Bike Tours / Adventures

McDaniel

McDaniel

McDaniel

Soldato
Joined
15 Aug 2003
Posts
19,916
Location
Essex
Afternoon Folks,

Has anyone here done any big bike tours or adventures; I kind of what to do something with a bit of "wow" factor and looking at the potential of cycling the West Coast of America into Vancouver...

I don't do much cycling at the moment and a bit out of shape so will be doing a weekly ride to my home town (~26miles) along with smaller rides in the week to build stamina and eventually doing the trip to home town and back in 1 run (~52miles) - time isn't an issue for being in the states other then the 90day Visa so was planning to take my time and enjoy it doing maybe across a 6 week period, potentially a bit longer.

Am I crazy, or is it completely doable? What sort of expense would I be looking at for bike/gear/tents etc?
 
I have a mountain bike

http://i.imgur.com/mh4Xd.jpg

one of them - but not sure it is best suited for that type of trip? Under £500 for the rest sounds good though; I have a fair whack of cash coming from redundancy but wanted to go as cheap as possible - the idea is to end up in Vancouver where I will start a 12month working/holiday visa after the ride from starting in San Diego.
 
Bike depends on where you will be riding and how long you will be going for.

If its going to be on road then get something with road wheels and for trails / off road then a CX / 29er would probably be best. I doubt you'd need suspension given the kit you'd be carrying going self supported.

You'll need rack mounts unless you are planning on carrying everything on your back for 8 hours a day. Rear mounts for sure, front if required.

I think someone on here has done / is doing the Great Divide from Canada to Mexico.
 
[DOD]Asprilla;22414342 said:
Bike depends on where you will be riding and how long you will be going for.
Click to expand...

Looking at San Diego > Vancouver - American West Coast, ~5-6weeks

[DOD]Asprilla;22414342 said:
If its going to be on road then get something with road wheels and for trails / off road then a CX / 29er would probably be best. I doubt you'd need suspension given the kit you'd be carrying going self supported.
Click to expand...

So given that, a road bike then? Not sure what you mean by CX / 29er?

[DOD]Asprilla;22414342 said:
You'll need rack mounts unless you are planning on carrying everything on your back for 8 hours a day. Rear mounts for sure, front if required.
Click to expand...

Aye assumed I would need racks, panniers are they called? I would think both front and rear what with tent/clothing and all.

[DOD]Asprilla;22414342 said:
I think someone on here has done / is doing the Great Divide from Canada to Mexico.
Click to expand...

Hopefully they will see this thread then
 
A CX is a Cyclocross bike, a beefed up road bike used for off road racing. A 29er is like a mountain bike but with only front or no suspension and 29" wheels (same diameter as road bike wheels) as opposed to 26" mountain bike wheels.

You probably want a Touring bike for this kind of, erm, tour.
 
I know it's a bit far down the line but I've got the Vango Ultralite 200 sleeping bag and would recommend it. You won't get much lighter than 800g without paying through your nose for it.

I also used a Terra Nova Superlite Voyager which I'd recommend and is pretty light at 1.53kg although it is a 2-man so you could cope with smaller (can be had for £318 elsewhere). Don't forgot though that the extra space will always be useful over the course of 6 weeks, and you may even be able to fit both yourself and your bike in it if you land up in any dodgy areas.
 
Ah, great then :). It's very easy and quick to erect and put down. I only did a short tour (6 days) but by the end one person could get it down or up in 15 minutes. If I remember correctly the inner lining is permanently suspended from the outer so it can be erected in the rain without issue and that in itself saves time as well.

Both the tent and bag also compress well. Excuse my bodge setup but this is all I had for the 6 days:

574ni.jpg

The sleeping bag is in the middle/main compartment with the tent on top, with everything else in the side panniers. The tent or sleeping bags are something you could stick on a front rack as well because they're lightweight, not prone to damage and will take up otherwise valuable back-pannier space.
 
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