Touring - What's the most important piece of advice you would give a novice bicycle tourist?

I am a little more than a month away from my first cycling tour. I'll be on the road for 9 days with a pal. I thought I would ask the seasoned pros in this forum for what they think is the most important thing for a new tourist to know before they leave home. I have gotten such good advice from this forum and feel so much more prepared after learning from the posts. I would love to hear your #1 piece of advice you would give a newbie tourist. -- Tom

Do an overnight trip, at least 20 miles, fully loaded and rigged. You will be able to learn if everything works as expected before you are far from home. Then you can take care of all the kinks while in your own home area.

Relax. Breathe. Enjoy.

More tour, less de France.

plan your trip according to your personality...some like to go from Point A to Point B...others like to meander. Make sure your touring partners are on the same page.

Decide right away if your tour is an exploratory one where you stop and take photos and go into museums, or a physical work out where you bang out the miles. You can't do both simultaneously very well.

Leave yourself open to serendipity!

Russ
www.pathlesspedaled.com

and wear lots of wool (doesn't stink over multiple days of use)

It's riding a bicycle, not rocket science. If you have spent more time planning than the total duration of your trip, you are doing it wrong.

more

Take all advice with a grain of salt, including mine;) Enjoy your ride!

Tom,
Best advice I can give you is learn to share the road with the automobile. You will meet all types, ones that give you a wide berth and ones that are busy on their cell phones that run you off the road. I like seeing behind me with a helmet mounted mirror. On a bike it doesn't matter if you are in the right the car will always win. Also, don't try to do too much milage each day, try around 40 or 50 miles per day and break it up and you will have a fun time.
Liam

I am a little more than a month away from my first cycling tour. I'll be on the road for 9 days with a pal. I thought I would ask the seasoned pros in this forum for what they think is the most important thing for a new tourist to know before they leave home. I have gotten such good advice from this forum and feel so much more prepared after learning from the posts. I would love to hear your #1 piece of advice you would give a newbie tourist. -- Tom

Wear good eye protection.
Don't wear the same shorts 2 days in a row without washing.
Stop and smell the roses.

The guy with the most expensive bike is the best cyclist. (just kidding)

If it makes the tour better for you, it's the right call--regardless of what it is or what you're "supposed" to be doing.

If your pannier/rack connection is at all questionable, use zip ties to secure the things.

My father's advice for travel in general is probably applicable: Take half as much gear as you think you will need and twice as much money.
My advice is to relax and enjoy the experience, and leave yourself open to serendipity.

My father's advice for travel in general is probably applicable: Take half as much gear as you think you will need and twice as much money.
My advice is to relax and enjoy the experience, and leave yourself open to serendipity.

I agree on all counts, but would add that allowing for an open ended schedule is a big plus as well.

Be Flexible.

Be flexible in your scheduling ... plan to ride 3 or 4 days and then take a day off. That way, if you encounter bad weather, you're free to stay put for a day or only ride part of the distance you were intending. Or if there's a tourist attraction you really want to see or do, you can. Plus it gives you a chance to rest so you don't wear yourself out.

Be flexible in your bookings. I book the first night or two, and then, if I like the place, I'll book the last night or two. And then I'll play the rest of the nights by ear. If it's a weekend and I think a place might be busy, I might call ahead early in the day for that night. I don't want the pressure of having to reach a destination if I'm having a particularly rough day.

Be flexible with your things ... know that in many cases, you'll be able to buy clothing and other supplies along the way. Unless you're doing the Dempster Highway or crossing Mongolia (and a few other places, of course) you aren't touring in a bubble. You'll likely be passing through towns where you can buy things so it's not the end of the world if you forget something, or if you discover that you should have brought a warmer top, or if you run out of shampoo, or whatever. You'll also be able to mail stuff home or give things away if you discover you've got too much.

