Top Ten Bicycle Touring Tips

It’s that time of the year again: the days are long and the nights are plenty warm. Unless you’re in Colorado all the snow has melted and it’s time to get out on a bicycle tour. I’m not much into telling people how to have fun, but I’ve recently had a few friends and readers reach out in regards to any advice I might have for getting out on your first long-distance tour.

Trying to speak in absolutes and give sound advice can be hard, everyone is different and we’re all coming to the table with different levels of fitness and varying expectations. Despite that, I’ve managed to comb through my experiences and come up with some basic ground rules to share with anyone getting ready to hit the road – my top ten bicycle touring tips. This advice applies to anyone regardless of age, gender, experience as well as solo or group rides. Bicycle touring has given me some of the greatest experiences of my life, it’s changed the way I see the world both literally and figuratively, and it’s my belief that if we all had the opportunity to share this experience, the world would be a better place. As sappy as that sounds and as seriously as I can take bicycling, all it takes is a few pedal strokes to remember why you had this idea in the first place – because riding your bike is so damn fun.

1 – Know your Bike.

Whether you’re going on a thousand mile road tour or a 150 mile mountain bike ride, before heading out on your big adventure, it’ important to take some time to get to know your machine. How the bike fits, works, and acts under load, are not things you want to spend your vacation figuring out. If you’ve got a brand new top of the line touring bike than there’s not much to worry about, but if you’re like me and doing things on a budget, most likely you’re doing maintenance and repairs yourself, and in that case a moment spent ahead of time getting things in order will make your ride much more enjoyable. Have a good grasp of the basic maintenance associated with adjusting your brakes and derailleurs, fixing a flat, changing a tube, and tightening some of the nuts and bolts on your racks and fenders, as well as other things that might come loose from multiple days of long rides. As basic as it sounds, going through both a pre-tour inspection can save you a lot of hassle trying to fix something like a broken spoke on the road. Whether you’re riding solo or in a group, your bicycle is your real partner, so treat her well, and know exactly what she likes.

2 – Plan the Route

Most likely you’re heading somewhere epic, but whether you’re leaving from your front door or catching a ride to the start, a little pre-ride planning can go a long way towards making your ride more memorable and enjoyable. I’m not advocating for planning out where you’ll spend each and every night, I’m just saying maybe take a look at a map of the state you’re traveling through, it could help avoid some unsavory camps, and help inform you of a number of natural and cultural destinations you might otherwise ride right by. As funny as it sounds, even on a thousand mile bike ride, 5 miles out of the way can seem like a big deal, but knowing ahead of time might give you a chance to plan your route around specific destinations, or at the very least, it might help you steer clear of getting caught in the suburbs looking for a camp after a long day of riding.

3 – Pack for a Night

I may as well call this one “light is right”, but this is the saying that helps me actually turn that ideal into a reality. You’re going on a bike tour, which means you are leaving the comforts at home. Actually leaving those comforts at home will make you enjoy them a hell of a lot more when you get back. Take a note from ultra light backpackers and climbers and consider every item in your bags. Camping for a week in the desert? A quick look at the weather before you leave can let you know if you can get away with a simple tarp or will definitely need a tent. Minimize the cook system. Yes, crafting a 4-course backcountry meal paired with the bota-box you’ve been dragging along is dope, and if you’re touring with your girlfriend it’s not a bad idea. But I’d say ditch the fancy coffee makers and kitchen accouterments. Forego the book and music player in favor of a journal and a bag of dope. Single pot meals on a canister stove can be pretty good, and no one is stopping you from eating a complete pie at the next coffee shop you ride by. Being a traveler and a nomad means you’re fucking wild and free. Which an old friend described to me as meaning “if you want to carry on, moving should be as easy as pissing on the fire, calling the dog, and ridin’ on out.” I’m pretty sure he was talking about a horse, but what the hell.

4 – Ride on a Schedule

Don’t become a slave master, but try and get your shit together. Wherever you’re heading has it’s own local climate and season, work with that. Are mornings calm and sunrise is at 5 am? Think about getting an early start. Riding through the desert in August? Consider taking a mid-day rest at a watering hole, charging your batteries and riding a couple extra miles at dawn and dusk, when things are a little milder. As a side note, I mean charge your batteries literally. Having a taillight and reflective vest if you’re riding on the road, or a high lumen headlamp riding on the trail, can make the experience a hell of a lot more comfortable and safe, no matter if you’re riding in traffic or through a field of cactus. Carrying the proper gear to extend your ride into cold/hot/wet/dry/nighttime can help you establish a daily routine that lets you ride on your own schedule, at the optimum times of the day.

