DropBarFan

Most tourists are fairly slim & seem to emphasize med-long distance training rides to build fitness. Sure, the muscles & posterior need to be prepared; OTOH it seems that fewer tourists focus on dieting. A 68 kg (150 lb) rider would save 3.5 kg (8 lb) just from cutting body fat % from 15% to 10%. Sure, you'll be pretty hungry but better prepared. I avg about 14% fat but have gone down occasionally to 11%...pedaling is smoother with leaner legs; less saddle chafing & circulation works better.

So a couple of weeks of strict diet would far outweigh weight-saving of buying a custom alu/Ti tourer. Not that I do much training and/or dieting for tours, I use the "ride into shape" method mostly. OTOH I once did a 3-day Blue Ridge Tour & it was pretty tough, any weight savings would have been great. Other tours it's often very hot...lower fat % would have helped keep cooler there.

MichaelW

The only training you need for a tour is enough saddle time so you can ride 5-8 hours without hurting. That is more about conditioning than fitness. I always start tours with easy days. It helps to start a bit fit but there is no way you can create a training regime as effective as actually touring.

Tourist in MSN

I think you are over-thinking the situation. Last two times I had body fat estimated, it was about 15 percent from a mixture of skin fold type tests and electrical impedance tests. I am quite happy to carry that amount of fat up the hills, I have no incentive to try to get leaner.

Several years ago I lost some weight, my doctor told me not to try to lose more than one pound per week from dieting, that correlated to about a 500 calorie per day reduction. He said if I tried to lose weight faster, that I might lose muscle besides the fat.

fietsbob

Have the right Parents. Genetics determine your body shape as It ages.

adablduya

maybe i'm missing something in context, but it seems to me the obvious is being overlooked: if you go touring, and spend 5+ hours in the saddle daily, you WILL lose weight AND body fat %. a lot of it. your body will become a calorie and fat burning machine. one post was correct: focus on being conditioned to daily saddle time. fitness and weight loss will come as you progress, and it won't take long. have fun !

staehpj1

Apparently that isn't the case for everyone, but yeah if anything I lose more weight than I want to on tour. Physical prep for a tour, for me at least, is having some saddle time in and maintaining a reasonable level of overall fitness. Depending on the tour I do tend to take it a little easy for the first week to 10 days.

mdilthey

Getting REALLY tired of this argument.

1. Getting a custom/handmade bicycle or upgrading to high-end components does more than just shave ounces. There is an inherent quality to well-made stuff that increases longevity, durability, sometimes serviceability, etc.

2. Bikes do not roll in a vaccuum. A lighter bicycle is easier to balance, throw around off-road, and lift for small hops over curbs and fallen branches. A lighter wheelset has less rotational mass and is easier to pedal. It doesn't matter if I'm 160lbs or 180lbs, I'd still be interested in losing a pound on the bike.

3. It baffles me that nobody bats an eye when someone buys a house with 6 more rooms than they need. People buy cars with towing capacity, off-road capability, and seating for 7 and then drive to work alone everyday. Yet, the second someone wants to put a comparatively small payment down for a nice bicycle, they're being foolish because they're not in Lance Armstrong shape.

Let the dentists buy Cervelos. Let the touring cyclist upgrade to carbon handlebars. Let everyone ride their own ride!

BigAura

Body fat is stored energy in a very easy to transport form. One pound of body fat is 3500 calories of energy. If you're heading out into the wilds, and carrying your food, a few extra pounds of body fat may be quite efficient. I know three days prior to heading out on the Dalton Highway, I ate as much as I could, to build extra fat reserves for 10 days of cycling without re-supply.

nickw

I always try to lean out a bit prior to a tour and lose 5 lbs or so. I train / race year around and generally speaking the intense efforts of, say, cyclocross dig deeper into my reserves than the long slow slog of a bike tour. I tend to do heavy miles on tour, in the summer, and just feel better a bit leaner...probably as much mental as physical. With that said, lots of tri-atheletes lean out a lot for the HI iron man to stay cool, so depending on how seriously you take your riding and what time of year, it can make a difference. I realize I am an exception to the rule, but not superbly so.

nickw

BTW - lots of high end stuff is not durable nor long lasting, quite the opposite really.

imi

On a three month tour this winter I lost 6kg, going from 68kg to 62kg... The last thing I would have needed is to diet BEFORE the tour!

In pre tour planning I'm weight conscious, packing the absolute minimum for the climate I'm expecting, as well as to keep my total gear and bike weight under airline limits.

On the road though, after stocking up at a supermarket and filling all my water bottles, I just couldn't give two hoots what my rig weighs.

I got skinny, my legs got stronger. Hills and wind affected my speed much more than a couple of kilos of food and water more or less.

