Thinking of chucking it all and hitting the road
 

I've recently undergone some changes in my life, and going "off grid" for a while sounds very appealing.

I have money saved, and have plenty of stuff I can sell off to finance my journey(including a car). Before I commit, I'll make sure my equipment is adequate, and I'll get my fitness level up. I'm currently commuting 20 miles each way, five days a week, so the fitness will come quickly.

I have three bikes. One, the Surly Pacer, is not really tour-able, so I'll sell that one. The other two may be candidates for a tour. I have a Gunnar Sport and a 1993 Bridgestone XO-2. Neither have lowrider mounts for front panniers, but a new fork is easy to source. I'm unsure which bike would be a better candidate. The Gunnar is really more a "sport touring" bike, and Gunnar says the max load is 20 pounds, or I run the risk of "high speed wobble". The Bridgestone has 26 inch wheels and is a more relaxed geometry. I'm unsure of the carrying capacity.

I suppose I could get a BoB trailer and either is usable.

Personally, I like 2 wheel Trailers , the 1 wheel ones torque the bike, when the load is too tall..

2 wheel trailer will haul a bunch of stuff , potentially negating the need for any panniers
If you Don't want to get a new bike, I'd recc the 26" wheel..

.. though I really like my 20" wheel Bike Friday.. , packs up to fly across the 'Pond' easily.

Relaxed geometry, 26" wheels, panniers and no trailer -- that would be my choice.

In general, it's nice to have a setup that is somewhat overbuilt, or more than up to the tasks (that are involved in extended or open-ended touring), rather than gear that is marginal or close to it. Extra-reliable wheels and racks are high on my list of equipment priorities.

I'd sell all the bikes and get a touring bike like Long Haul Trucker. You could also just buy a LHT frame and transfer parts from your Bridgestone if you are unable to sell it for a good price.

Pacer would be fine for a tour, given low enough gearing, upright enough handlebars, and either heel clearance or a trailer. I'd skip the Bridgestone or Gunnar for touring.

I hope you enjoy your adventures. They won't fix a single thing about your life, but you should enjoy them nonetheless. ;)

Seneca, Epistles Book 1

Not so sure about that! Traveling has a way of broadening your perspective. Who knows what solutions you may think up when all your priorities have changed, y'know?

I'll throw in a vote for two-wheeled trailers being awesome, but I'd also suggest selling the bikes and buying a touring rig. Hurry up and do it before you change your mind!

Buy your self a Big Dummy or build you one.This way you can take a lot of stuff with you and still have it all.I,m building one now but its going to be some time before I get her done.Big change in my life now too.:D

Sans a dedicated touring bike, I'd hook a trailer to the most comfortable ride I had and head out. Replace the flat bar with a treking or cow horn, Profile Design Airstyke aerobars, and bar end shifters. Can't have too many hand positions. Can't beat the simplity and reliability of bar ends.

I'm jealous, it does sound like a nice way to go...

My main problem is I don't think you can bike tour for the rest of your life, so how do you make the transition back into normal life after an extended journey?

and direct deposit of money to a bank account is useful, also.

I don't see a transition back to normal life as a problem... at least not one I wouldn't like to have to solve.

OP: I say take some short tours with your best estimation of a good set up. That will tell you what works and what doesn't -- make adjustments from there. Good luck.

at the end of my extended tour, i was in sacramento. first thing was to lease an apartment. then (time was pre internet) get a resume and copy it. responded every day to classifieds for my profession. occasionally received response. traveled to location on bike or public transport to interview location until... hired.

I'd say get the Big Dummy or the Pugsley, if you're carrying a heavy load. The Surly LHT is a great touring bike and is at the top of the list in terms of OTS touring bikes. However, if you're carrying lots of stuff (excess mass), then the BD or the Pugs would be my pick.

