Questions tagged [touring]

Touring usually means very long multi-day (or multi-week) rides carrying a lot of gear (camping, cooking, clothes, etc) on the bike. Can also apply to unloaded/creditcard touring involving using hotels/motels instead of camping.

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How to maintain chains during touring?

I think requirements are reusable, simple, small-size and things-to-easily-to-carry. There are exotic answers with chain clearers and other things that do not qualify to me simple. Perhaps, the ...
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26 votes
7 answers
2k views

What are important items for a touring first-aid kit?

When riding long distances, either solo or with groups of people, it is obviously necessary to carry a first-aid kit in case of a crash or other injury. What are the most important items to pack, ...
Dustin Ingram's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
776 views

What is a recovery ride?

I often heard this from other bikers where they do recovery rides the day after a long ride (greater than 100kms). What is it for and is it really needed?
kosinix's user avatar
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18 votes
11 answers
5k views

I'm going to take my bike with me on a plane. Do I really need a special bike travel bag to have it transported safely?

I have a road bike that I want to bring with me to the place I will be flying to. I know that there are bags that are designed especially for this kind of situation: the bike travel bags such as the ...
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15 votes
7 answers
38k views

how long does it take to break in a brooks saddle (b17)

I'm going on a 2 week touring trip and looking to buy a comfortable saddle that will be make my rides pleasant and efficient. I have about a month to break in the saddle. How long should I spend ...
jon's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
453 views

Food during touring?

A problem with this kind of tasty food here is that you become depended on it, usually having no such luxuries so a more spartan question. I use a lot of vitamin supplements for B, C, D and Calcium. ...
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19 votes
6 answers
7k views

Is it possible to construct an overnight shelter using a bike as the upright?

Next year I might find myself needing a lightweight touring/camping shelter, suitable for overnight stops at camspites and at the roadside. One option is a single-hoop bivvy tent (example) but many ...
Chris H's user avatar
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17 votes
10 answers
1k views

Map during touring?

Do you attach your map to the bike or have some sort of desktop or how do you maintain your map during touring? You surely need some sort of cover but if you have how do you attach it to your bike or ...
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11 votes
2 answers
5k views

How long does it take to be ready for a multi day ride as a newbie?

I have not cycled much recently, done a few 30 mile rides in 2012 on mostly flat but nothing since and am out of shape now, not that I was in shape then! The bike is a hardtail, but on road tyres. ...
cycle_n00b's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
326 views

Water safety during touring?

This question raised a new sub-problem of which I was not at all aware of. I carry a heater to boil the water before I drink it but I am unsure whether it removes all dirt from water. Please, note ...
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122 votes
33 answers
62k views

How do I deal with a dog chasing me when I'm touring?

Once I was riding my road bike down a rural road. I heard barking over my shoulder and saw two dobermans running toward me. I can't think of a time in my life that I felt more endangered. I reacted ...
26 votes
8 answers
10k views

Touring load weight distribution

What's the best way to load a touring bike, to increase stability and balance? Assuming a standard two-rack-and-panniers setup, where should I put most of my weight? I have a camping load, about 50 ...
Goodbye Stack Exchange's user avatar
24 votes
3 answers
9k views

How do you distinguish a touring bike from a speed/road bike?

I would like to buy a touring bike soon, but in our country I cannot find any well known touring bike. I would like to buy a used one so I am going to visit some of the bicycles stores of our capital ...
Gabor Meszaros's user avatar
21 votes
9 answers
55k views

How many years an aluminium frame lasts in a touring bike?

How long does an aluminium frame lasts in a touring bike? [Removed extra questions to be clear.] Background So far I preferred aluminium vs. steel for many reasons, but if steel lasts significantly ...
olee22's user avatar
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19 votes
4 answers
3k views

How to estimate how long a tour will take? (UK to Greece)

If someone of moderate cycling abilities, and pretty good fitness tried to cycle to Greece from eg. London; how long would it take approximately. Assuming around 8 hours of cycling a day? And please (...
Vass's user avatar
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15 votes
2 answers
6k views

Is there a downside to spoke protectors?

A few weeks ago, the derailer on my touring bike caught on the chain and ripped itself off the frame. (See the link below for more info on the incident.) The spoke protector was cracked in half by ...
Goodbye Stack Exchange's user avatar
10 votes
11 answers
29k views

Is it possible to do 50 km distance without any previous training?

