FFXI_Shibaa

I have not ridden a bicycle since college, but had plans before college to ride across state that then never happened. Now I'm at a cross roads and will have the time to do the trip I wanted, but bigger, across country. I reside in central NY, but will be going to Wilson NC in June, and will be planning a trip from there to either TX or WA. I will be taking my time, figure I can do 2-3 months. I want to camp along the way and enjoy the sights. I want to stay connected socially with friends, so am looking to get a smart phone for that. Need to have power so am looking at solar stuffs and batteries. I have not purchased anything yet, and am planning to purchase some stuff very soon and ship to NC. Recently got new of Amazon sale on related stuff too.

Looking at the various stuffs to get I need some advice.

seen this tent on sale https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref...SIN=B001TSCF96 its bigger than I would need unless I meet someone along the way, but outside that maybe I can use the extra space to store gear during the nights. Other than electronics to you folks usually put gear in tent over night? EDIT: as pointed out the 8 man is way to big and heavy, doing something like https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Sundom...&keywords=tent instead.

I also see various Pannier Set, for example https://www.amazon.com/Axiom-Lasalle-...ywords=pannier I have never had panniers before, so will be new to me, and I'm curious do these types of bags fit all racks or do you need specific racks for bags? I would assume its a universal but who knows.

speaking of racks, I see a lot of bikes with a rear rack but not a front rack. I came across some front racks by themselves but depending on option chosen I might need eyelets in the front forks to mount to. Some offer other mounting option for forks that do not have eyelets, but how do they compare. for example https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...20Eyelet%20Kit. It indicated in specs "Includes hardware to retrofit to non-touring-specific forks" is this a good rack? seems it a bit costly but generally has good reviews, but one person updated their review with "Tubus for example, makes a stainless steel model (Nova) that is tour worthy, weighs less than half the amount of the front surly rack, comes from a more dependable brand, handmade in germany, completely corrosion resistant, and can handle a greater load. They also make a rear rack (Cosmos) that is by far superior to the surly option. In addition to the reasons listed above the Cosmos allows you to mount your rear panniers on a lower tube, which means greater stability and easier mounting on the top platform." I have yet to look for this other rack they speak off. I see various mountings, the eyelets as mentioned, others will mount to the brake posts, others include hardware to hook to the forks. I just don't know how these all compare and not sure if i want to mount to brakes.

In terms of a bike, I think hybrid is way I'm going, will be in several state parks, but the biking will be mainly roads and paths, I will do seperate hiking beyond that, so I don't think a straight mountain bike is way to go expecially given the distance I will be going. I had a street bike when I was younger and it held up well for that I did, but I mainly was on a paved surface and think I need more rugged with the areas going to, need for wider ties, support more weight, so it seems the "hybrid" bike is my choice. That said there are still so many to choose from. I'm 6 foot 1 inch. Currently weight 270 lbs though dropping, but height wise i will need a larger bike. I do not want to build a bike fro scratch, but I understand that none of them are perfect and will need to do some mods. Here is the section I am looking at https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_...qid=1368372841 Should I get a bike that already has a rear rack and then just get a seperate front rack? Or should I get a bike with no racks and get a matching set for front and back? I see the bikes that have rear racks also generally have lights with a generator too, but had to tell what kind of gen they have. for example https://www.amazon.com/Tour-De-France...&keywords=tour lists to have a generator, but not the type. I dont want the type that rides against the rim or sidewall of the tire, did that as a kid, it worked but was not good. I have been reading about the Sanyo H27 hub as a good option for cost vs resistance, but don't think I can get a bike shipped with it already on. I have come across a site advertsing to "build" a tire, but seems expensive thought I imagine all quality parts. Is it possible to just change the hub on the existing tire that comes with the bike? I see when ordering there are various options for the number of holes needed for the spokes. Is there a way to know exactly how many holes will be needed before the bike arrives. For example does a 26" rim always have a set number of spokes vs a 700 c ? If I get the Sanyo H27 should I just avoid any bikes that already have a generator as will just be added cost I'm not going to be using and removing in favor of other option.

I also plan to be using solar power too. Came across this site: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?doc_id=9258

It talks about the Nomad 7 and its bigger and better brother 10 Watt Instapark. these are things i think I will be getting, but wear to put them on the road....so would be good to have both hub and solar and be able to switch between the two. I understand my smart phone will be the most power consuming. Its unclear if I will bring a laptop, I'm thinking not, and just do everthing from smart phone. Looking at getting the samsung galaxy s2. It seems like it would do what I need, and not be top dollar for the last model. will also bring a point/shoot camera that relies on 2 AA, that I use rechargeable with and need to charge and the article on the page disscusses that. But I'm wondering with the 2 different power systems is there a way to connect them to a central battery and go from there, or will I be shuffling things between one and the other depending on cloudy day?

