fthomas

Got a call from BigNoseWhipper (BNW) from Sonora NM. We have never met and just recently communicated through this forum.

I have to say I am impressed by BNW's effort, courage (Many of us talk about it, but do we take action?) and sense of adventure.

What strikes me most is that BNW embarked on his tour on a bike recovered from a trash can. I too often (in many areas of my life) place way to much emphasis on the latest, greatest equipment and miss the whole point of the journey / experience. If I don't get up off my tail end I won't even get past surfing Bike Forums and/or the net. BNW, I am truly impressed.

Keep BNW in your thoughts as he heads out on HWY 60 towards California and has to overcome the heat, watch out for rattle snakes and find a safe place to sleep. All on a bike with equipment that most of us would not even look at twice and might even think BNW a bit naive if not foolish for striking out without the big bucks stuff most of us think we have to have.

Personnally, I think BNW has the key to defining an adventure! I want to find it myself and BNW provides the motivation to do so.

bmclaughlin807

Hehe... I find it amusing what BikeForums members consider a 'budget' bike, whether it be for commuting, touring, or road riding.

I've seen people who swear you have to spend at least $500 on the bike and another $500 on accessories before you can use it to commute to work.

It would be interesting to do an anonymous poll of income, and see what the average person on here makes. I'd guess they make quite a bit more than I do.

Personally, I ride a 1988 Raleigh Technium that I picked up for $50 off of Craigslist, and I love the bike. I've put some money into it, but between the two bikes I have and all the tools, clothing and accessories, and parts for repairs I'm still at less than $400 total expenditure.

A lot of people seem to forget that you don't have to spend a lot of money to have a great time.

roadfix

Forum member Inoplanetyanin toured cross country on a used $20 Schwinn Traveller 3 years ago.

bloggingman

That is EXACTLY why I was so happy to see that BNW was going to be blogging his tour at my website www.cycleroam.com. His blog can be seen at https://cycleroam.com/bnw/ although we havent yet imported all of the posts and pictures.

He is the spitting image of what I am trying to do with cycle roam. After my 8,000 mile ride I'll be writing a LOT of the BS theory that it costs an arm and a leg to ride across country. No, in my opinion, it just takes guts.

I bought my 84' Lotus a few weeks back on Craigslist for $120.00 USD. I also grabbed a pretty solid trailer for $160.00. The trailer isnt fancy, but I refused to pay $300.00 + for a trailer when I could do it for half the price. I've got a local bike shop doing some work on the bike for free as long as I put their sticker on my trailer, so overall, I will have a pretty decent touring bike rigged and ready to go WITH trailer for around $300.00 total. NOW I feel like I can start promoting awareness to the younger generations. I feel we can get more college students and younger people involved if we do not instantly turn them off with $70.00 shorts, $150.00 jerseys, $1000.00 bikes, and so on and so on. I believe that if a student who is getting ready for summer knows they will have to spend that kind of money before they can even leave then they will just pack a backpack and head to Europe for two months. I know this because that is exactly what I did a few years back when I asked on a bike forum what kind of bike to get and was told to spend at least $1200.00 or forget about the trip.

I know all the expensive crap makes the trip *better*, but I just wish that the cycling community would stop telling people that they must get the latest and greatest to make it work.

Keep at it BNW, you're an inspiration to us all.

- CP

The Figment

Did my first tour on a bike (Trek 930) that I pulled out of a Dumpster in Boulder,With a two wheel kiddie tralier that I bought at a yard sale for 6 bucks!! I rode from Boulder Co. to Austin Tx. on this thing... It took a couple of days to put the bike back into ridable shape,wheel truing,cleaning,ajustments,after which it gave me no problems!! (sans a couple of flats)
My riding partner on the other hand had a very rough time on the same trip,Broken spokes,broken trailer frame,many flats. he was ill prepared for the trip,didnt go over his bike before he hit the road,no camping gear, no Tools, no bike awareness,hell he didnt even have a helment!! needless to say It was'nt fun for him at all

Yes you can do it on the cheap,I have! But gawd it's nice to have the right stuff thats in nice shape,designed to do what yer asking it to do!!!!

