Austin to Vancouver, Need help/input!
 

Hey guys, I'm fairly new to the biking scene and this forum so hopefully I can get some good advice.

I plan on riding to Vancouver from Austin, TX in June (to raise money for www.imoutreach.com) and was wondering if yall thought this was feasible.

We are planning on taking 40 days to finish the trip (60-80 miles/day). None of us have really had much experience with a long distance ride of this magnitude.

I was thinking about getting this bike, http://www.bianchiusa.com/bikes/coas...7-2300-triple/ for the ride.
*Also, if you have any other suggestions on bikes, that would be greatly appreciated!*

We are all in pretty good shape, but our training has just been light to moderate, nothing hardcore yet, so basically my question is, do yall think its possible to pull off a trip of this distance with only about two months of training?

I've got a few thoughts on your trip.

Riding from Texas to Vancouver would be a lot of fun. I don't know your exact route, but it won't be monotonous. Enjoy it.

Your 40-day timeframe with 60 to 80 miles a day might be a little ambitious. Those distances are possible, but when you get into the mountains, the climbs will shorten your distances. If you're doing 60 miles in a day when crossing a mountain pass, you'll notice it.

I'd strongly suggest you give yourself some rest days and some additional days. This will give you a lot of peace of mind if you have any complications along the way. A minor injury, a problem with the bike, a strong headwind, rough weather or fatigue can slow you down. If you need to do 60 to 80 miles a day to meet your schedule, it will be difficult if you fall behind, even for just one day.

As for the bicycle, how will you carry your gear? If you're carrying your own gear, you need a bike that's up to the task. Ask at your local bicycle shop for some recommendations. There are some fine touring bikes on the market. They're built to handle the loads you'll be carrying.

Welcome to the forum. I'm riding through Austin and Vancouver as part of my tour this spring, though I won't be taking a direct route. You should have a wonderful trip.

I second all of NewspaperGuy's recommendations. Also, that bike you linked to would be appropriate if you 1. are pulling a trailer or 2. will have a separate vehicle carrying your gear or 3. will be "credit card touring" with minimal supplies. Otherwise, consider a bike that is better able to carry loads.

Use the search function on this forum and you will find answers to almost any question you can think up.

If you can ride 70 miles for 3 consecutive days with only moderate aches and pains, you're good to go. Make sure any saddle issues are settled.

Normally, I'd say just be in reasonably good cycling shape, and train on up as you tour. But, with a group, that's really not feasible.

As for the bike, Enthusiast is spot on. Alternatively, for a dedicated tourer in that price range, look at the Novara Safari or the Windsor Tourist.

I live in Austin and ive done almost that exact route before.. we started in Brownsville (the bottom),, came up through Austin and continued on north to Alaska. we took a ferry around Canada however.
you can see our route and follow the blog to get an idea what conditions were like here.. www.trackmytour.com/310 our route will take you all the way to Bellingham WA and you could basically head north from there to Vancouver.. i highly recommend crossing the Rockies in Washington where we did. the cascades mountians are absolutely unbelievable.. keep in mind that our route was slightly engineered around
passing through towns where we have friends or family or sometimes a warmshowers.com connection. two months is more than enough time to get ready. i had already done a few long tours before this one but the two riders that went with me had previously only been riding there bikes around town to go to bars or get breakfast tacos.. etc.. obviously,, the more you train beforehand the better you will preform on tour,, but to be honest,, if you just pace yourself in the begining and gear correctly you will all be in great shape by week two.. id be happy to answer any other questions for you guys.
feel free to email me personally if you want. zhall1000@gmail.com

-Zach

BTW are you planning on doing this thing "supported" or "unsupported"? because if your planning on carrying your own gear that bike you have listed above wont work... it might possably work if your pulling a trailer. i can explain the differences if you need.

When I was shopping for bikes a while back, I found that the nearest spot to even look at a Surly Long Haul Trucker was in Austin- so check into them if you're already there. The bikes I was looking at were specifically touring bikes. Among other things, they'll have attachment points for racks on front and rear.

