Originally Posted by stacia

Hi all,

I don't hang out here much but I've been peeking around here lately as I'm planning my first major self-supported bike tour this summer--Transamerica west to east. I'm overflowing with excitement and questions and I'm hoping some more experienced folks here will feel like sharing their knowledge. Here goes!

1. I'm a woman in my mid-twenties. My boyfriend will be with me for the first big chunk of my trip (through Colorado or so), but then he has to head back to the west coast for school. My dad is convinced that no woman in her right mind tours solo, and if she does, she'll get abducted, *****, murdered, and never heard from again. I am not about to let his fears keep me from my dream tour, but I'd love to get some resources to set his mind at ease (or at least calm him down a little). I told him I'd find some blogs written by solo women cross-country tourers (mostly to show him that many women have done this before me)--can you recommend your favorites? Or point me towards other advice about staying safe on tour? Should I carry pepper spray?

You are more likely to get ***** and murdered from someone you know back at home than you would be out in the middle of nowhere on some back country road on a bike. Some pepper spay and a nice shiv couldnt hurt.

2. Do you carry a lock when you tour? How do you keep your bike safe while you're camping? I am hoping to do a combination of campsite camping, wild/stealth camping, and couchsurfing. My bike is the most valuable object I have ever owned--a custom steel frame I bought with settlement money from getting hit by a car on my commute a couple years ago. Custom frames aren't exactly easy to fence, though, right? Should I carry a heavy chain (ugh) and lock it to a tree, or can I just throw a tarp over it at night? There's not room for it in my tent vestibule, and I would really prefer not to buy a new tent. I don't plan to really let it out of my sight when I'm in town or anything, but I do worry about leaving it outside coffeeshops while I'm grabbing a cup of tea or using the internet. How do you secure your bike while on tour?

Yes take a lock with you. Lock it to trees or anything permanent. Don't just lock your bike to your own stuff as someone can just chuck the whole lot of it in the back of a truck if you were out hicking or something.

3. I am an amateur photographer and am hoping to photograph and blog my trip. I am considering buying a netbook to take with me and use at wifi hotspots along the way. Will it be fairly easy to find free internet access along the way? Those of you who blog your tours, what's your tech setup? Solar-powered battery chargers? Etc.

Check out local public libraries. You can get access there. Also lots of hotels have free wi-fi that you don't need passwords for.

4. Should I carry a water filter, or will I be okay just filling up at gas stations and so on? (I drink a lot of water.) On that note, how many water bottles should I carry?

Take as many water bottles as your bike can hold (four is a good number) plus some more. You can never have too much water.

5. Tell me about your food setup! What kind of food do you carry? How often do you buy more? Do you cook more yourself (I would prefer to; my budget is tight) or do you eat out? I don't really want to eat a lot of backpacker food with tons of packaging. I'd also love your camp stove recommendations.

6. What's the one thing you wished you'd brought on your first tour, but didn't? What's the one thing you wished you hadn't brought?

Thanks so much for your help! Oh, and hey! Anyone else gonna be on my route? We're planning to leave in late June (late, I know, but my boyfriend's work contract isn't up 'til then) and average 50-70 miles a day (with some luck).