too far away. Sometimes you're hot, sometimes you're cold, sometimes you're tired, sometimes you're bubbling with energy but waiting in a customs queue. Sometimes you don't have what you need and sometimes you have more than you need.
For the most part these obstacles are surmountable. Where they are not surmountable you must bear in mind that they arose from an adventure that YOU decided to undertake (more than likely in the hopes of experiencing something out of the ordinary) and so long as you remember to face them with a smile they should generally add to the experience.

I didn't know all that before I set off on my first international bicycle tour at the tender age of 18. I spent months pouring over maps and journals and blogs, planning my route and hypothesizing about myriad eventualities. All of this was useful but little of it was absolutely necessary.
So nowadays when I'm planning a tour I keep things simple. I've booked three weeks off work, I've ascertained that Turkey is to my East. I have my compass and a clean pair of underwear and my bike is in working order. Most of the rest should just fall into place.

Of course obsessing over the plan is still great fun and very useful (and will certainly make things less stress free if you're new to all this) but you must remember at all times that bicycles are not like buses, they don't follow schedules and pre-planned routes and nor should they.

Anyway, now that all the pseudo-philosophical bull**** is out of the way do you have any specific questions? Or any particular areas of uncertainty? Route? Gear list? Logistics? Camping? Bike? Training?

Yes, and everybody who tours find their own best way of doing it, so it's hard for the experienced to give advice and the novice will only really find the best way of doing it from trying it out.

cdaly_

Kiith wrote: »

1. Hardtail or full suspension? I'll be using back panniers, so would dual suspension cause issues with that? I do plan on using it offroad once i've finished the trip, so i want to keep that in mind as well.

Any suspension is going to soak up energy and add weight, both of which will slow you down / reduce your daily distance. If the suspension will lock-out you'll save some energy but you'll still have a weight penalty. You would also need to budget for slick tyres for the on-road tour as well as your lumpy off-road tyres.

Depending on the level of off-road riding you plan to do (and whether you plan to ride on road after the tour), a cyclocross bike might suit. Typically no suspension but clearance for lumpy tyres, disc brakes (to avoid the dirt) for off-road and road handlebars (with slick tyres) for touring...

MediaMan

My 2c.

Your needs for touring on the one hand and off-roading on the other, make this a difficult problem to solve. If it were me I would buy a second hand touring bike for the tour and then sell it at the end. Then I would buy another second hand bike for off road use. For me if I tried to use the same bike for both sets of activities, it would end in tears.

In particular I think that doing a long-distance road tour on a full-suss bike, even with suspension lockout, would be extremely challenging.

Planet X

Google Surly Troll or Ogre. Both favoured for road/offroad touring. Well capable.

ROK ON

Specialized tri cross.
Relaxed geometry, eyelets for panniers etc. Can take mudguards.
Great range of gearing options for climbing and off road (52-39-30).
Stick on a set of 28mm road tyres and carry a set of 35mm cx tyres for the off road parts.
Great bike and exceedingly comfortable and versatile.