Advice for Those Considering Long-Haul Bicycle Touring

One thing that Dean and I did before we decided to do this trip, and while we were preparing for the trip, was to read as much as could online about what to bring, what to expect, etc. We read a lot of blogs and message boards related to adventure cycling, but never saw an all-in-one advice column for people considering a long tour. For that reason, we're writing one!

Should I do a long-distance tour? Yes. I think long-distance bike touring can be for almost anyone. Just prepare yourself as best you can!

How much training should I do beforehand? If you're already in excellent shape and an avid cyclist, just go for it, maybe with a few fully loaded 50+ mile rides before departing. However, most of the advice here will not be for super-fit avid bikers, since that wasn't our experience.

If you're in not-so-great shape (like we were) and not avid cyclists (like we were), then I strongly recommend doing lots of training rides. We did not do many training rides, we didn't do any long fully-loaded rides, and we never went out when the weather was bad. That was a bad idea. I think it's important to do a long, fully-loaded ride on a drizzling, cool day, because when you're in the middle of nowhere, that might be your only option. I also recommend doing some fully loaded training rides on any hills or mountains that may be in your area.

What kind of bike do I need? I think that if it is at all in your budget, you should absolutely get some kind of touring bike. You can absolutely do a tour on a road bike or on a commuter bike (I wouldn't recommend using a mountain bike, especially with suspension, unless you're doing an off-road tour), but those bikes aren't meant for hauling the weight you'll be hauling, and most aren't meant to take the wear and tear of daily long rides with no break under lots of weight. Touring bikes are meant for touring, so get one if you can. If you can't or don't want to use a touring bike, I recommend talking to your local bike shop about getting it tour-ready.

What kind of gear do I need (other than the bike)? This all depends on what kind of tour you want to do. Most likely you'll need basic camp gear, biking clothes (2 sets should be fine, and padded shorts are a must on both sets), biking tools and accessories (chamois cream, bike multi-tool, etc.), sunblock, sunglasses, chilly-weather gear, panniers or a trailer (we strongly recommend panniers), emergency food supplies (a small amount should be fine), headlights and taillights, a helmet (of course), handlebar mirrors (essential!), a first-aid kit, off-bike clothes (2 sets should be fine), bungee cords, enough water storage for your needs (I used a water bottle and a Camelbak, Dean used 3 water bottles), maps (!), and if at all possible a smartphone or some kind of handheld navigation system, just in case .... That's all we can think of right now.

Should I spend money on "the good stuff" or will mid-range or low-cost gear be okay? Personally, I recommend shelling out the extra money for the good stuff. When we were preparing, I was really against spending as much money as we did, and in some cases I bought the less expensive gear. In almost all cases, the cheap stuff fell apart or didn't perform as well as the expensive stuff. If you can afford it, it's just better to get good stuff when you can. You'll be using it every day. I think this is the most true about your bike clothing and bike parts. The one thing that we did skimp on a bit, cost-wise, that performed great was Bag Balm ($7 per can, appx.) over chamois cream ($20-ish per jar).

Should I go alone, or with a friend or group of friends? I can't really speak to going alone, since I've only done one tour and it was with my husband. We did meet several people traveling solo, and they seemed happy enough. I did notice the solo riders were chatty when we met them -- I think they may have been suffering a bit for company.

We had a great time traveling together on this trip. However, it could have gone very badly. If you are going with someone else, or a group, I recommend talking about what your major goals are for the trip before you leave. If you have vastly different goals, it might cause problems along the way. For example, if one person really wants to pedal every inch and another person just wants to enjoy the flat parts in good weather, that might cause a problem. Talk about it beforehand and make sure you're in sync.

How bad are the mountains? First things first, I recommend having a bike shop look at your gearing. If you're going to be climbing mountains, you might want a serious granny gear to help you out. Mid-way through the trip we both had our bikes re-geared, and I think it helped us in the Rockies.

How bad the mountains are depend on how good of shape you're in. For me, the Appalachians and Blue Ridge were excruciating torture. Dean did alright. I was totally miserable. During that time, however, he did have slightly lower gearing than I did. The mountains in Virginia and Kentucky are very, very steep, even when they're not all that tall. It's tough if you're not ready. Actually, I think it's pretty tough even for those who are ready, judging from anecdotes we heard from other tourists in pretty good shape. But if you have good cardio and strong quads, it's a great start.