'05 Novara Bonanza MTB,B.O.B.Yak Plus Trailer,MSR Dragonfly Stove,Mountain Hardware Light Wedge III Tent,Kelty Lightyear 25 Deg Sleeping bag...Yes it cost a small handful of cash (and for this hippie it was a LOT!!) But,it's worth it. I am a "Dirtbagger" tourist,I have no credit cards,big pile of savings,family trust fund or some such,have to hustle to feed myself,do bike repairs,stay clean ect as it is,the last thing I would want to deal with is gear or weather problems...Being middle aged dosent help either, the body creaks and growns so some comfort is in order!!
And no it doesnt take a lot of money to bike tour...a little insanity helps!!

BigNoseWhipper

thanks everyone for your support

and bloggingman: i started resising my photos in my photobucket ill e-mail you a link to it and try and make it public.

fthomas

Guys, thanks for your posts. I personally hope that this raises the awareness of just how "brand / label sensitive" we have all become and the rabid consumerism that goes along with it. If it were not for giant marketing campaigns to tout the latest and greatest race bike, clothing, shoes, gloves, etc. then there would be a lot more touring bikes on the market at all price levels. Companies are ever changing, updating, making obsolete great bikes and equipment to try and get us to buy more. It works!!!!!

BNW did not intend or even attempt to shame me about my perception of "what I need" or "have" to go on a tour (long or short), but his actions speak far louder than words. I am ashamed at my attitude and perspective. It is changing big time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a "baby boomer" and have to admit that it is our fault that a lot of this has happened in society at large. We can decide if we want to participate, however. If you want to see gross materialism then just hang out here in Southern California - Orange County. Bikes - mountain or road, cars, clothing, etc. are very important to a lot of people's sense of self worth / ego. You walk in a bike shop and are confronted by a $ 6,000 plus road or mountain bike and I see guys my age (not in good shape either) lusting over the latest and greatest. I told a sales guy the other day that I would love to find all of those high end bikes sitting in all of the garages across Orange County collecting dust. To bad they are not being ridden!!!

mtnroads

Well, this forum is certainly part of the "cycling community" and I don't think anyone here is telling people they have to spend money like that. If anything, there has been a lot of consideration given on this forum to folks who want to do things on a budget, a topic which comes up quite frequently. Many of the members have posted ways to find and convert good used bikes into touring rigs, source or manufacture inexpensive panniers, stealth camp, etc. I also don't see a problem with discussions about $1000 touring bikes for those able and willing to buy them, and not wanting to risk the potential time and hassle of used equipment. Younger people generally have more time than money, older folks are usually the opposite.

I certainly agree though, that the cycling industry in general, like most industries these days, is caught up in marketing and promotion of non-essential technologies and accessories, and the consumers suck it up. Riding around the back roads here (SF Bay Area) on weeknights you would think you had somehow accidentally got on the route of the Tour de France with all the carbon racebikes and team jerseys flying by in formation. Most of which are carefully transported to the starting point by car or SUV, unfortunately. Sad that so few of them consider their bikes a legitimate form of transportation. Hopefully that will change some day.

Keep up the good work.

fthomas

Some excellent points. I hope that all of us will .ake the effort to enjoy what we have and simply get out more and value the journey more than the stuff.

bloggingman

mtnroads,

I didnt at all mean to blanket that statement to include most of the people here on BikeForums. For the most part, these forums are down to earth and that is why I continue to post here.

I am simply ascerting that magazines, newsletters, shops, and organizations will for the most part try and encourage people to go the "expensive route". For some people that is fine and dandy. Especially for those who can easily afford it. But I feel that if we are to attract more people into cycling we should maybe try and not put so much emphases on the goodies and more on the journey itself.

Again, I feel the "cycling community" here in these forums for the most part is pretty much about the journey. I have had a smart ass remark in response to a serious question, but other than that my experience here has been good.

- CP