mymorningjacket

This is a follow up post to my previous one before that was a little vague.
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/10...ss-canada.html
I'm planning for this one to be in more detail. I really need all the help I can get here and I'm hoping that you guys have the answers for my questions

Disclaimer: I am in no way a writer or wordsmith, so please forgive if the following is poorly written and hard to follow. Thank you.

To start, I'm 20 years old and I have no experience bike touring. I'm currently planning a 2-3 month trip across Canada (West to East) Starting in Vancouver and ending in St. Johns. Here's the link to the trip. Keep in mind this is in no way set in stone. I'm very open to suggestions that might help me be more efficient or allow me to see some amazing sights!
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/ed...RwWdCOF43-CC5M
I know this may be a big trip for a person who has never road a bike more than 50km before, but when I get my bike I'm going to do handfuls of preparation trips; weekend trips, 3-4 night trips and week long trips. Just to familiarize myself with my bike and equipment, and most of all to give me an idea of what this will be like.
I am an active 20 year old who's played soccer all my life, so I hope my endurance and health will be no problem. I'm sure those leg muscles will come in handy.
I'm currently working at a Norco Warehouse called "LTP Sports" which gives me a huge opportunity to save a lot of money when buying my gear. After my three month probation is up I'll be able to buy the equipment I need to go on this expedition.

To start off my rant of questions will be my equipment and gear.
Here is a list of what I plan to buy.
Online Notepad - free, no login required
Now this list probably has holes in it and is incomplete but It's a start I suppose, and I'd like to get a second opinion. Now I don't want to overpack but I also want to make sure I have the essentials for what I'll need.
To start off is the bike, the Masi Giramondo 700c (meant to put 700c in the notes) I was also looking at the CX Comp and the Speciale Randonneur. Now the reason I landed on a Masi bike and not a Norco one is because Norco doesn't really specialize in touring bikes, mainly mountain and city/road bikes. So after seeing many reviews on the touring bikes that Masi makes I thought I'd go for that, considering my work also sells that brand of bike.
I'd like to keep my equipment from the brands that my work sells. Here's a limk to the brands that they carry.
Brands « Live to Play Sports
Now as for the non-bike equipment such as tents, sleeping bags and stoves, I don't really know where to look. I heard that MEC is a good provider, their tents are very overpriced though. As for a single man tent, I was looking at the ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1-Person Ten. It seemed like the best bang for my buck. I haven't done much research on it but I found it for about $70 and the reviews seemed good.

Also something I'm very curious about is personal hygiene. How do I maintain this on the road? How often will I be able to wash my clothes and how often will I be able to shower and how? What should I be packing besides my regular toiletries. Deodorant, toothbrush/paste, soap, comb.. ect

Next is food, water, and shelter.
Firstly, is water. It's easily accessible and usually free. I'll make sure to install some water bottle racks on my bike to carry around 2-3 bottles and maybe invest in a camel pack. Water is relatively simple so lets put a pin in that.
Secondly, is shelter. The best bet here is to bring my shelter with me along the journey. I'll hopefully be able to carry my tent, sleeping bag, and pad.
Now I don't want to be spending heap loads of money on hotels, but I do like the idea of hostels to meet some new people and save some money. But majority of the time I would like to be camping, be it on a campground for a fee or.. stealth camping for free. I don't have any experience with stealth camping (surprise, surprise) and I don't even know if it is legal or not. I would like to say though, that I do posses a good amount of common sense. So I would hope that stealth camping would be a good option.
I've heard about Couchsurfing, but it still makes me nervous thinking about sleeping in some strangers house. I suppose if I were to get used to it it would seem like a good idea. Save money and meet some new friendly people. What are your experiences with Couchsurfing?
Also WWOOF is another option. But I really don't know much about that..
Finally, it's time for dinner!! Food is obviously important. I'd like to eat out as less as possible to avoid dishing out too much $$$. So I'd like to bring most of the food with me. Food that I can cook and prep myself. Thing is, I have no idea what that would be. I heard oatmeal is a good idea; quick, easy to prepare and nutritious. I've always seen people talk about living off $10 a day, and that seems very difficult coming from my perspective. I'm open to all suggestions to make this become a reality. So anything along the lines of that would be awesome!

Next is a biggie, SAFETY!!
I want to make sure that my trip goes smoothly and without problems. So doing what I can to prevent this seems like a good idea.
For a bike lock I was thinking about a HipLock brand lock. Being able to carry my lock around my waist seems very convenient, and the locks themselves look secure. As for my gear attached to my ride how would I go about making sure no one nicks my stuff when I'm milling around a market or taking photos?
As for personal health what items are a must to help me when it comes to injuries or sickness that happens along my journey? What should my first aid kit consist of?
Now Canada isn't crawling with deadly creatures like, let's say, Australia, but it still holds many fearsome animals. Grizzlies, wolves and cougars. I need to know, one, what I can do to avoid coming in contact with this animals, and two, what to do if it happens. What should I be bringing to help prevent things like this?

