Toronto2Vancouver (T2V)

[Toronto2Vancouver]

Hi There

My friend and i are looking at undergoing an adventure of, to us, massive proportion. We want to cycle from Toronto to Vancouver, if the title didn't give it away. Of course to undertake such a journey we need kit and the right kit at that. I know a little bit about bikes myself having built one but that is more the mountain side of the sport, we need your help for the road side so we stay off the road side . We need to know what bikes are the best, bags and clothes. We do have a budget yes, it is still being worked out but lets just start with the cheapest it will be the easiest place to start. We are very committed to doing this and understand the magnitude of the journey. We look forward to hearing your suggestions.

T2V

 

[I like Skol]

How far is it and what time of year do you plan to do this? Are you going to camp or stay in accommodation at night?

 

[Toronto2Vancouver]

Its going to be close to 5000km and we want to do it in summer July/august time. mostly camp or staying with contacts that i have over there.

 

[welsh dragon]

2,719 miles from Toronto to vancouver.

 

[ColinJ]

2,719 miles from Toronto to vancouver.

-ish!

(We don't know the exact route ...)

 

[raleighnut]

Good luck.

 

[welsh dragon]

-ish!

(We don't know the exact route ...)

True. The great god google gave me the answer.

 

[I like Skol]

I suggest you avoid trying to go cheap on your kit. Even if you do 100 miles a day (unlikely) it will take a month to cover the distance so that is a lot of time on the bike and a lot of time camping. Be sure to get appropriate gear of suitable quality.

 

[steveindenmark]

Best bags......you will get a few answers but Ortleib will probably come out on top. Not cheap but are as tough as nails and totally waterproof. Most RTW cyclists use them.

Bikes....depends on so many things...how much gear are you carrying, what's your budget, mostly on road or off road, panniers front and back or just back, drop or flat bars. I would search for touring bicycles in Canada because you will have different makes to the rest of us. Surly bikes gets good write ups.

Sleeping mat...Exped

Get a silk sleeping bag liner off ebay. Costs pennies, keeps your sleeping bag clean and adds warmth, takes up no space.

Saddle......we cannot tell you. It is very personal and only you can find your own.

Tyres...Schwalbe Marathon Plus.

Double skinned tent, not a single skinned tent. It is worth the extra weight.

 

[James Ots]

Are you based in Canada, or will you be visiting from the UK or elsewhere?

 

[Shadow]

Good luck with your adventure. Do you have a route planned?

I would have thought one easily overlooked item could be bug juice. At that time of year in northern ontario, you could well need it.

Try looking at the canadian cycle touring sites, plenty of advice to be found there. And you might want to hook up with @jhawk who is planning to do the whole country east to west!

 

[John_S]

Hi,

This sounds like an absolutely amazing trip and I wish you the best of luck with it.

Firstly apologies because I don’t have any direct experience of the type of bike or long distance touring that you’ll be embarking on.

However when looking myself for a sturdy reliable commuter bike I came across this company and they seem to have a few touring bikes in their line up and so may potentially be of interest.

http://www.en.tout-terrain.de/

Good luck with the trip and it would be interesting to read some feedback on your trip once you’ve successfully completed it.

John

 

[jhawk]

Welcome, intrepid explorers!

Thanks to @Shadow for the tag. While I can't be of much help to you, route/gear-wise (having had most of my gear either already purchased, donated by a few companies, or came with the bike). I can tell you that I hope to meet up along the way! Although I shall have to motor it to catch you, I imagine!

Best of luck. If you want, feel free to PM me, and I'll give you my email address and we can keep in touch that way