On the 2-months- that's pretty variable depending on the condition you're in. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of young athletic guys that never ride that could hop on a bike and ride circles around me right now. If you're one of them, 2 months is probably fine. If you're old, fat, and out of shape, maybe allow 2 years.

Awesome, thanks for the input guys(or gals), yeah, 70-80 miles a day is a lot, especially if we get behind schedule and have to make up time etc... and as of right now, I think we are gonna get a bike trailer and switch off "towing" it along the way. (good, bad idea?). I have the map drawn out that I could take a picture of and post on here so yall could give me some pointers on that as well.

As for the training, I'm a lifter/runner (21 years old) as of right now so what kind of conditioning would be best for this type of ride do yall think? Sorry if these questions seem amateur but I am honestly new to the bike scene.

My biggest concern as of right now is how our bodies will feel after the...first week or so? I've never really done any cardio for 2-3+ hours multiple days in a row, so I am just worried about the soreness/aching after the first couple of days. (If any at all?)

Thanks guys!

Also, our plan is to ride to Vancouver in the 40 days as of right now, do yall think finishing in denver, Colorado would be a pretty cool trip if we took around 20-25 days for that? (just trying to cut down miles if possible since none of us have ever really made a long trip like this)

We wanna raise money for IMOutreach.com, but also do something thats practical since we anticipate we will be getting donations/sponsors etc...

one last thing (for the time being haha), what equipment is a must for us to carry? I know some clothes, bike parts, tents, water and the basics, but is there stuff that you have to bring that a beginner wouldn't think about? Anything and all is appreciated!

Training is just a matter of riding a lot, but not so much you burn out before leaving. Do some runs with the trailer weighted with about 50 pounds to get use to pulling it. Each one of you. (Especially important to experience the 'feel' going down steep hills. Practice braking going down hill.) Try not to carry 50 pounds on the tour. Most novice tourers way overpack. Pack light. If you find you need something you didn't bring, buy on the road. Mail stuff you don't need home.

Do an overnighter or two for camping practice and to figure out what to pack.

40 days to Vancouver is a reasonable time allowance for young dudes like yourselves as long as you don't play much along the way. Target 6 hours/day on the bike at 12 mph. You'll be there with time to spare.

I'm not sure about that idea of trading the trailer back and forth. One person will be struggling while the other is bored with the slow pace. And the trailer will be really really heavy, with both people's stuff in it. Also, if you get separated or decide to separate, you are without your mid-day neccessities, like rain jacket and tools. I think it would be better to both carry your own personal gear, and share or trade any shared gear between you.

For gear lists, go to crazyguyonabike.come and look at some journals with gear lists.

I have a bias against trailers, but if you do decide to use a trailer, you just need any bike that fits you, has strong wheels and low gears. I can't emphasize low gears enough.

The "usual suspects" for touring bikes (that are good for rack/panniers) are:
Novarra Randonee (REI house brand)
Surly Long Haul Trucker ("LHT")
Trek 520
Fuji Touring
probably a few more.

You can also stick a rack (or trailer) on just about any old hardtail or rigid mountain bike, if you need to save $. You're looking for low gearing, solid wheels, and long enough chain-stays that you can fit panniers on a rack.

Have fun.

When you're carrying water, make sure you've got at least two bottles on the bike. Three is better. And, if you're in dry country with few water stops along the way, pack some more. Water is heavy, but running out on a hot day can be dangerous.

You don't need to pack much food because you can stop along the way and buy what you need for a day or two.

When you're looking for camping equipment, look for the stuff backpackers would use. Small and light should be your mantra.

When you're packing clothing, look for things that are light and versatile. Choose light cotton pants instead of jeans. Look for shoes that you can wear on and off the bike, rather than cycling shoes that do not work for walking. Carrying a second pair of shoes will add weight. You can get shoes that accept the pedal cleats but are also decent for walking. Don't bring a lot of changes of clothing. Everything you bring will add weight.

Prepare for rough weather because you will encounter it on a 40-day tour. Bring some rain gear and sweats or polar fleece clothing for cold weather. Also, because you're camping and because you're going through the mountains, bring a toque or knitted hat with you. You may need it at night. Some parts of Colorado can get cold at night, even in summer.