Be flexible with your meals. Chances are you'll need to eat a bit more when you're cycling all day than when you're not, and it's OK to break the "meal rules". Eat when you feel like eating and what you feel like eating. If you don't feel like bringing cooking gear with you, that's OK. If you prefer to cook your main meal in the middle of the day because you know you'll arrive at your campsite after dark, that's OK. If you want to eat ice cream when you arrive at your campsite, and then cook your dinner, that's OK. And anytime you find yourself feeling irritable with your cycling partner, stop and have a snack right then and there ... don't wait until the next "mealtime" to eat.


That ... and get out and ride lots now!!

Ummm... have fun? Isn't that why we tour by bicycle?

Decide everything for yourself. The more you compromise to harmonize with others, the more unhappier you'll become.

At the same time, be flexible. $hit happens.

Resist the urge to go too fast the first day. Your adrenalin will be pumping and your legs fresh, but you'll pay for it later if push too hard at the outset. The mileage take its toll and your legs will get more tired as the week progresses unless you take a rest day every now and then.

Plan on eating about 50% more than you do at home.
Don't rigorously adhere to an intinerary. If you feel like stopping, stop. If you feel like only riding 20 miles, fine. If you feel like trying for a century, do that too. Savor the experience rather than trying to fulfill some preset quota for miles.
Go as light as possible. Ounces really do matter. You can get by without a lot of stuff. But don't go too crazy. A little comfort will enhance the experience.
Plan as much as possible - it will help, it will get you excited, and I think it's fun. But you'll probably change several decisions once you're actually "out there."
Have fun! Take pictures.

Never go past a Park Bench or Picnic Table without testing it. You never know how far it is to the next one. Spread the day out, take long rests and you will still get in the mileage. And buy some Zinc Oxide Diaper Rash Cream. Put it on all the parts of the body that will touch the seat. Then you will just have an ache and not an injury. Have fun!

In the words of Humpty Hump and Digital Undeground, "Doowuchyalike."

Take all advice with a grain of salt, including mine;) Enjoy your ride!

+1
Stay within your limits (set by yourselves) and don't overpack.

http://simplecycle-marc.blogspot.com/2011/04/bike-packing-101.html

Marc

Let yourself experience the full range of human experiences and emotions, good and bad. Don't let it stress you when you're lonely or too tired or too wet or wondering why you've decided to do something crazy like this in the first place. Tomorrow will come. The sun will come out. Live through the experience and learn why so many people are so passionate about traveling on a bicycle.

Let yourself experience the full range of human experiences and emotions, good and bad. Don't let it stress you when you're lonely or too tired or too wet or wondering why you've decided to do something crazy like this in the first place. Tomorrow will come. The sun will come out. Live through the experience and learn why so many people are so passionate about traveling on a bicycle.

This was one of my favorites-- on my first bicycle tour I felt awful emotionally, but I learned a ton from that trip!

If I could only say one thing I suppose it would be : sometimes something might not work out or you might not enjoy yourself for a short time. Don't give up, and you won't regret it as long as you can learn from your mistakes. If you can follows those rules you'll have a lifetime of enjoyable cyclo touring, I can guarantee that.

If you use a cyclo-computer, resist the urge to check it constantly. Likewise if you wear a watch. Forget meal 'times' and eat when you want to and definitely before you need to. You can always eat again later.

Take any opportunity to get off the bike. If no opportunity presents itself, then make one. Take a photo, touch your toes, eat an energy bar, massage your butt, or your friend's butt, whatever. You get no prizes for arriving an hour earlier but exhausted.

Sing. Yes you can. Out loud. Go on, do it. It's amazing what a difference it makes to your spirits. If you don't know any songs all the way through, Google the lyrics of some favorites and learn them before you go.

Talk to people. Particularly the people who start conversations with you. Yes, you might be shy and self-conscious at first, but that will pass. And yes, you'll have to answer the same questions over and over, but you'll meet some great folks and maybe make some friends. That's what turns a bike ride into a tour.

And always remember, that no matter how hard the headwind, how cold the rain, or how steep the hills, some other poor saps are working today.

Use a mirror. What's coming up behind you is important.

