Top Touring Tips
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Good wheels I find trump spare spokes 
- spokes are not supposed to break - the first couple of tours I went on I carried spare spokes and suffered from broken spokes - I then discarded the lbs advice about wheels and bought some from SJS - the subsequent 50000k I have neither carried spare spokes or suffered from broken spokes.
- spokes are not supposed to break - the first couple of tours I went on I carried spare spokes and suffered from broken spokes - I then discarded the lbs advice about wheels and bought some from SJS - the subsequent 50000k I have neither carried spare spokes or suffered from broken spokes.
to dry clothes, - wring them out as much as you can, put them in your sleepinmg bag, get in and sleep with them, body heat will work - they will be dry by morning.
If its really cold climb in sleeping bag head first, keep your socks on.
to dry clothes put them under your top,jacket,jumper,cycle top - they will dry out with body heat.
carry everything in plastic bags. seal one as emergency cloths.
always carry a compass - maps are only 50% useful without hem.
take a wooly hat, when not cycling it will stop you cooling down to quickly
to dry towels hang them on your backpack fixed top and bottom.
normally I would say ditch underpants. but in cycling to keep your padded pants dry wear them, take 2 pairs one on , one drying. - same with socks.(normally I would say wear 2 pairs of socks, a thin inner pair and a thick outer pair, change inner pair daily - but hopefully you won,t be doing to much walking)
Avoid getting wet , time lost sheltering is time saved drying everything out.
Pin a towel to your inside layer against your skin on your back - under your back pack. - it will stop sweat getting into your back pack and outer clothes.
all little tricks learned from 10years of soldiering.
to plan your route go on ridewithgps.com - a good route planner
If its really cold climb in sleeping bag head first, keep your socks on.
to dry clothes put them under your top,jacket,jumper,cycle top - they will dry out with body heat.
carry everything in plastic bags. seal one as emergency cloths.
always carry a compass - maps are only 50% useful without hem.
take a wooly hat, when not cycling it will stop you cooling down to quickly
to dry towels hang them on your backpack fixed top and bottom.
normally I would say ditch underpants. but in cycling to keep your padded pants dry wear them, take 2 pairs one on , one drying. - same with socks.(normally I would say wear 2 pairs of socks, a thin inner pair and a thick outer pair, change inner pair daily - but hopefully you won,t be doing to much walking)
Avoid getting wet , time lost sheltering is time saved drying everything out.
Pin a towel to your inside layer against your skin on your back - under your back pack. - it will stop sweat getting into your back pack and outer clothes.
all little tricks learned from 10years of soldiering.
to plan your route go on ridewithgps.com - a good route planner
Hitchington
Lovely stuff
- Location
- That London
Take a small fold up camping stool for a nice sit down when you reach the campsite. Beats sitting on the ground!
samid
Guru
- Location
- Toronto, Canada
In warm weather ride in sandals - then you can ditch socks altogether, and sandals dry fast.
bluemint
Active Member
- Location
- Between the plain and the peak
I use a Walkstool. I got the cheapest one but it's great. the legs can sink into the ground but it can get away with it in low mode. Also handy for fiddling with the bike.
Hitchington
Lovely stuff
- Location
- That London
Yep! I got a Tripod stool from Decathlon. Cheap as chips but absolute luxury after a full day in the saddle. Easy to strap to the back of the bike rack.
Nigeyy
Legendary Member
- Location
- Massachusetts, USA
One thing I've found really handy is Crocs. Sure you may look like a fashion disaster (I'm really old enough now to just not care when I'm in that pub as to what I look like), but they're extremely lightweight, don't get wet and (at least for me) very comfy. Add in the fact they are easy to put on and take off, and that makes for really easy tent ingress/egress (especially at night when you have a call of nature ).
Saves trying to pack another pair of footwear if you use cycling shoes. They are great things for tootling around a campsite or even short walks -wouldn't be without them now -aside from fashion (pah, who cares?), they check off every functionality for me.
Saves trying to pack another pair of footwear if you use cycling shoes. They are great things for tootling around a campsite or even short walks -wouldn't be without them now -aside from fashion (pah, who cares?), they check off every functionality for me.
Marcosplace
Regular
- Location
- Seaham
Pack different items into tuppaware boxes. Great way to organise your kit and keep it from damage from water.
Pack clothing and other items in nylon drawstring sacks which are different colours.
You then know that pants and socks are in the green bag,the evening trousers and shirt are in the blue bag, Laundry is in the yellow bag etc.
Makes finding items and clothing far easier in a small tent or pannier
Also the bags double up as a pillow
You then know that pants and socks are in the green bag,the evening trousers and shirt are in the blue bag, Laundry is in the yellow bag etc.
Makes finding items and clothing far easier in a small tent or pannier
Also the bags double up as a pillow
Next time you replace a inner tube, keep it.
Cut the tube in half at the valve and dispose of the valve.
Keep the dust cap, you always need a spare
Cut off the a small slice of the tube and then roll it up, using the slice as an elastic band to keep it rolled up
The inner tube has multiple users, these include;
Cut the tube in half at the valve and dispose of the valve.
Keep the dust cap, you always need a spare
Cut off the a small slice of the tube and then roll it up, using the slice as an elastic band to keep it rolled up
The inner tube has multiple users, these include;
- Elastic bands, as described above.
- Fire starters, An inch long bit wrapped around some kindling will start a fire even in the rain
- If you have bar ends on your bike, cover them with inner tube, on cold days your fingers will not stick to the metal
- Keep a bit of inner tube on your handle bars, this can then be put over the brake so locking your bike wheel, very useful when taking your bike on a train
- Bits of inner tube make a great cushion between various attachments on your bike, much better than the insets that come with the items
- Wrap your D-Lock in inner tube, it stops it damaging your paint work
- Wrap the lock bit of your D-Lock in inner tube, it will stop the rattle
- Put inner tube on your rack, your panniers will then fit perfectly and wont rattle
- Inner tube make a great seal, it can be used to make lights waterproof
- As mentioned earlier, Inner tube can be fitted below the saddle tube to seal the saddle tube and the seat tube
- It can be used, with puncture repair glue, as patches to repair torn panniers, holes in tent ground sheets, and even a tyre for a short distance.
- To attach spare spokes to the outside of your bike
- Put spare spokes inside a length of inner tube, seal up both ends, and then put inside the saddle tube and seal with more inner tube, spare spokes can then stay on your bike for years as they are out of sight and protected
- Can be used as seal round fuel bottles to stop them leaking
- Can be used to do a repair on a torn inner tube as a very large patch (if you have enough glue!)