I'll take this opportunity to recommend training on hills or mountains again. I really think it's crucial.

The Rockies were taller than the eastern mountains, but not as steep. Plus, we were in better shape when we got there. But please do be as prepared as you can be, because they can be a big slap in the face if you're not ready.

What do you do when the bikes break down? You fix it if you can, and try to get to a bike shop if you can't. I strongly recommend taking a bike repair course before you leave. We did the Park Tool School, and it was very helpful. Also, even though it can get heavy, I also strongly recommend taking all the tools you might need. If you're stranded 200 miles from the nearest bike shop, you'll wish you'd brought the 5 lb wrench, or whatever, that could help you repair the problem yourself. Also, find out what kind of spokes your wheels take, and bring extras! Also (of course) bring extra, good quality tubes and a patch kit.

What's the best way to prevent sunburn or sun damage? I think this is a great and critical question, since you can be out in the sun for 6-8 hours every day.

We just used super-high SPF sunblock -- 80 - 100 SPF in most cases. We used it every single day, and on really hot days we reapplied as needed. A lot of the higher quality bike clothing also has SPF protection, and your helmets provide shade, too. I originally brought sun-protective long sleeved jerseys and longish pants, but bought shorter stuff along the way. Sunblock did the heavy lifting. Dean didn't get burned at all, and I got burned only when I missed a spot with the sunblock.

What's the deal with saddle sores? Will I get them? How can I prevent them? Saddle sores threatened to emerge every single day with me, and Dean never had any problem. I never did get a full-blown saddle sore (which is a terribly painful abscess), but I got the beginnings of sores (which just looks like light acne).

A lot of things contribute to saddle sores, from what kind of saddle you have, to how much you weigh, to how you sit in the saddle, to your brand of chamois cream, to how well you clean ... and that's just a few. In my opinion, there are a few key things you can do to prevent saddle sores, as follows:

1) Have the right saddle for you, and for touring. Check with your local bike shop to make sure your saddle fits your "sit bones."

2) If you can, lose weight. Being overweight can contribute to saddle sores. Note that I say this with full knowledge that if you could lose weight, you probably would have already, but there it is.

3) Use chamois cream. You have to have something to reduce friction between your chamois and your skin, and to fight against the bacteria party that can go on down there. There are lots of reviews online about which chamois cream is best. As mentioned, we used bag balm, which isn't a chamois cream per se, but it's kind of an antiseptic vaseline/lanolin combo. Use whatever you like, but use something!!

4) Have some zit cream on-hand. A small tube of over-the-counter stuff will do and doesn't weigh much, but if you start to get the minor acne that precedes saddle sores, usually dabbing on some zit cream will take care of the problem overnight.

5) For the love of all that's holy, DO NOT WEAR UNDERWEAR! I'm hoping that if you're considering a long-haul tour, you probably already know this, but I say this just in case. Wearing underwear is the absolute worst thing you can do, and is almost guaranteed to cause saddle sores on a long distance tour.

6) I know I mentioned it earlier, but you must have padded shorts. Again, if you're thinking of a long-distance tour, you probably know this, but it's really crucial so I'm just saying it again.

7) Take a shower as soon as you can after getting off the bike. Bacteria and germ can really build up in your sweaty bike shorts during a long ride, and you want to wash all that stuff off as soon as you can! Keeping your butt clean and dry when not on the bike is essential to preventing saddle sores.

That's all I can think of, but there are lots of other online sources about this, and I recommend that you check them out!

Will I lose a lot of weight on a trip like this? Probably not. Dean and I both ended up gaining a few pounds on the trip, and I've never heard of anyone losing more than 10 lbs or so. A trip like this makes you HUNGRY, and you need to eat a lot of calories to have the energy to go go go every day. I don't think it's a very practical weight-loss plan.

How do you know where to go every day, and which roads to take? We used the Adventure Cycling Association tour maps for most of our trip. They are wonderful maps with lots of key information. I highly recommend them. We sometimes bought local road maps and made our own way, but this was always a gamble.

That's all I can think of now. If you have other questions, post them in comments and we'll answer them as best we can.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT ON THIS TRIP! WE LOVE OUR READERS!

Best Superlatives!

A lot of people have asked us things like, "What's the best place you stayed on your trip?," or "What was your favorite meal?" We are going to answer those questions and more in this post. It's superlatives time!