I also was thinking about wind power seeing as we are discussing solar. Have not see it but am wondering if there is something we can attach to the spokes of say the front tire, and have the bike propped up at camp to make the tire like a windmill to run the hub generator, and take advantage of wind energy while at camp. Presumable just need to plastic wind blades for example to attach to the spokes and just detach/store them for later.

How many water bottles is a good setup on the bike. I can see 3, but most bikes come with 1 so will need to add, but what is a good number? Will also need a comfy seat. Need to figure out what tools to bring with me. will be needed spare tubes and patch kit, tire levers. Should I try to have the quick release tires or do that not do well if part of the mounting of a rack?

Machka 

To summarise ... you are planning to start a 2-3 month cycling trip in June (1 month) and you do not have a bicycle or any of the equipment to do that. Also, you have not ridden a bicycle in a number of years.


1. Get a bicycle ... not a hybrid if you intend to ride quite a bit for 2-3 months. Look at a touring bicycle or cyclocross bicycle. For example, the Trek 520 is a reasonably priced option and you might even be able to find a used one.

2. Make sure that whatever bicycle you get fits you. It must be the right size for you or you will be very uncomfortable and may incur an injury.

3. Ride that bicycle ... start riding 4-5 days a week.

4. Borrow some camping gear ... and maybe buy a few items. For example, the Axiom Lasalle panniers are an excellent choice. They'll go on just about any rear rack.

5. Do an overnight or long weekend tour.

6. When you have done all of that, start thinking about what you'd need for a longer tour ... and whether or not you really want to do a longer tour.

Jim Kukula

I think Anne Mustoe did something like that. Just took off on a bike with little training or experience! I can't imagine it myself but hey people do all kinds of things. No big deal really if you just have the right attitude. I think the main thing will be a willingness to learn and adapt and adjust. You will probably need to stop and recover frequently at first, like three days riding one day rest or some such, and just do like twenty or thirty miles. Don't start off so extreme that you break anything so bad that recovery takes a few weeks instead of a day or two! Plus you might end up replacing some bits of equipment. You might have to mail order stuff along the way. Don't get yourself too far away from bike shops etc. until you have enough experience with your equipment that you know it will work well.

Another really popular bike is the Surly Long Haul Trucker. But e.g. people often experiment with different saddles until they find one they like. I have a Brooks Flyer which is popular enough for touring but even with that you need to play with the tilt to get it right etc.

staehpj1

First, I'll second what Machka said.

Your link didn't work for me so I am not sure what tent that is. I personally don't take much in at night and find a one person tent fine.

Personally I find something like the Blackburn ex-1 or one of the Axioms Streamliners to work well on the back at a reasonable price. For the front one of the Blackburn low rider clones is a good choice check Nashbar and Performance for them. You might find you do not need both.

It can work, but would probably be my last choice. If going with a medium to heavy load go with a touring bike or a cyclo cross bike. For those who go ultralight a road bike might work better.

Solar solutions are typically an unnecessary complication that have many drawbacks in my opinion. My advice is minimize your need for power, carry a few spare batteries, and charge when you have access to an outlet.

Sounds like a bad idea. If you really must have a way to charge while off the grid get a hub generator or bottle generator, but I would not bother.

Two or three are nice, but really it isn't a huge deal you can stop and refill from water carried elsewhere in your baggage easily enough so there is no compelling need for it to be all on the frame.

Yes. Actually a well broken in butt is more important and if by comfy you mean well padded forget it. A firm seat that fits you is the way to go. I prefer racing models, but am not picky as long as it isn't heavily padded or two wide.

I assume you mean quick release hubs? If so they work fine, but would not be a requirement.

My biggest suggestion is to only take what you really need. Keeping the load light pays dividends in day long comfort. For sure do not dream up reasons to buy and take stuff. Determine your real needs and then take the minimum to provide for them.

FFXI_Shibaa

Thanks for replies. I corrected the op with correct links, they got messed up in a copy/paste from the intro section.

I do recognize that I have been off the bike a long time, and will take some adjustment to get back in shape, and I do plan a small trip to a national park near where I will be staying to try things out, is aprox 50 mile trip, figure I can test endurance, get some quirks in gear figured out and such and then do larger from there, but the end goal will either be TX or WA from NC. Came across https://www.mycycletour.com mentioned in some threads to help plan route, I was just using Google maps before and looks like this site integrates that data. Surprising the amount of camp grounds, I was thinking I'd be sleeping in some random fields, but that might not be the case and as I look at some of the sites, they offer a lot of services that make camping, well not so much camping lol.

