john426

I am taking a short one week trip on a folding bike. I will be "credit card touring" so there will be no cooking or camping. My bike is only rated to 250 pounds so I would like to pack as light as possible. What is the bare minumum for a late June trip to Southern Ontario?

John

PS Not sure if I put this in the right catagory. Perhaps in "Folding"?

staehpj1

The clothes on your back, one warm shirt, maybe a pair of tights, a very light rain jacket, and of course a credit card and ID. No racks or panniers needed, but a handlebar bag would be nice. Maybe add a tiny seat wedge for a few tools and a spare tube.

Seriously, you can get by with almost nothing if not cooking and camping. I could go with all my stuff in a jersey pocket. BTW, I am not kidding.

Of course that assumes you have water bottles on the bike and a mini pump.

raybo

While you could pack as Pete says, here are some questions I have:

Do you need any off-bike clothes?

Can you wear the same shoes for biking and walking around?

Can you wear the same (clean) shorts every day without developing "hot spots"?

Will your biking clothes dry overnight after you wash them?

Do you need to carry food to consume while you ride or will you be riding through places where you can stop and eat whenever you need to?

MichaelW

Lots of good tips here.

john426

My bike does have a rack so I was thinking of using one or two panniers. Also I like how the weight is low when you use panniers. I plan on having fresh fruit and maybe an energy bar for a snack, otherwise eat at restaurants. I will be along the lake Ontario bike path so food should be very easy to get. I plan on having a few off bike clothes and two pairs of shoes (should one get wet).

I have a small air pump, what other tools should I bring? On my past bike tours I took way too much stuff.

staehpj1

That varies with the bike. You need tools to fit all the fasteners needed to adjust brakes and shifters. Also to fit seat and seat post and stem. A spoke wrench is a good idea. A chain tool is a good idea. A Unior Cassette Cracker and a few spokes may be a good idea on longer tours. You need a patch kit, tire levers, and a spare tube. Most of that can be part of a small multi tool. The whole lot including the seat wedge should probably be less than a pound.

Rather than carry cone wrenches or heavy headset tools I rely on borrowing them if necessary. If you start out with well packed bearings there is little risk in this even on a coast to coast tour.

Will you need to remove pedals to fly home or to ship the bike? If so, whatever tool you need for that should come along unless you will be able to buy or borrow it at your destination.

john426

Thanks everyone for the comments. The artical was very helpful. My vaction starts in one week and I am taking a small weekend trip to try the folder as a tourer. John