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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33 answers
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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 ...
28 votes
20 answers
12k views

How can I prevent bicycle theft while bikepacking?

I’m planning a multi-day gravel ride with a few friends. We would have to sleep in public campgrounds, which are also full of people because of the camping season. What is the best way to secure our ...
MaplePanda's user avatar
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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
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
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
22 votes
10 answers
57k 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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20 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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19 votes
11 answers
9k views

Why do cyclists use thin bottles?

I got very frustrated when shopping for bicycle bottle holders because I almost wasn't able to find thick ones (ie, larger, longer, or higher capacity). I just found some and immediately ordered them, ...
UTF-8's user avatar
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19 votes
4 answers
4k 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
  • 293
18 votes
5 answers
3k views

Best E-reader for a touring bike? [closed]

OK, folks, since today is April 1st and April 1st is pretty much the start of the cycling season here in Tropical Southern Minnesota, I figure it's the ideal day to ask this question: What is the ...
Daniel R Hicks's user avatar
18 votes
11 answers
6k 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 ...
b.roth'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 ...
user avatar
15 votes
7 answers
3k views

500mile bike tour?

I'm planning on touring 528 miles from Los Angeles all the way to Tucson Arizona during the summer. I am planning to stay over there for a while so I won't carry to much of a load. I already know ...
IZZy's user avatar
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15 votes
7 answers
40k 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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15 votes
1 answer
417 views

Pass in the Alps that can be crossed by mountain bike?

I'm looking for a pass in the Alps that I can cross with my mountain bike. I know that if there's a road, I could just use it, but my question is a little bit more special. I'm looking for a pass ...
RoflcoptrException's user avatar
15 votes
5 answers
3k views

What should I look for in choosing wheels for a road bike?

I have a commuting/touring bike and my riding is a good bit of commuting mixed with weekend rides of up to 50 miles. In my lame knowledge, I'll assume that lighter wheels can be had when you spend ...
Drew Stephens's user avatar
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
14 votes
6 answers
8k views

What explains 9 speed cassettes price differences?

I have a pretty heavy bike I use to travel long distances with a lot of luggage. It has a mix of XT, deore and other Shimano equipment. I bought it second hand so I don't really know the details. I ...
Mintar's user avatar
  • 143
14 votes
5 answers
2k views

what considerations for safe storage/use of electronics in cold weather?

If touring in coldish weather (UK, circa 0degC), electronic equipment will get cold. How best to ensure everything continues to function? Dynamo lighting should presumably be largely unaffected by ...
jhnc's user avatar
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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
12 votes
13 answers
33k 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
  • 131
12 votes
3 answers
4k views

Reasonable daily distance for cycle touring?

Planning a bike packing with a friend immediately after finals, meaning we have no time to train. Will be cycling for around a month through Europe, on road bikes. I ride a lot but my friend hasn’t ...
Nathan's user avatar
  • 151
12 votes
5 answers
4k views

Worth it carrying spare spokes?

Truing a wheel and lacing spokes is a big deal, requires a truing stand and everything. I know some do it without tool just with the spoke wrench and the naked eye, but feels like a big deal to me. ...
ptpdlc's user avatar
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12 votes
2 answers
5k views

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 ...
user avatar
11 votes
4 answers
6k views

How to decelerate during long downhill rides and avoid brake glazing

I mostly ride touristic style, and its not uncommon descents of few hundred meters or even 1000 meters (vertically, usually average gradient is around 5-10%). What's the best technique to brake to ...
Wiktor N's user avatar
  • 111
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
799 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
  • 351
11 votes
4 answers
3k views

What is a good formula to translate a Google Maps cycle time estimate into a reasonable trip time for very long distances?

I want to get to San Francisco from Los Angeles. I've looked at a number of options, including cycling. I have never biked such a great distance before, so I consulted Google. It says that the trip ...
James's user avatar
  • 671
11 votes
4 answers
582 views

Aspects for choosing a bike to ride across Europe

I've been planning to do an "Orient Express" tour for a while now and I realised it would be a good idea to ask for advice regarding choosing the bike. I was born in a mountainous area and ...
zcserei's user avatar
  • 211
11 votes
1 answer
334 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 ...
user avatar
10 votes
13 answers
4k views

Touring vs race bike [closed]

I am Fabrizio, completely new in this forum full of experts, considering myself somebody who wants to take his very first steps at biking on the roads. I started to live in the Netherlands since 2 ...
Fabrizio Piva's user avatar
10 votes
4 answers
3k views

I'm an absolute beginner in bike touring, about to buy a bike. Is it worth it to hire a bike fitting service before the purchase?

I'm an absolute beginner in bike touring, about to buy a bike. Currently I'm using local shared bikes and I always wanted to start my adventures on a bike, camping and so on. Given this, is it worth ...
Victor F's user avatar
  • 203
10 votes
5 answers
5k views

Most effective way to improve cantilever brakes

I have a Dawes Super Galaxy touring bike with cantilever brakes, and I'm a bit worried about the stopping power of the brakes when I start loading the bike up with kit to go touring. But I don't know ...
thosphor's user avatar
  • 511
10 votes
4 answers
4k views

How to secure and transport panniers when on foot during a bike trip

Context I would like to go on a solo two weeks bike trip in Europe (mid & east). I am planning on camping (with a 2 person tent), so will not go to any hotel. This means that I will be buying ...
skirato's user avatar
  • 203
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
10 votes
5 answers
13k views

What is the best web application to create cycling cue sheets for future rides

I'm looking for good software to help me map out routes that I have not done before and create cue sheets and probably also printable maps. I plan to use this for my own rides, planning group rides, ...
Benzo's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
4k views

Unicycle touring -- how common?

A couple of days back, on our way to California (in a car), my wife and I passed a unicyclist going the other direction, uphill, on a fairly challenging section of Route 66. (I think we were in ...
Daniel R Hicks's user avatar
9 votes
7 answers
1k views

On road repair for hydraulic brakes

What are the possible on-road modes of failure for hydraulic bicycle braking systems, and what can a touring cyclist do to be prepared for their eventuality? What can one carry as an emergency backup ...
SamA's user avatar
  • 2,696
9 votes
5 answers
4k 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
2 answers
710 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
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
4 answers
22k views

Can I fit rear panniers to a full-suspension bike with a dropper post?

I'm looking at the Whyte T129s and have seen that there's a couple of options for fitting panniers to the back of a full-sus bike. Topeak Freeload - see link Any suggestions whether either of these ...
Rich Ashworth's user avatar
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
3 answers
652 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
  • 7,111
9 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
9 votes
9 answers
3k views

Protecting gadgets against rain during touring

When carrying laptop / camera around I'm always stressed out when it starts raining. Living in a city one can easily avoid rain though - but on a long touring trip there will inevitably be cases when ...
ibz's user avatar
  • 251
9 votes
2 answers
464 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. ...
user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
499 views

Which endurance tires for touring?

I got a recommendation from an experienced tourer to switch to Schwalbe Marathon Plus endurance tires during summer and Schwalbe Spike something during winter. I like the Marathon Plus tires, despite ...
user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
16k views

How do you install a hub dynamo?

I want to buy a Shimano hub dynamo, but I'm encountering problems getting a bike shop to commit to installing it for me if I buy it. So I have a couple questions that I'm hoping some of you guys might ...
Julian's user avatar
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