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!