5 – Take Care of Yourself

This experience is going to turn your body into a bound up bundle of muscle, spend long enough time in the saddle and you will become a cycling machine, designed to work in perfect unison with your craft. But no matter how strong you start out or how easy the ride, there’s a chance that consecutive days in the saddle can lead to some new and interesting physical maladies, make sure to take time an address these as they come up. There are some simple things you can do to give yourself a fighting chance against these nuisance injuries and that’s: find a bike that fits you, keep the weight and daily load to a minimum, stay hydrated and well-nourished, be as clean as possible, and stretch or take short rests if your body asks you to. The human body is amazingly physically capable, feed it, water it, and rest it, and it will take you farther than you could ever imagine.

6 – Find an Excellent Place to Camp

This should seem self-evident but at the end of a long day it’s easy to get lazy and make some silly compromises. It’s hard to be in the saddle for a full 8 hours every day, but I can damn well guarantee that you’ll be wanting to spend at least that much laying on your sleeping pad. Finding a place that affords a modicum of privacy will allow you to get comfortable, change your cloths and dry out your gear, then cook a nice meal and sleep undisturbed. No matter how awesome the area you’re riding through, a night spent somewhere lame and uncomfortable can start the next day off on the wrong foot. Most importantly, calling it a day a few miles early or slugging it out another hour can make the difference between a good night’s sleep and getting woken up by the sprinklers. Ideally, you’re riding through gorgeous BLM and National Forest areas, where camping is as easy as dragging your bike into the woods and collapsing. But if you find yourself stranded in an urban area Godspeed and hopefully you’ve got a smartphone. A quick look at Google maps will show you where to find the closest park or green space. Don’t even think about setting up your tent and be ready to split the moment you wake up. Utilize picnic tables or other public space to cook a meal before taking off for your urban bivy spot. Schools, churches, and cemeteries can be reasonable havens, but beware of the ever-lurking sprinkler.

7 – Give Your Ride a Purpose

In some ways this goes against the point of going on a bicycle tour, but I believe that whether you’re heading out on a “year-long-round-the-world-tour-of-self-discovery” or just riding to escape the routine for a few days, doing a little brainstorming for what might help you accomplish these goals can make them more rewarding. Riding your bike can feel like an end in itself, but after too long, you’ll most likely discover that you are a dynamic human being with a multitude of skills and interests, and that being a cyclist is just one small display of your proclivity to being an interesting and creative person. Often, the way I accomplish this is by combining my interests and bringing along some climbing gear that helps me get deeper into the mountains I’m riding past, but maybe you just need a fly rod and some waders, your smallest guitar, a blow-up pack raft or even just some favorite essays. Maybe none of this is your thing, maybe you’d rather spend time meeting people in urban areas, volunteering on farms, or discovering Americas national parks, whatever it is, remember that in the future, when all the oil’s dried up and people are done fighting, cyclists will have to find a new way to feel unique, because everyone will be cycling then.

8 – Document

Maybe this goes along with the whole giving your ride a purpose thing, but I think it’s important enough to make it it’s own item. Take the time and bring along the materials to properly document your trip. This doesn’t have to be a 5 pound 3000 dollar camera, unless that’s your thing, but you’re going to find yourself with a little bit of time on your hands, so even if you’re not an artist bringing along some paper and a pencil will let you be able to jot down a few profound thoughts, even if you’re not creating any masterpieces. Having a map and a journal to keep track of your daily mileage, where you camped, and some day’s highlights can become a valuable keepsake post-ride. You’ll likely have some wild and crazy experiences on your ride, meeting amazing people and seeing beautiful things, if you’re like me and you don’t write it down or snap a photo, some things seem so bizarre you might not believe them later.

9 – Persevere

Stick with it. Bicycle touring need not be a grand challenge or achievement, but it’s not always easy. Things can get cold, wet and lonely in a hurry, but having the right frame of mind will protect you from any sort of physical hardships more than any fancy tent or stove ever could. Things change rapidly on the bike, and the lows of a long, soul-crushing climb can easily be replaced with the highs of a winding mountain descent. Stick it out and see where things take you.

10 – Break All The Rules

What do I know anyway? Bicycle touring is about discovering your world, and yourself. There’s no right or wrong way to do it, unless it involves you driving a car, then it’s wrong, don’t do it. Get out and figure it out for yourself. Good luck. You’ll never be the same.