I have not looked at all the bikes, I glanced at the Trek one mentioned early on, I want to be conservative on cost of bike, yeah might want to look at used. I'm okay with 500 ish for the bike and then add stuff to bring it up, but to pay over 1000.00 just for the bike and still need to add seems a bit much. Can't say as I'll be doing a big trip like this ever again, viewing it more as a once in lifetime thing. Had someone close to my pass, and we had plans to do a camping trip across country years in the future, this is why it seems there is short notice, I moved up the schedule. The place I work also lost a contract and will be out of work in July, but will be going to NC in June for a family event as nieces are graduating high school, so figured will stay there a few weeks and use that as a kickoff place for trip, well the real kick off is the sky diving i want to do with my sister there. I have some funds saved up as we knew a long time ago that we were getting laid off, so I have saved about 6k. I had read that to allow yourself about 50.00 a day, but that seems high if I am camping, heck at 50.00 a day that is more than I take to live now.

I am determined to make the trip happen and yeah there will be frequent stops for rests, and I have no qualms about getting off and pushing my load up the big hills, honestly I will not be in a hurry once on the road, other than getting to either WA or TX before winter.

Main reason i posted was for gear ideas as I will be shipping stuff to NC and wanted input on what is decent to use. Came across several things small things in the https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ips-and-Tricks thread. Distance wise I think I can reach my goal even at 25 miles a day and from my understanding once I am more capable I should be able to do 40-50 per day easily, so I think I'll be okay starting out slow. Although I'm not on a bike now, getting some muscles worked with a elliptical workout machine I grabbed, so I think that is going to be good.

Oh I also read in forums to not store food in tent at night because of critters, which makes sense, so yeah don't think gear will be in tent other than electronics stuff. I read a good tip was to wrap your lock around bike then through holes in helmet and put helmet in tent and zipper up around the cable, this seems like a great way to protect your stuff but keep it out of the tent. Yeah the tent I linked is more than I need.

staehpj1

I can't really picture that working very well. Am I missing something? It sounds like that would be inconvenient and hard to manage. It would seem that the bike would be blocking the tent door and also in danger of falling on the tent unless you had some crazy long cable.

I figure that locking to a picnic table, pole, tree, or whatever is good enough. Other than the bike most of the more expensive stuff is in the tent (electronics, wallet stuff, sleeping bag, and pad). I figure that the rest is mostly dirty clothes and used cooking gear and of minimal appeal to a thief.

lenA

I live along one of the most popular bike touring routes in the country and talk to travelers all the time when I'm out riding.

A fair number of them will say that they have ridden themselves into shape...both mental and physical.

Some days are wonderful........some are nothing more then a grind

bikemig 

Never hurts to tie your food up in a tree. A lot more than $500 but worth considering is the REI Safari at $900 but if you become a member you'll get some of that back. Get a good bike; you can save on a lot of the other gear but you'll be sorry if you get a crummy bike.

Edit: if you really need to save money, look at internet direct brands like Bikes Direct or Nashbar (Nashbar makes a pretty good touring bike). Here's the deal. You need to be concerned about the length of the chainstays on the bike. If they're too short, your heels will kick the panniers all the way across the US of A which is a drag.

ironwood

I rode across the country many years ago. I had done a lot of commuting,utility, and just riding for a number of years before I went on an overnight trip. Then I did four or five night trips,first staying at hostels, and then camping. Had I not had that background I would have lasted probably two days on a cross-country ride. No matter how prepared you are, things can happen that can sap your will. My advice is:

Get a strong bike that fits. Surly, All-City, Velo-Orange, Rivendell and others have good suitable bicycles.

Use your bike to get around, to work, shopping, errands etc..

Start exploring your own region first. You might find the best bike touring is just around the corner.

One of the things that amazes me now is the high quality equipment which is availabe. In 1980 there weren't many dedicated touring bikes available, and of course the electronics which are now indispensible were non-existent.

You may have put an unreasonable time limit on your self by deciding that this has to be done this June.

valygrl

Too much to read but here are some recommendations:

Tent and other camping gear - backcountry.com, reioutlet.com
tent should be at most a 2-person 3-season tent and should weigh no more than 6 pounds and cost $100-$300, the tent you link is ridiculously heavy.

you'll need a sleeping bag and mat

Bike - you really need this to fit and be durable and have appropriate gearing, $1000 is not too much to pay. Surly LHT, windsor tourist, Trek 520, are tour bikes, but any older steel or aluminum non-suspension mountain bike could work. Hybrids are bad at everything and heavy to boot, forget them.