Good Luck! :thumb:

I have a long message here at the bottom of this thread on parts you can buy to build your own:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...sion...-PLEASE

But, if you're seriously just on the road and not doing local credit card touring, maybe check out this frame. Even if it's from Germany, I find it's a cool one compared to the selection of frames in North America (like the Soma, Salsa, Surly whatever).
Intec Trekking steel frame T7:
http://www.bike-x-perts.com/en/produ...ucts_id/461739
I think a mixte frame can give you the advantage of allowing you to put your feet on the ground more safely if you go off-road (like on a steep grassy hill if you know what I mean).

Bikeman has a bunch of touring frames though:
http://www.bikeman.com/Touring_Frames.html

Whoops, another edit: If you wanted to really travel on the road, instead of the Shimano Tiagra hubs I put on the list, I'd choose either Shimano XT or 105 hubs and Velocity rims instead of the WTB Freedom Ryder 23 rims.

Sounds good ... when do you go?

After 3 months on the road back in late 2004, there was about a month (January) where I was at loose ends and restless ... but then I got a temporary job, registered for University to start that September, planned a 2-week trip that July ... and a 3-week trip that August. Having something to do with the something to look forward to in the relatively near future helped.

assuming you aren't carrying large amounts of stuff, 35lbs+ I'd be inclined to put the Gunnar into storage, sell the Pacer and set the X02 up with small front panniers on OMM Sherpa type rack with small duffle load on the rear rack. Hit the road with the idea that if serendipity puts a better touring bike in your lap you'll have the money to get it. Sure there are better touring bikes than the X02 but the goal here is hitting the road, not getting another special use bike. It would be fun to think of the new bike as the one you find on your trip, which may be the one you're on.

I think the question here is what the OP considers to be an "extended tour". 3 months or a year probably wouldn't present a problem in terms of readjusting to a "normal" life after the event. I saw a question on another board where someone was talking about taking off for 10 years or more, which would be a different situation entirely, and would require consideration to be given to other things, such as ongoing income, health insurance and so on.

I been thinking about this for years, and probably will be for years, I would need to pull a big rabbit out of my hat first.

Go for it. Cut loose. Get out there on your own and things will happen.

In the Middle-Ages, this sort of tour was called " A Progress" and thats what you will do, where ever you go- Progress.

In Australia, they call it a Walkabout. You'll be Cyclingabout. Don't force it- let it flow naturally.

Don't worry about the bike- fitness is the important thing. Best bike in the world is only as good as the legs that push the pedals.

Good luck.

I look at leaving "normal" life (whatever that is) and touring as quite similar to leaving "normal" life and returning to University to get another degree.

- Before going to Uni, the aspiring student saves up a pile of money to take him/her through the years at Uni ... before going on an extended tour, the aspiring tourist saves up a pile of money to take him/her through the years on tour.

- Before going to Uni, the aspiring student may pack up all his/her things and put them into storage so that the aspiring student can live in small, temporary, inexpensive accommodation ... before going on an extended tour, the aspiring tourist packs up all his/her things and puts them into storage so that the aspiring tourist can hit the road and stay in small, temporary, inexpensive accommodation.

- While in Uni, the student does not have a "normal" 8-5 job, and is not earning a decent regular salary. So the student may have to take measures to live more frugally (depending on how much the student saved up before Uni). While on a tour, the tourist does not have a "normal" 8-5 job, and is not earning a decent regular salary. So the tourist may have to take measures to live more frugally (depending on how much the tourist has saved up before the tour). And along with that, neither the student nor the tourist know for sure whether they are going to get a good job immediately upon finishing Uni or a tour.

- While in Uni, the student puts his/her "normal" life on hold and lives in a bit of an isolated bubble away from a "normal" lifestyle. The focus is on completing the degree, which can require a lot of time and energy on the part of the student. While on tour, the tourist puts his/her "normal" life on hold and lives in a bit of an isolated bubble away from a "normal" lifestyle. The focus is on the tour 24/7.

- When Uni is finished, the student is encouraged to rejoin "normal" life, but that can be quite difficult for some students, and so they become career students by going on and taking the next level of a degree, or another degree, and so on. Students who do decide to rejoin "normal" life often go through a month or two of adjustment and sometimes depression.

