Originally Posted by
neilfein
Trailers: I usually just use mine for hauling groceries and leave them home when I go on a tour, but they're great for some kinds of touring - where I'm hauling more stuff than usual, and there aren't offroad segments. Try it both ways if you can, some people love them. If you're good at packing a balanced load, a proper touring bike actually rides
better when it has a heavy load.
In terms of being in shape:
You
can ride yourself into shape on tour. David Lamb did it! It means you'll have a hard, hard first week, but you can do it. That said, training before the tour - particularly hill training, if you're touring in a hilly area - makes it a much more enjoyable experience.
Funny story about that David Lamb book: On
a tour in 2010, I was pushing my loaded bike up a hill in Willimantic, CT, heading towards a bike shop to get my rear shifter fixed so I could shift gears. A guy was coming down the hill on a motorcycle, and we got to talking. Turns out he had read David Lamb's book as well!
Hi neilfein
I am getting fitted at Bespoke next Tuesday. I am hoping that it will give me better information on what type of bike I need, how to balance the panniers etc. I tend to overpack even for small trips and a trailer will just feed my bad habit. BTW, is there a bike under all those bags in the photo on that page? How much weight were you carrying?
Yr. Charles river reference just gave me a painful reminder again, my hip injury was caused when I was training on my rowing shell for the Head of the Charles regatta. It was my Holy Grail trip until I busted my left hip by overtraining on the bike and the boat.