Originally Posted by
scarbroughs
Hey guys, Ive never done any tours or anything biking related besides riding down a trail or to a friends house. Im 20 yrs old and in decent shape and I really would love to go on an amazing cycling adventure across the country. If anyone has any tips or advice to someone completely new to it all, (including what bike I should use) I would appreciate it very much. I currently have very low financials so an affordable bike that could get the job done is what Im looking for. Thanks in advance!
Define affordable? In order to recommend a bike I would need to have some idea of your budget. I love my Surly Disc Trucker or at least an LHT but that might be beyond your budget or it might not be so I would like some info so I can proceed to give some tips. I will always say this the better gear you get towards the beginning the less you will spend on down the road to replace it. Most cheap gear is cheap for a reason. That is not to say you have to spend an arm and leg to get quality it just means you have to do some research and not pinch every penny at every juncture because you could end up paying on down the line.
I also wouldn't recommend just starting off on a cross country trip by bike especially not alone. Do some short trips, get used to touring a bit before you go full out. Get your gear in order and do some test rides so you can figure out what you can handle and make a better plan.
Lots of luck to you and feel free to PM me and ask questions any time (I try to check email daily so I can get the notifications I cannot always check the forum)