I'm a noob to touring. I did my first two multiday tours last month. You can read all about them here:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/AdamsTrainingRide01
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/AdamsFirstTour
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/3StateTour

Check out my list of equipment and hopefully you'll learn from my mistakes. Although, I have to admit my mistakes were not severe. I'm also a little of an over-packer, but I think that is typical for newbies.

I love camping. For me it's a major part of bike touring. I don't like motels, they smell and I can't afford better hotels. Being on a bike all day and then sleeping in a tent really allows you to get away and relax more. But if you don't like camping and want to shed some extra weight or if it's really hot then staying at motels is a viable option. The problem with motels is though that they can be full in popular areas. You are a lot more flexible with a tent.

For me the most important things on the tour were: to stay dry, to stay warm, to get enough food and water, to get a good sleep every night. For those reasons a good reliable tent, good sleeping pad and sleeping bag are a must. Once you get these down you'll be able to enjoy the ride.

Before my tour I got down the locations of all state campgrounds. My idea is basically hoping between state parks. I like them and I like supporting them, state parks are great.

I read some advice that I put down in my little book.

It might be a good idea to simply take a break every 20 miles and snack. That equals about 1.5 to 2 hours of touring. Keeping to this guideline helps keep your legs fresh (a little stretching) and you don't forget to eat.

Not sure if its the best advice - but it seems to make sense to me.

• 1st TOUR MISTAKES-you won't do again......................

Fail to check the tire carefully for a tiny wire that punctured the tube. And another tube. And another tube.

Leave my tent poles in front of a c store, causing a 5 miles backtrack. They were still there.

Not stopping to take a picture of something interesting because I didn't won't to interrupt the rhythm of the ride.

Leave food in the panniers for the raccoons to raid.

Pack more than I need. Better to buy as needed than haul 2 or 3 extra pounds several hundred miles.

just got back from a 6 day tour in the cotswolds in the uk ,It was great to see how the experienced tourers did things,these guys don't make many mistakes oh i'm a member of the fellclub in the uk a well organized group of people of all ages who know how and love to tour.everything is done at a calm pace like cycling /cooking/pitching tents taking breaks ,and basically taking just the correct amount of gear no overloading panniers ,myself i had to many cloths with me way to much weight on the rear of the bike i don't use front panniers but i will on my next tour ,seems everyone was in agreement that 4 panniers a better than 2.enjoy your tour hope it's a good one.

From my wife:

Have a good pair of good-fitting gloves, as what works well for a 2-3 sport ride doesn't always work well for all-day riding in unpredicatable weather. The all-day/every-day nature of touring doesn't always allow your gloves to dry completely before the next day.

Make sure to have a good pair of glasses - for basically the same reasons as the gloves.

No matter what time of year - Merino wool socks are nice. When you only want to carry so many pairs of socks - the wool tended to be dryer than synthetics on a second day of use (or even during a long day). They were also more comfortable than we expected.

From me:

As many have already said carry more water than you'll think you'll need. We were in Spain last year and figured we'd get some more water in the next town 10 miles away. Riding 10 miles on a loaded tandem up a mini-mountain, in the Spanish Summer sun, can take longer than you think and cause you to drink more than you usually would.

Stuff things that you are not likely to use very often into the harder-to-get-to places. Things that you may need quickly in a blinding rain, blazing sun, or its-getting-dark-now situation should be packed for easy access.

Learn to take the unexpected in-stride. Except for true emergencies - remember that a few Mondays from now - the gravel road, climb, etc. that you weren't expecting won't really matter.

It's one of life's truisms that cheap stuff rarely saves you money in the long run. Buy the best you can afford and look after it. But first, give some thought as to whether or not you really need it. A lot of stuff is unnecessary, other stuff can be rented until you're sure you're into this whole bike touring thang.

'nother thought.

If you have a Plan B, that means you're already anticipating the failure of Plan A. On a first tour, some people are tempted to call home and wail "Come and get me!" Often around the end of day 3. If you get this urge, resist it. Ideally, begin your tour somewhere it isn't an option.

I like to "take 5" as closely to the top of the hour as I can at the top of a hill. My 58 year old butt appreciates it. On my first tour, around 35 years ago, a two day, 200 mile "credit card" tour (even though I didn't have one), I rode almost 100 miles on two bottles of water and did not get off the bike. Refilled the bottles, bought some cookies, and rode another 50. The next day was miserable. I learned.

My first tour was mostly on forestry trails through a national park and away from any settlements and I used far more fuel than expected boiling water to sterilise it, and ended up running out of fuel a day early. I should have taken some water purifying tabs or a water filter. I also forgot the mozzie repellant. And, on a very long steep downhill section I slightly cooked the brakepads. If I had known about `pulse braking` I may have avoided this.

The thing that I will try to never do again is to campout when the temps are higher than 97 degrees. I hate the heat and after a ride in high temps it takes me about 2 hours to set up a tent and it too hot to sit in the tent.

My first tour mistakes were a plenty

1) Choosing to go on my first tour on a long weekend on a tourist destination highway. For some reason I did not clue in that the last long weekend in August was right before school was back in.
2) Not stopping for water when I could, in the 40c heat. I realise now filling up on water at any opportunity in the heat is a good plan, you never know how much you will need.
3)Packing way too heavy a load. it seemed perfectly reasonable at home... I, for some reason, acted like I was going into the wilds, not on a public road in BC where there are stores everywhere. I packed enough food for 2 weeks of living off the grid!And seriously, I packed inflatable chairs. Now that just seems rediculous to me but at the time it seemed like a great idea.



Oh, I second the "avoid the call home wail" Anything this new is tough at first, it gets better!