Most Beautiful State: Idaho (breathtaking every second we were riding, I highly recommend it for a vacation for anyone who loves the outdoors)

Worst State, All-Around: North Dakota (miles and miles of misery)

Best Value Motel: The Muskie Motel in Muscatine, IA ($35 a night for a motel that would cost easily $65 most other places)

Best Place We Stayed: Cyclists' Bunkhouse in Dalbo, MN (perfect for cyclists and Donn was great company!)

Worst Place We Stayed: it's a tie! Cormorant Inn in Cormorant, MN (over $100 per night to have bad rock covers blasted into our ears until 2 a.m.) tied with Oxford Junction Park Shelter in Oxford Junction, IA (the creepiest town in America, but at least it was free)

Best Meal: Meredith says it was spaghetti with garlic bread and chocolate milk at The Fountain Sandwich Fountain in Buchanan, VA; Dean says it was it was the Chipotle French Dip sandwich at O'Griff's Irish Pub and Grill in Quincy, IL -- Runner Up, The Piggy Bank in Oakville, IA

Worst Meal: Chinese food in Rainier, OR. (though the fresh cherries we got there kind of made up for it)

Best Essential Item Brought on Trip: Meredith's bike (1986 Miyata Six-Ten). It performed beautifully for basically the entire trip. I had one flat tire and one broken spoke on a 2300 mile trip. Not bad for a 25 year old bike! In fact, not bad for even a brand new bike! I am so grateful to Dean's friend, Benny, who gave us that awesome bike as a wedding gift!

Best Non-Essential Item Brought on Trip: Dean's Smartphone, to the point that I'm not sure I'd even call it non-essential, though we considered not bringing one at all. Runner up: my Camelbak backpack

Most Useless Item Brought on Trip: Bandanas. We thought we'd use them to keep sun and bugs off our necks (tied to our helmets -- a suggestion from another bike tourist's blog), but we didn't use them even one time for any reason. We should have used them as bike rags.

Best Brand of Bike Equipment/Clothing: Meredith says Bontrager, overall (everything they make is the best, except for gloves, for which I vote Specialized). Dean has no strong opinion, but wore Pearl Izumi clothing, mostly, and tried several different tire and glove brands. His Bontrager gloves worked the best for him (because Bontrager rules). I (Meredith) also like Twin Sixes clothing.

Most Beautiful Thing we Saw: It's a 4-way tie! Badlands in North Dakota, Glacier National Park in Montana, and Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in Idaho, the Mississippi River and bluffs in the morning in Wisconsin and Minnesota

Best Day: Lolo Hot Springs, MT to Lowell, ID -- our longest day. It's unanimous! This was a great day. We felt proud of climbing our first Rocky Mountain and going the farthest distance in one day, and it was also a beautiful, beautiful ride. Amazing!

Worst Day: Meredith says Lewiston, ID to Dayton, WA -- it was a long, long day, and hard with a lot of bad decisions and bad luck. Dean says Troutville, VA to Blacksburg, VA -- it was a short, really hard day with lots of tears and misery, plus is was hot and the hills were super steep.

Hardest Day: The reverse! Meredith says Troutville, VA to Blacksburg, VA was hardest -- those hills were just killer and I blew out a quad. It was pure torture every second. Dean says Lewiston, ID to Dayton, WA -- it just went on forever.

Nicest Town: Meredith says Stillwater, MN. It was adorable and the people were friendly. I could totally see myself living there. Dean says Troutville, VA, where everyone was super helpful, friendly and kind.

Nicest Person: Scott, of Ride On Bikes in Lewiston, ID. He drove 100 miles out of his way to fix a broken spoke for us when we were stranded in Kamiah, ID, and he wouldn't accept any payment. Wow!

Meanest Person: Random guy in a red truck in Idaho, who drove frighteningly near us in the bike lane, honked his horn as loud as possible to startle us (nearly to the point of crashing), and then sped off, while flipping the bird out of the window. Pure class. Also, interesting that both the nicest and meanest people we met on the trip were in Idaho. Huh.

Best "Twine Ball" (Dean and I called the fun detours we took to see odd things our "twine balls," since I told him at the beginning of the trip that if we saw a sign for the world's biggest twine ball, I wanted to go see it): MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) local / amateur expo in Kamiah, ID. Every guy there looked like an Eminem impersonator.

Most Vicious Dog Attack: Buford, the 20 year old Basset Hound with two teeth who was hot on our trail, near Troy, Missouri. He would not leave us alone! Thankfully, we never needed to use our Halt! Dog Repellent.