I'm considering to do a 50-55 km distance on a mixed surface. Mostly asphalt and gravel, maybe even a little bit of sand. Haven't done any training or exercise, basically been sitting at home all day, ...
endofroad's user avatar
  • 111
10 votes
1 answer
8k views

How can I adapt a mountain bike for a one or two week tour?

This is the situation. I have GT Agressor 1.0 mountain bike. I want to travel for about a week on my bike, which means that I will have to ride a lot on paved roads (around 70% of the road). So I ...
iamamtb's user avatar
  • 173
8 votes
4 answers
14k views

Can you attach front panniers to shocks?

I'm going on a bike trip and need the extra storage supplied by front panniers. But my bike has front suspension. I can replace the fork with a solid one but that will increase my costs. Is it A) ...
jon's user avatar
  • 591
8 votes
6 answers
1k views

Help for a 169 mile bike ride

I am not a pro and I have never taken a long bike trip before, but I think I am up to it. The trip is not going to be one-go. I'll stop for rest. I am thinking that if I do 10 miles a day, I should be ...
asef's user avatar
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8 votes
4 answers
4k views

Carrying water during touring?

The earlier question, here, raised this question about carrying water. How do you carry water during touring? Do yo carry it in panniers, water-bags, bottles, containers or elsewhere? How does your ...
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7 votes
4 answers
3k views

Traveling Overseas with Bikes

My wife and I are planning a cycling trip through Europe. This will be our second, and we're planning to build a pair of dedicating touring bikes for this (and other) adventures. We'd like suggestions ...
Stephen Touset's user avatar
6 votes
5 answers
666 views

Bike bag options for commuting to and from Airport

I've got a quick trip later in the year to Italy and I'm considering biking on my full sized road bike to/from the airport at both ends of the trip. I'll have my trusty Chrome Industries Rolltop 37 ...
ynnekkram's user avatar
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4 votes
4 answers
3k views

How to clean consumable metallic parts cheaply while touring?

By the term consumable metallic parts I mean things such as derailleur pulleys, chains and cassettes. I have met tourers that suggested me cooking oil for cleaning the metallic parts, more here. The ...
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3 votes
1 answer
2k views

What size of slick tire should I buy?

I purchased a mountain bike and I ride on the road most of the time and I was looking at slicks for my bike. My tire size that I have now is 26x2.00 and the rims. I have on are AT-550 26inch what size ...
user10523's user avatar
2 votes
4 answers
612 views

What does self-support mean during touring?

Please, justify each item/action you take/do to qualify to be self-supportive during touring. My problem is independent touring around the world. The term self-support per se means no extra luggage, ...
user avatar
14 votes
3 answers
1k views

Touring with little kids?

I'm curious, has anyone gone on bicycle tours with small children? I did some long-distance camping touring a while ago and would like to do more eventually. For the moment, though, we have a toddler, ...
lmjohns3's user avatar
  • 461
13 votes
5 answers
6k views

Do expedition bikes offer advantages over standard touring bikes?

I have seen a few bikes marketed as "Expedition Bikes". They seem to be designed for the purpose of touring off-the-beaten-track. Typically they have 26 inch wheels and either butterfly or flat bars, ...
decvalts's user avatar
  • 347
10 votes
5 answers
3k views

Touring with kids - tag along and kids trailer behind same bike

I am wondering if anyone has experience of pulling tag-along and then kids trailer? Would that be possible to tag a kids trailer to a 20 inch tag along?
Haraldur Blöndal Kristjánsson's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
532 views

Cycling into tunnels

I am planning a long trip in Japan (about 1400 km) in a hilly/mountain region. I already know there will be no cycling path and then I will have to share the road with cars. This is allowed by local ...
L.Dutch's user avatar
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9 votes
5 answers
7k views

Charging eBike Battery with Solar

I need some advice / info on solar charging an eBike battery. We have two RadRovers from Rad Power Bikes. They are powered with a Panasonic Dolphin 48V, 11.6Ah Lithium-Ion battery https://www....
Chris's user avatar
  • 193
9 votes
6 answers
6k views

Clothes during touring?