Right, you just have to know what is worth the money and what isn't. IMO.. a high end rack is a good idea if you are loaded. Touring wheels are a must for loaded touring BUT the frame of your bike is less important.. If i wanted to save money a vintage steel frame or even any chromo walmart frame would be just fine as long as it had the proper braze-ons. Middle of the road component is fine as well and a prefer friction shifters by far, no set up needed if you have a repair job.

For most people, buying super high end Arkel panniers is probably not necessary. Don't get me wrong, they are awesome, but they are just bags, and unless you are going around the world or something middle of the road panniers are just as good. Infact I made army surplus bags into panniers with waterproof covers once.

Somone mentioned not liking their trailer, well I have a 2 wheel trailer I find to be extremely stable. the good thing about a trailer is having less weight on your back wheel.

I almost froze to death.




Of course I made some of those same mistakes on a couple tours.

WOW, ~15,000 ft climb fully loaded - what continent?

lol.. he must have climbed to the top, literally of the Colorado rockies! It always feels like 20 miles of a 15,000 climb.

-Over-tighten your spokes: My most recent tour was ruined because my over-tightened spokes either popped or punctured my tubes, so I got to go for a nice 30-mile walk to the nearest town in 95F heat.
-Not have a Brooks saddle: Not to be a fanboy, but after the last +100-mile ride I did on my Bontrager Nebula, I couldn't sit on a bike for a week. And anything with gel is terrible. Gel is like sitting on a cloud for the first 10-20 miles, and then your rump goes numb. Like painful numb.
-No Gatorade: Bring something to replenish electrolytes. Otherwise, you are dizzy as heck and covered in a visible salt powder, stumbling into every fast food place in whatever podunk town you've found yourself in, praying that they have Gatorade and that noone will steal everything out of your panniers.

Hmmm... would you believe that I was exaggerating for dramatic effect? I have never encountered a 20 mile 15% grade.

But I have faced nasty climbs, and thanked my lucky stars that I had a granny gear in Charlevoix (Quebec) and the Swiss Alps.

Charlevoix, Summer 2002 low-res.jpg

switchback 1.jpg

Actually, my sister warned me about the hills, but blew her credibility by suggesting I should try Cape Breton instead.

She'd done her first bike tour by starting in PEI and finishing in Nova Scotia, thus finding Cape Breton much easier, though I think it's empirically worse.

Absolutely, hence the . But, sometimes it's fun to apply the math .

FWIW, I too have been very happy to have granny gears for climbs that would look level compared to some of the things you've climbed.

To expand on one of mthayer's points a bit, if you are touring in the offseason (fall, winter, or spring) and plan to use routes that include ferry rides, make sure that the ferry is running during that time of the year. A planned visit to Block Island (in the Long Island Sound) during my first tour was eliminated because the ferry service didn't begin until two weeks later.

Also, make sure that your maps are up to date. On another tour of mine, along a designated bicycling route in North Carolina, the road went underwater because a dam had been built after the map had been printed.

A big AMEN to that one.

Every tour is another learning experience for me.

The first one taught me to research routes better, and stretch my legs religiously (seemingly endless 10% grades temporarily ruined my knees and kept me off the bike for 6 months).

The second one taught me to take what I will need, and nothing more (sent 24 pounds of stuff home after two weeks).

The third one taught me to never plan a long tour with someone I don't know well, unless we are both willing and able to go our separate ways if things don't work out.

Not so sure a "Plan B" is a bad idea, we knew that my wife hadn't had the "time to ride" that I had due to her job, we were on a route over Hardscrabble Pass, (CO. Hwy. 96), Wetmore to Westcliffe, the temp's were in the 90's with a pretty good headwind too boot and it was just "too much" for my wife. We decided on a Plan B, had to do a little backtracking but it turned out well and we enjoyed the day instead of turning it into a "punishment fest" for the Mrs. (jmho, ymmv). BTW, she NEVER whined about going home, just appreciated, I was willing to "change" the route a bit))

Overpacking is something I won't do again. Some brilliant "experienced" tourists told me clutter like fishing line and clothespins were going to be useful! But there's really no way to learn what you'll actually use without carrying it for a bit and trying it out. I'm sure fishing line and clothespins were lifesavers to those who advised I take them.

I wouldn't attempt to bring cooking apparatus again, either. Weight, clutter, and the hugely inconvenient task of doing cooked dishes without running water made it not worth the effort for a little creature comfort. Cereal and nuts took me where I was going.

I will never, ever enter the Southeastern wastelands of the US without reliable motorized transportation again. What horrible heat, what horrible terrain, and what horrible murderous inhabitants. The silver lining is that I finally got to see what White Supremacists are so proud of: meth addiction, toothless wives, chained mutts, and that beautiful Dixie flag flying over their rotting hovel.

Did my first 4 day tour last month. Leaning on the bars all day and getting a sunburn on your lower back . 2" x 1.5 ft. shirt gap. Everything else was covered.

Lessons from my first tour, in Europe:

1. Do not make major component changes right before your trip. I had a mountain derailleur and cassette installed just before I left. The bike shop didn't tell me that in order to do that they seriously downgraded the rear rim---probably to a cheap road rim. In Europe spokes broke like crazy until I was forced to replace the entire wheel.

2. Make sure you test your other equipment before you leave---tent, mattress, sleeping bag, stove. I had total air mattress failure and had to spend 2 months sleeping on a 1/4" closed cell foam pad.

3. Research your destination as much as possible and have a detailed itinerary. I spent half of my trip biking through heavy industrial areas in Holland and Germany. No, Europe is not beautiful everywhere.

4. Camping in people's backyards is rewarding and safe, compared to stealth camping.