Racks - doesn't matter as long as they aren't flimsy, the surly and tubus racks are top of the line, you can do fine with blackburn, Old Man Mountain, Delta, anything they sell at Performancebike, look at the weight it's rated for and make it at least what you plan to carry.

Panniers - barely matters - look for used - Performance bike and REI have house brands, www.thetouringstore.com has nice quality bags (and racks) and good service.

Power and Electronics - and I can't emphasize this enough - LEAVE IT AT HOME. Yeah, bring your smartphone and music thingy, but you don't need an ipad or a laptop, and all the extra charging, batteries, plugs, solar panels etc. YOU ARE GOING ON A BIKE TRIP, leave your e-world at home. I'm a computer geek and spend all day in front of a screen at home - at work, play, ipad-while-watching-tv, all that crap, but you don't need or want that stuff on tour, it keeps you from interacting with your current surroundings and turns your trip into a long, annoying search for electricity. You can charge your phone and ipod every couple of days in a campground or a restaurant while you eat a meal.

Your goal should bring just enough stuff to be just comfortable enough in camp and to ACTUALLY ENJOY THE RIDING PART - which means LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT.

indyfabz

Don't mean to sounmd harsh, but the fact that, among other things: (1) you would even consider a eight person tent that is so large it can accomodate three queen size air mattresses and likely tips the scales at at least 25 lbs. (the Elite version of that tent is over 27 lbs.); (2) you are looking at the Surly Nice rack, which is the heaviest, most overbuilt front rack I have even seen (And I am no "weight weenie"); (3) your plan is to start in June and you don't even have a bike, I think you have a lot of catching up to do.

Machka 

I had to have a look at this tent, and I have to agree ... there's no way you need an 8 person tent for yourself!! One begins to wonder if you are pulling our legs ... having us on.


However, if you're serious ...

Rowan and I use a 3-person tent and we've got ample room for the two of us and our stuff. If you're travelling by yourself, you could easily go with a 2-person tent.

Pick something with as few poles as you can find ... fewer the better.

A rain fly and foyer can be good as well.

Think small and light.


(Rowan and I have a car-tent too ... and it isn't as big as the 8-person monster you've chosen!!)

FFXI_Shibaa

There are so many sites, I had not gone here, and seems their prices are much better, but still so many options.

I don't mind a steel frame, but I see chromoly listed alot, I am not to familiar with it so looked it up, "Alloying elements include chromium and molybdenum, and as a result these materials are often informally referred to as chromoly steel (common variant stylings include chrome-moly, CrMo, CRMO, CR-MOLY, and similar). They have an excellent strength to weight ratio and are considerably stronger and harder than standard 1020 steel, but are not easily welded (need pre and post weld thermal treatment to avoid cold cracking)."...... reading this is says welding can be an issue, but I see some sites list this as easily welded in case of a break... There is also aluminum frames but think its even hard to weld aluminum and people say aluminum when it breaks will do so suddenly vs steel where you can notice a crack and get it fixed before a sudden and total failure. I don't need the super light carbon nor the price and I'm not as eco friendly as to insist on a bamboo frame, although reading about them is cool, and bamboo is a very nice material for strength and being able to flex. There is a reason it is used in construction scaffolding.

What folks opinions, should I go with a standard steel frame? Has welding ability generally increased across country so that chromoly welding will not be an issue if I need to have it done? I do not see many bikes with lugs in the frame, years ago this was the best, why has it fallen, is it just because butted welds are easier to mass produce? If luged steel frames are still best is there a way to search for bikes with this specifically?

Great tip on chainstay length, it will become very irritating very quickly to be kicking your bags. Most things I see though just list total bike length, not just chainstays, though one is directly related to the other.

FFXI_Shibaa

Completely agree on catching up, yeah the tent is more than I need, just caught my eye as the sale it is on and figured there would be plenty of room for gear. I had debated on just using my old dome tent I have, but it has been in the closet a long time, might be good to have fresh materials. and yeah I don't really know about racks, that why i made the post, I see racks with aprox 3 different mounting options, wanted to know what is best for mounting, and the one I liked caught my eye as advertising that is easily fixed as far as welding but that would appear to be so because it is so basic. Yes it had reviews of being on the heavy side but I also don't want something that will snap like a twig, There has been suggestions made that I need to go through and look at.

