Member of the Month

KilaTsunami
October, 2024

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Bike Touring

profile picture
Spic-N-SpaN
Posts: 2002 - Karma: 1,465
My new thing to drool all over during the summer. I've never actually done it, but I'm already to get some racks, panniers and a passport and heading to South America.

Blogs I've found:

http://joecruz.wordpress.com/

http://www.whileoutriding.com/

Anyone done any touring?
Jun 17 2013 8:39PM
1 0
profile picture
freestyler540
Posts: 13082 - Karma: 18,715
Not international, but I drove across canada to search for freeride bike trails. My recommendation is get a higher quality, light weight tent and lot of cash. Rain sucks, running out of cash sucks, but the experience is for a lifetime!
Jun 17 2013 9:23PM
0 0
profile picture
MagSeven
Posts: 1000 - Karma: 412

Yes! Touring is awesome. Nothing better than taking off for a while on your bike, carrying everything you need. You can go where you like, when you like, your only limit is how far your legs can pedal. www.crazyguyonabike.com is a great site with info and hundreds of touring journals.

I've got a Long Haul Trucker that I'm planning to cycle from Japan back to the UK in a couple of years time.

Jun 18 2013 12:44AM
0 0
profile picture
MASkier
Posts: 657 - Karma: 704
I just got back from a wisco-D.C. bike trip. It was a lot of fun, and I indend to finish the trans america trail next summer.
Jun 18 2013 5:29PM
0 0
profile picture
MASkier
Posts: 657 - Karma: 704
Also inb4 ortlieb/not ortlieb shitstorm.
Jun 18 2013 5:30PM
0 0
profile picture
liftedresearcher
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 1,774
bike touring is great, ive done some in and around Alberta and BC but i want to get into longer tours. thinking about picking up the kona rove as a fulltime touring bike next year.

its great exercise and a real nice way to see the country.
Jun 18 2013 6:36PM
0 0
profile picture
MagSeven
Posts: 1000 - Karma: 412
I'm all over Ortlieb. And Brooks saddles ftw!
Jun 18 2013 9:50PM
0 0
profile picture
MASkier
Posts: 657 - Karma: 704
Yeah ortliebs are great, but only if you have a big handlebar bag too. Stuff just gets lost in there, because there are no outer pockets, and when you need something in the middle of the day it can suck.
Jun 19 2013 10:46PM
0 0
profile picture
skiierman
Posts: 28699 - Karma: -5,563
http://townestrip.com/

This is my parents' first trip doing the Trans-America route.

I'll be joining my mom on the Great Divide MTB route next summer... 9 weeks and 200k of climbing... can't wait, haha.
Jun 19 2013 10:48PM
0 0
profile picture
skiierman
Posts: 28699 - Karma: -5,563
And that is a legendary site. I highly advise to use that site as part of your preparation for whatever route you plan to do.
Jun 19 2013 10:49PM
0 0
profile picture
MASkier
Posts: 657 - Karma: 704
I agree with skierman! Hey, your not as bad as they say, kind of like in free willy.
Jun 19 2013 11:07PM
0 0
profile picture
skiierman
Posts: 28699 - Karma: -5,563
A misunderstood creature is all. And who knows? Maybe I'll grant more wishes than God ever did by dying through exposure on my 3k+ mile mtb journey from Canada to Mexico!
Jun 19 2013 11:17PM
0 0
profile picture
AwR
Posts: 5147 - Karma: 1,880
Super stoked to find this thread. Is there a cult for Bike Touring on ns?

Anyone have any knowledge of the Surly Cross Check?
Jun 27 2013 11:26PM
0 0
profile picture
skiierman
Posts: 28699 - Karma: -5,563
You'd have better luck scouring the internet than using NS. In over 10 years on this site, this is the first thread I've seen dedicated to bike touring. It's hard enough having any thread reach beyond a page in responses for biking in general.
Jun 28 2013 12:57AM
0 0
profile picture
AwR
Posts: 5147 - Karma: 1,880
Yeah I searched deep into the depths of ns and could only find a handful of small threads. As much as reddit is disliked it had quite a bit to offer. http://www.reddit.com/r/bicycletouring
Jun 28 2013 9:49AM
0 0
profile picture
lorida
Posts: 2833 - Karma: 46
That sounds like such an amazing journey. What part of CA would you leave from?

Biking through the south would be treacherous though. The heat, sun, and asphalt combo would be the death of me.
Jun 28 2013 12:04PM
0 0
profile picture
XtRemE11
Posts: 5680 - Karma: 246
thats something i could get into, doing super long trips seems like it might just be more of a pain in the ass with the extreme amount of planning and preparation, but could be fun if you did it right, but like 3-10 day trips would be so fucking awesome.
Jun 28 2013 12:08PM
0 0
profile picture
skiierman
Posts: 28699 - Karma: -5,563
It's called the Great Divide route. It travels along the Rockies with over 200k of climbing. And since we're taking 9 weeks starting in mid-July, the south could be very brutal. Not really looking forward to that but the more concerning parts are when you're days outside of seeing any civilization and of course the traveling bike thieves/gypsies that steal shit off any bike that's left unattended.
Jun 28 2013 7:02PM
0 0
All times are Eastern (-5)