- When a tour is finished, the tourist is encouraged to rejoin "normal" life, but that can be quite difficult for some tourists, and so they become career tourists by going on another tour, and another tour, and another tour. Tourists who do decide to rejoin "normal" life often go through a month or two of adjustment and sometimes depression.


I have found that goals ... something exciting to look forward to and focus on in the near future ... makes the transition easier in both situations. I've also found that it helps to think about the things I need to do when I finish with student life or a tour during the last few weeks or month of student life or a tour. I need to make a list, and perhaps even start investigating things.

But in thinking about it, I'm not sure it is entirely possible or even desireable to return to a "normal" life.

As it happens, I do both the touring thing (although not for really long periods of time yet) and the Uni thing (for anywhere from short to long periods of time). I've returned to school numerous times to acquire more post secondary education, and I've dotted tours in between my formal education. For me, tours are another source of learning and experiencing. :D

I do keep trying to rejoin "normal" life, but then I get restless again. :D I'm currently in one of the longest periods of "normal" life I've been in for some time ... 2 years. But I've managed to do that by having goals and doing "abnormal" things ... moving to another country, and living for a year in very "abnormal", extremely rustic, situation.


EDIT: If I went on a very long tour, like 10 years or more, I think I would want to first ensure that I had some solid education and skills before I left on tour which I could use along the way and after the tour. And I think I would want to keep those skills up along the way by taking jobs here and there, or volunteering, or taking a few courses or whatever.

Actually, there are some significant differences between a bike tour and going to uni. I did my degree and graduated with a GPA of 6.2, but I can honestly say that at no stage did it consume my life the way a bike tour does -- and that is shown by the fact that I held down a part time job (sometimes even two) for the entire duration of the degree, and I had no trouble fitting into the workforce full-time upon graduation -- having been offered the job six months prior to graduation.

It's not always easy (or even possible) to do that on a bike tour. You see, when most people undertake a degree, they're still basically connected with "normal" life -- they still have to pay bills, they still socialise with a regular group of friends and acquaintances, and so on. In fact, most people when they go to uni do a lot more drinking and partying than they do studying. There isn't really a disconnection with normal life.

Now compare this to an extended bike tour, where you're rarely in the same place for very long, you're not paying the same bills as everyone else, the people you socialise with are different every day, and sometimes you'll go for days without speaking to anyone. The other issue (and this was a major factor when I was thinking about doing something similar a few years ago), is that given enough time bike touring, you'll reach the stage where you can't do anything else. Granted, this is likely to take several years, but it does happen eventually.

Another obstacle to returning to "normal" life after touring, is how you explain a 10 year gap on your resume? If you've been studying, you can call that "expanding your skill set", and most employers will buy it. How do you explain a 10 year bike tour to a prospective employer down the track? Again, you and I might agree that a bike tour is a great source of learning and experiencing new things, but how do you explain that to an interviewer who has never been outside the inner city in his/her life? This is why I asked how long the OP was planning to go for.

These are things the OP needs to consider before making a decision. I'm not saying "don't do it" -- I'm probably the last person who can accuse someone else of being "abnormal". But there are things people need to consider before making a major life change. My suggestion, sell the car, take the money saved, and hit the road for while, a few months, whatever, but don't commit to doing it forever, unless you're absolutely sure you want to do it forever.

I'm confused by your reply. The Bridgestone has room for fat 26 inch tires, the Gunnar can run up to 700x28 with fenders, while the Pacer can only run 700x25 with fenders(despite Surly's claim of 28s). Of the three I think the XO-2 would be the best choice. The idea of a trailer intrigues me.

The idea of a trailer intrigues you until it decides to go off in its own direction while going downhill and take you with it. HAHAHA!

I've been on the road for over 11 months. I'm having a blast... except for this hot weather

I riding a 1989 Trek Mountain Bike pulling a Bob