Lastly, is just a small thing. What are some places across Canada that you recommend me to visit? Like I said earlier, my route isn't set in stone and I'm open to some detours!

Now I don't expect you to explain all this first hand to me, just some links to articles and websites that helped you out. I'm still obviously open to your personal advice about everything I've talked about. Thank you so much in advance and happy biking!


choo choo..

mstateglfr 

Norco cancelled their touring bike called the Cabot? Thats lame. Maybe you could find access to one of last year's models? Regardless, the Masi Giramondo is a fantastic looking bike. Really cool spec list that should be more than capable of hauling you and your crap all over the map. The only potential issue is the handlebars. I have that style on my gravel bike and love them, but the flare is too much for some. If you dont like that, its $50 for good quality alternatives.

I have some ALPS products and love them. Alps sleep pad, inflatable fill pillow, and a compression dry bag from them which are all solid and have been durable for many short tours and short camping trips.

A 1 person tent, while compact and light, might not provide enough comfort and room. I use a 2 person as I am tall and even then, use it at an angle. The bit of room in the tent for gear or in the vestibules is really nice. Just something to keep in mind. 2 person tents arent actually for 2 adults. My 2 kids can use a 2 person tent, but thats about it.



Just a couple of things that stuck out from your post I wanted to comment on. Really good to see you are wanting to do some overnights and practice rides before taking off. That will help you understand how to pack(for total weight and balance) and develop a system for carrying your gear.

Miele Man

Depending on your route potable water may NOT be that easy to get. at size water bottles and camelback are you considering? I carry lots of water on tour because I don't want to run out between areas where I can get water. Or I'd carry a few bottles of water and a water filter.

On a long tour a good night's sleep is very important. I like a tent that's big enough for me and my bike. For me I like a 2-person dome style tent and is what I use. Mine has rectangular footprint rather than a hexagonal one and is high enough that I can sit upright in it on days it's too rotten weather wise for comfortable bicycling. How many rest/recovery days do you allow for?.

I'd take at least a few overnight tours or 2-3 nights to get a better idea of what my ability/stamina is and also what I need/want and can carry on the bike. It's one thing to ride a lightly loaded bike but quite another thing to ride a fully loaded bike especially into strong winds or up hills.

Allow more time when crossing big cities like Toronto.

Cheers

Miele Man

I just enlarged your route for Ontario and particularly Toronto. You do realize you are NOT allowed to ride a bicycle on any 400 series highway like the 401 or 400 (aka Don Valley Parkway)? Seeing as you'll be at the Toronto waterfront part of your ride I'd just continue along Queens Quay/Lakeshore Blvd/Kingston Road-Highway 2.

That's quite a jog and a large number of extra kilometers you'll be riding to go to London and thence to Toronto rather than just continuing south to Toronto unless you're wanting to see more of South-Western Ontario.


Edit. I see that east of Toronto your route again follows the 401 rather than Highway 2. You can NOT ride a bicycle on the 401. You need to plan your route so that it's off the 401.
Cheers

KristinaW

I can tell you about my and my friend's experience. First of all, there are a lot of Hospitality services: Couchsurfing, House Swap, you can search on-line and choose the appropriate for you.
As for me, I've never used such service when I was traveling. But my friend, he is the journalist, always uses hospitality service when he travels abroad, so he probably lives 300/365 days in the people's houses. I, personally, gave the hospitality for two times, for students from France. At the first time, it was extremely funny time despite the french didn't speak English at all. But the second it was a bad experience.
I told that you are very curious about personal hygiene. Hmmm... Are you ready to sleep on the floor? I gave my guests the room when they were in my house, but my friend told me that he slept in different places, sometimes in the luxury apartment, sometimes in the small room with 10 people in it. So be sure that you can live (or sleep) in the house that can be out of your suggestions. And ask before, where you will live.
But I advise you to try it even once in a life That's a lot of fun!

stevepusser

Most cyclists avoid big cities if possible, or at least locking bikes up in them, which eliminates the need for heavy locks. There are so many threads about locks here, I'm not going into that. Riding many miles in warm weather with a heavy lock around my waist would drive me nuts, I think, YMMV.

A good night sleep is very important. Many people swear by hammocks for comfort, and you should have plenty of trees in Canada. At least think about it. Bug nets are important in Canada, too.

Hygiene is also important; if you can't find a shower or restroom to at least take a sponge bath in, there's always baby wipes, swimming in good weather, or you can heat water up on your stove for your water bottles for an impromptu sponge bath.