Most Inexplicable Roadside Display: 2-mile fence covered in shoes, near Downer, MN. What did it MEAN??? Honorable mentions: Dragon and unicorn painting on side of road, early on in the trip; "The Flamingos Are Coming!" warnings all over Cascade, IA; Lawn featuring Spongebob, Statue of Liberty, A Snail, and Uncle Sam in Cormorant, MN; giant man wearing green shoes and hat on side of mountain just outside Dayton, WA; and signs in Prescott, WI saying "Curb End," where the curb ends and "Curb Start," where the curb starts. Who paid for those?

Most Popular Blog Post: Day 3 - Richmond, VA to Charlottesville, VA, with 97 pageviews. I have no idea why this would be the most popular, but the stats don't lie!

Most Difficult-to-Identify Bird: Um, we still don't know. It's kind of purpley blue black, small, and hangs out by the Missouri River. Any ideas?

Other superlatives you're curious about? Just say so in comments and we'll post 'em!

Trip Stats!

Dean and I have been back home a few weeks now, and we apologize for the delay in getting our promised stats post published! Here we go!

Total miles biked on trip: 2298.0

Total bike days: 48

Total rest days: 21

Average miles biked on bike days (excluding rest days): 47.9 miles

Average miles biked per day, overall (including rest days): 33.3 miles

Max speed of entire trip: 38.5 mph (I distinctly remember cresting the hill that day and saying to Dean, "This is going to be fun!")

Longest ride: 87.3 miles (Lolo Hot Springs, MT to Lowell, ID -- the day we climbed our first Rocky Mountain)

Shortest ride on a non-rest day: 14.1 miles (Augusta, MO to Washington, MO -- the day of the tornado, and when Dean hurt his wrist)

# of falls: 7 (4 for Dean, 3 for Meredith, but one of Meredith's resulted from Dean inciting panic by telling her she had a bug on her [no fair!])

# of flat tires: 5 (4 for Dean, 1 for Meredith) Our kevlar belted tires performed really well. Only one of our flats was the result of a puncture.

# of broken spokes: 3 (2 for Dean, 1 for Meredith) All of these were on the drive side of the rear tire -- the hardest place to replace a broken spoke. What a pain!

# of times we seriously considered packing it in and going home: 1 (Meredith)

Max temp on hottest day riding: 104 (on the way to Lynxville, WI)

Min temp on coldest day: 48 (on the way to Troy, MO -- my feet went numb it was so cold!)

# of mountains climbed (I'm counting buttes over 2,000 ft, too): 4 (Cawtaba, Lolo, Alpowa, Big Butte)

# of bike shops visited on trip: 9 (Bike Beat in Williamsburg, VA; Katy Bike Rental in Defiance, MO; Bickel's Cycling and Fitness in Burlington, IA; Smith's Cycling and Fitness in La Crosse, WI; Jake's Bikes in Alexandria, MN; The Bikery in Stillwater, MN; Great Northern Bicycle Co. in Fargo, ND; Ride On Bikes in Lewiston, ID; and Allegro Cyclery in Walla Walla, WA)

# of bike chains used on trip: 5 (3 for Dean, 2 for Meredith)

# of nights camped: 8

# of nights with free lodging: 10 (Many thanks to Sapna, Teri, Alex , Joy, and Donn! Also thanks to the Mineral, VA fire department, and the cities of Troutville, Bowlus, Hope, and (shudder) Oxford Junction)

# of gas station hamburgers consumed: 5 (YUM!)

# of times we had to "go" in the woods: 5 (but thankfully, we never had to use the spade we brought!)

# of Man v. Food episodes watched in motel rooms across this great nation: 31 (it's a good show, okay?)

# of time zones crossed: 3

# of road closures encountered: 6 (3 of which we bravely faced, ignoring the ROAD CLOSED DO NOT ENTER sign)

Any other stats you'd like to know about? Mention them in comments, and we'll add 'em in, if we can!

Answering Hyla's comment about # of animal species: There were 13 new animal species we noted seeing in the blog (from bison to camels to loons to pelicans and more!), but I couldn't begin to hazard a guess to the total number of animal species we saw. Easily hundreds, if not thousands!

Answering RG's comment about # of hours spent blogging: I'd hazard a guess at 110 hours total -- more than an hour per night, but not quite 2 hours per night