BigAura

+1. This coinsides with my experience.

mdilthey

Tell that to my XT bits. Tell that to some of the titanium frames people are riding. If you're loading out with carbon race gear, sure, you're right, but I'm talking about high-end touring gear and, specifically, the frames mentioned in OP's post. Spend money there, and you get quality.

Wilfred Laurier

To lose weight before a tour, go on a tour before your tour.

Rob_E

Cyclebum

Weight control is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Many people don't lose any weight while touring. Some gain. And yes, genetics plays a big role in body fat percentage, as it does with just about everything else related to humans.

Trying to lose weight while touring is not a good idea. Can you say 'bonk?'

imi

haha, yeah!
This is, however, something I'm thinking of doing. In a couple of years time I'm planning on riding the Tour d'Afrique, Cairo to Cape Town, 11 000 kms, 4 months... To get into "touring shape" I'm thinking about touring somewhere else, maybe SoCal for a month, finishing a a few weeks before the TdA starts, so I can "build up" again, with good food and weight training. I Hope that makes sense.

I'm always fit enough to take off on a loaded tour, but it takes me a week or so to really get my touring legs, and I'd like to be in my peak form in Cairo.

Anyone have experience of a similar preparation?

indyfabz

+1. While crossing the country and then some I lost some weight early on. When I hit the Midwest, I gained it back and maybe then some because I was still eating like I was riding in the mountains but wasn't, and we did some eating out that involved fattier foods. Then it came off again when I hit the hills in the east. At no point was I trying to lose weight.

mdilthey

Before breaking the women's record for the 2,745 mile Continental Divide MTB race this year by two days, Lael Wilcox had to actually get to Banff. So she rode from Alaska to the starting line, 2100 miles, a week before the race. Took her something absurd like 23 days.

So, I'm unsurprised she was as fast as she was. She trained for the GDMBR by doing her own GDMBR at what a lot of people would call "race pace."

Read all about it: https://gypsybytrade.wordpress.com/2...h-lael-wilcox/

mev

In 2001, I cycled one lap around outside of Australia. My training ride was to first cycle from San Jose CA to Jacksonville, FL. Both to get myself ready and to sort out any gear related issues before reaching Australia.

In 2007, I cycled across Europe and Asia (Amsterdam to Vladivostok). This time the training ride was a month in TX: first cycling from Dallas to TX Hell week, cycling TX Hell Week and then cycling back to Dallas.

In times when I haven't had luxury of a longer training ride, I've tried to get in shorter trips - and also plan the longer trip with some extra margin at the start to train myself into condition.

phughes

A 150 lb rider isn't big enough to worry about chaffing.

A tour isn't a race. If you are worried about saving weight on a touring bike, don't buy a lighter bicycle, take less stuff. Still, you will have a fairly heavy load overall which makes a small weight loss negligible. Quit obsessing about a small weight savings and enjoy the ride.

staehpj1

The thing is that the small stuff adds up. I went from 45 or 50 pounds of gear, to 30, then 22, then 14, and then 9 mostly by paying attention to small savings on individual items. I did it mostly by leaving stuff home but also did buy a few lighter items. I still maintained reasonable comfort and camping and cooking capability.

While I agree that the bike isn't the best place to concentrate on when trimming weight, with that big of a gear weight reduction I did find that I was happier on a lighter bike which saved even more weight. After all that trimming the difference was huge when it came to how nice the bike was to ride. To me fairly sporty bike very lightly loaded a joy to ride compared to a heavier load on a less sporty bike, so these choices are key to enjoying the ride.

Weight management for me goes:

1. Maintain good general fitness and reasonable body fat %.
2. Choose gear and clothing carefully eliminating weight where ever possible. Go over list again and again before and after each tour until it is fully dialed in.
3. Pick bike, racks (if any), and bags to suit the load that you determined in step 2.

One drawback to really light packing is that folks assume you are on a day ride and you get a few less invites to stay with folks, but it isn't a big enough drawback for me to worry much about it.

nickw

Well, I suppose I wouldn't put XT stuff in the 'high end' category nor 'lightweight' category. I think most would agree a good fitting bike, be it steel or alum/ti, makes the most difference.

Besides, once you add 30+ lbs lbs of gear, it makes even less sense, which I think the poster was alluding too....its the classic conundrum, pick two; weight, strength, cost. Touring folk obviously fall int he strength/cost spectrum...

nickw

The same reason the guys in the TdF end up being fitter than when they started. The last thing I'd do would be the weight train though, stretch, yoga, core strength sure, but keep the training to long slow on bike stuff like that Continental Divide chick, that's what gets you ready as long as you can hold together. Eat often, never go hungry on the bike and don't push yourself and you'll be riding stronger at the end of your African trip than ever before. I always feel the best on the last day of a tour, can ride forever and secretly want to just keep going...

biketocamp

I quote Durian Rider, "Carb The F**k Up" mate!