Resist the urge to go too fast the first day. Your adrenalin will be pumping and your legs fresh, but you'll pay for it later if push too hard at the outset. The mileage take its toll and your legs will get more tired as the week progresses unless you take a rest day every now and then.

ditto, take it easy

1. Eat when you stop
2. Rest when you are tired
3. Drink before you are thirsty
4. Invest in good toothpaste to scrub the bugs off your teeth from smiling so much because you are having fun!

It's really a state of mind, so enjoy each moment. If you're caught in the rain (with proper rain gear of course) enjoy the rain. If you've got to deal with a flat tire, enjoy that experience. If it's warm and sunny and you've got a good tailwind, celebrate that moment.

Oh, and before you leave, test everything you'll take. It's a bit of a shock to stop at the end of a long day and realize you have a tent but no tent pegs, as happened to me on my first overnight trip.

I have found that route selection is vitally important to my touring enjoyment. Whenever possible, try to ride on roads with as little motor vehicle traffic as possible. Or better yet, ride on trails. So, use good maps and/or do some research.

Keep the bungee cord hooks out of your spokes. :innocent:

Talk to people. Particularly the people who start conversations with you. Yes, you might be shy and self-conscious at first, but that will pass. And yes, you'll have to answer the same questions over and over, but you'll meet some great folks and maybe make some friends. That's what turns a bike ride into a tour.


+1.

My second would be to compile tales when you've nothing better to do. Just mentally, perhaps, but those tales are what you'll be telling everyone about the trip. Anything from, "I didn't realize those three peaks were actually 60 miles of mountains!" to "There were these three guys sitting in the corner of a cafe in ..."

go where you want to go, do what you want to do

Do an overnight trip, at least 20 miles, fully loaded and rigged. You will be able to learn if everything works as expected before you are far from home. Then you can take care of all the kinks while in your own home area.

Far and away the most important post, and the first one!

I'd add make sure yuo know basic bike repair, at least enough to limp to the next town/phone.

Someone else suggested making sure everyone on hte tour is on the same page, having everyone on the tour on the shakedown ride seems a good way to iron out some of those bugs also.

If you are going to use cooking or camping gear that you have not used before setting that up and cooking a meal even before your shakedown ride can make sense.

"Don't worry, be happy"! Seriously, it'll be fine!

Lay out all ther stuff you are planning to take on the tour.
Then get rid of half of it!

I wholeheartedly concur with most of the suggestions, so here are a few others:

1. Protect your skin from the midday sun. Consider wearing a bandanna on your neck, and a long-sleeved jersey. Or hang out in a coffee shop and read between noon and 1:30 p.m. Getting too much sun, even without a sunburn, saps my energy for a day or two.

2. If you rely on a rear-view mirror, carry an extra. I have lost or broken bicycle mirrors many times.

3. A fluorescent vest will make you more visible to drivers, distracted and not.

4. Replace worn components before you leave. On tours, I have had failures of several tires, a set of toe clips, a pedal, a headset, a rear rack (which I repaired with dental floss and crazy glue), and mirrors.

Wow! This is just an amazing response. I am overwhelmed. I have to say that I want to go into the ride with an attitude that it is my vacation and it's first about having fun. I know I have set a destination for a goal, but I know the tour will be much more than getting to the destination. As was mentioned in various forms, I think stopping to take photos, enjoy the local people and places and most importantly take in the local dives for food. I have been so concerned about being prepared that I think I lost the main reason for the trip "to challenge myself and open my world to bicycle touring". These response really show that beyond planning, there is much to be said about touring and the experiences I will have. Thanks to all! Tom

Tour without butt, neck, wrist, hand pain. Ride a recumbent!

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/mucknort/P8081577_4265-copy_edited-1.jpg

Decide everything for yourself. The more you compromise to harmonize with others, the more unhappier you'll become.

At the same time, be flexible. $hit happens.

1+

Partner touring requires a lot of consideration and respect for each other's needs and wishes. This requires a certain amount of discipline, and a lot of flexibility. Gotta be pretty careful here, or you can end up with a busted tour, or at best, an unhappy one.