Are your touring-riding clothes a lot different than, let say, clothes for riding to work? Do you wear better or different clothes for touring? Have you found some good way to wash your clothes during ...
user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
680 views

Touring bike with good support network in India

I am planning to tour India. And I have heard many of the US brand bikes don't have support in Tier-2 cities in India. I am worried, if I get struck with out being able to get any spares or a good ...
Bussller's user avatar
  • 312
8 votes
4 answers
2k views

Items required in a World travelling bike?

I saw a fascinating bicycle today with "world traveler" hand-written on the frame. I was awe-struck by this bike. The odometer showed over 2000 km ridden, in freezing winter temperatures. The plastic ...
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8 votes
7 answers
2k views

What are the absolute essentials a cyclist should own? [closed]

Context: My bike shop includes free servicing as a standard with a new bike. I don't need such thing and live too far away. In lieu of waiver I can get €100 of stuff from the shop. Best bike problem ...
larryone's user avatar
  • 111
8 votes
7 answers
31k views

Why top touring bikes have no suspension forks?

I'm in the search for a new long distance touring bike, and I'm surprised that most top models have no front suspension (IDWorks, Tout Terrain, Koga, etc.). It looks like front suspension is a rarity ...
olee22's user avatar
  • 1,338
8 votes
6 answers
12k views

What kinds of kickstands are good for touring?

I am using a sturdy 2nd-hand-bought diamond-framed Crescent Sport bike which I like to use for random touring. I have seen a cyclocrosser using the kickstand to spin the pedals while cleaning and ...
user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
20k views

26" vs 28" wheels for touring

I was told by a friend that 26" wheels are better than 28" wheels for touring. Is this true? What are the pro's and con's? I'm told that 26" wheels are stronger for their spoke count. What are the ...
jon's user avatar
  • 591
7 votes
3 answers
2k views

What options do I have to charge my GPS and Phone using a dynamo hub?

I'm planning to purchase a supernova infinity-8 dynamo hub and wanted to use this during daylight hours to charge my Phone and GPS during bike tours. What products are available that will work with ...
Benzo's user avatar
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6 votes
4 answers
2k views

Going on a long distance bike tour: what kit do I need?

I am going on a long distance bike tour and I am looking for advice as to the kind of equipment / bike set up I should use? I don't have a huge budget so what are the absolutely critical aspects I ...
Andrew Welch's user avatar
  • 2,954
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

Should I attempt a long trip?

I daily cycle 20~30 km in (high) traffic going between home, faculty and other places. However I have never been outside of city or in any kind of competition. Now I have to go to another city and I ...
bolov's user avatar
  • 161
6 votes
5 answers
950 views

What bag should I buy first for my gravel-touring kind of bike?

I have bought a new bike, and I would like to start equipping it with bags, as I plan to do bicycle tours in the future. At the moment, however, I only do day tours, and I would like to buy a bag that ...
april's user avatar
  • 161
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Are there LED based dynamo powered lights suitable for night time MTB riding on singletrack?

Are there LED based dynamo powered lights suitable for night time MTB riding on singletrack? Likely they would need to have: High Brightness, likely 500 lumens or better. Not sure how that translates ...
Benzo's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
4k views

Are bicycle rear racks and panniers suitable for cross-country riding?

Later this summer, I intend to make a ten-day travel. It is going to be mainly road touring with one-two-tree days of sloped dirt roads or forest trails possible. I usually pack heavily, carrying a ...
Vorac's user avatar
  • 13.5k
4 votes
2 answers
12k views

Can I use a mountain bike to go bike touring?

I'm planning on going bike touring in S.East Asia. I've been planning which bike to get. Companies like Thorn offer custom made bikes (specially designed for adventure-style cycle touring), but they ...
Andrew Welch's user avatar
  • 2,954
3 votes
5 answers
4k views

Best brake pads for long distance travelling?

Me and a friend of mine are going on a long bike trip (which will take us a month) and we're finetuning our bikes for this. We will be bringing about 14kg of luggage each, only riding on paved roads (...
romeovs's user avatar
  • 285
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Major Problem: 135mm rear spacing road touring frame with shimano 5800 11 speed cassette?

I have a brand new traitor wander touring frame, it has 135mm rear spacing like a mountain bike (this is a road touring frame). I bought 29er mountain bike disc wheels that were advertised as 11 ...
Nathan's user avatar
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