I have also intentionally put off the purchase as I don't want to be loading down vesicles on the way to NC, so plan to have things shipped their or sourced in that area and go from there. Having the bike ahead of time would certainly help with fitness, but that is why I grabbed an exercise machine with a peddling style movement, and plan to leave the machine behind with brother to use.

I will be do smaller trips in June, the big trip will not be until end of June into July depending on how the small trips go. I also have a friend in NC on otherside from where I will be, so after a few trips to parks aprox 50 miles, I will try to other side of NC to friend. If I can make it across the state, then I am good to go I figure.

valygrl

you should go shopping at a bike shop, not the internet, you are focusing on the wrong stuff. steel and chromoly are the same thing. you aren't going to break your frame and need to weld it, that's something for people who are riding in africa for 2 years to worry about, not for people who are riding mostly on the road in the USA for 2 months.

FFXI_Shibaa

Agreed, but I don't want to get stuck with back yard welder that will just cause more damage then fix all because of trip through a forested area which will be plenty probably, and from what I see the two are related but not the same, hence it being a little harder to weld chromoly and if sites are referring to them as if they are the same, well I don't know what to do then, I see some are chromoly and some are steel. I agree the trip will be short, and like I said once in a lifetime thing, so in some ways I wonder just because of that just how high-end of bike I need. I don't want the bike to hold me back, but yeah its a few months, and then probably go into storage. Would love to hit a shop, but local one closed few years ago, they would have great advise, but at a premium in cost.

Machka 

Can you get into an REI? If so, go and have a look around. Look at bicycles. Look at racks. Look at tents and sleeping mats and sleeping bags etc. etc. Look at their descriptions and weights and sizes etc. Lift them up to see how heavy and bulky they feel. Get some idea what might be reasonable.

bikemig 

I'm sorry but you are way off base here. Chrome moly is a good quality steel typically found on touring bikes.

Machka 

I'm not sure why you think you're going to have to weld your frame.

jbphilly

Get a Nashbar Touring bike or a Novara Safari from REI. You're not going to break the frame or have to weld it.

You might also choose to take a trailer rather than racks and panniers; it'll be heavier, but if you're looking to pull a very large amount of weight, it might be the better option. However, I'd advise you not to do that - as people have been saying, get a two-person tent instead of an 8-person Coleman...that tent probably weighs more than the total load that a lot of bike tourists carry. The more weight you have in stuff, the more miserable you will be on every uphill.

Unless you're touring off-road and in very remote places, you don't need to bring solar charging equipment. You'll pass towns often enough that you can find places to charge electronics.

Most touring bikes already have three water bottle cages. Get 26-oz water bottles to put in them. I personally drink a lot and would bring an extra 2- or 3-liter water bladder to put in my panniers.

lenA

I use on of these which I find more comfortable then a mat and way cheaper then a self-inflator and no bulk

[h=1]Stansport Backpacker's Air Mattress[/h]Made of laminated lightweight nylon with a polyurethane backing for durability.
Six individual chambers with quick release valves make deflating easy.
Nylon stuff sack and repair kit included. Weight: 21 oz. Size: 71 L x 20 W inflated.

FFXI_Shibaa

It is steel with different alloys, alloys that change it from being 1020 steel to a different grade steel, makes it harder and stronger, but more difficult to work with. Don't know how you can say they are the same. I am under an assumption that when I site says steel they are referring to 1020 otherwise they will say chromoly as some do. Regardless I'm not here to argue about different grades of 41xx steel and their characteristic, in fact as mentioned it unlikely that the frame will break, so lets drop it. I'm here for help and appreciate any and all help, just figured would try to be prepared for a worst case scenario.

Machka 

Well, if you carry that 8-person tent, you might be in danger of breaking your frame. But seriously ... can you go to an REI, or other large camping goods department-type stores? On your first visit, just browse. Look at everything and get some idea what the sizes and weights are. I like Amazon, but it can be very difficult to tell what something is really like from a picture or description. On subsequent visits to REI or other large camping goods places, then you might want to pick up a few things.

FFXI_Shibaa

See alot of common brands in what people suggest, but also just came across Motobecane, anyone had experience with it?

FFXI_Shibaa

closest thing I have is a gander mountain, has camping stuffs and cloths but no bikes. closest REI is like 6 hour drive. Totally agree would be good to see them in person.

Once I get to Wilson NC there is an REI in Raleigh and that is the daily commute they do for work, so could hit that place once there. Was hoping to have bike already shipped before trip, perhaps I'll just get other stuffs and wait on bike.

Yeah lol 8 person tent, what was I thinking, this should be more than enough https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Sundom...&keywords=tent