Touring Help

[Garjenkins]

How do,

I am a bit of a beginner in the cycling world.......I started riding 24 miles a day (12 to and 12 back from work) about 3 months ago. I have got a decent hybrid ridge back 8 spd hub - I want to do a tour for about a week (like London to Scotland 500 miles ish?).

I havent got those clippy pedal shoes...........and by the fact that I called them "clippy pedal shoes" you can tell Im enthusiastic but know badger all about whether something like this ride would impossible without the right equipment or whether if my heart and fitness is up to scratch it will be fine.

Anyone got any pointers, wisdom....words of encouragement?

 

[Cathryn]

Hey. Welcome to the forum - with mileage like that you're hardly a beginner!

My honest opinion is that you're a tourer if you get on your bike and go on a tour. It's nice to have a touring bike and all the 'stuff' but all you need is a bike you're comfy on and some panniers and you're a tourer. I toured for three years (only week long trips at a stretch admittedly) on a hybrid with some halfords panniers (lined with bin liners) and had an awesome time.

Personally, I hate clippy pedal shoes. I tried them last year and they spoilt cycling for me so I'm back in normal shoes. In my normal shoes, I did a month long trip across Europe over some Alps and managed perfectly well without clips, so don't get hung up about them.

For your Scottish trip, I'd suggest the following stuff.

- Bike. Your hybrid sounds great but you might struggle on 8 gears up some of the steeper hills.
- Panniers. Try the Halfords one and line them with bin liners and you'll be fine.
- Padded shorts x 2
- Something to wear on top x 2
- Fleece
- Waterproof jacket and trousers (items not to skimp on)
- Change of clothes for the evening
- Fleeces, long sleeved tops etc dependent on how chilly a body you have. I like being warm.
- Padded gloves
- Helmet (if you wear one)
- Clothes for the evening
- Puncture repair kits, tools, pumps, spare tyres etc
- Camera, phone, chargers
- Maps
- Money
- Book for the evening

Handlebar bags are useful for storing valuables and for easy access to map/camera. I'd avoid a backpack as they make you sweat. I'm also really keen on Assos cream which you whack round your nether regions. It has a very entertaining tingle and keeps you a bit fresher.

I'd also recommend crazyguyonabike.com as an awesome website for inspiration. Many journals have packing lists, which might help.

But just get out there...you'll love it.

 

[Garjenkins]

Sweeet

I could be a tourer! I always believed it deep down I think. Im glad about the clippy shoes because cycling is great for freedom...its nice to just get off and not have to be tied to the bike......also, surely it gets in the way of the obligatory legs spread when youre going down a steep hill no?....dont tell me youve been cycling so long you dont do that anymore!

I figure my decent mileage each day to work will give me a good base fitness for a long ride and then just do a couple of big uns on the weekend? What do you think?

Oh and thanks for replying! Im new to this site but also I have never posted on anything ever before......fanx!

 

[Garjenkins]

oh, also.....Assos cream? really? is the rival brand Bummo Paste?

I will check online to make sure it isnt a wind up. Excited and planning my trip already....

 

[HelenD123]

From personal experience I'd say don't be too ambitious for your first tour. 500 miles in a week is a lot. It takes a bit of practise to get used to carrying a load and doing back to back days. Leave yourself wanting more at the end of the week, not swearing you'll never do it again!

Where are you based? We could give some suggestions straight from your door or using trains.

 

[Garjenkins]

Im on the london/essex border - I plan to do it in Spring, so I have a couple of months to prepare and train a bit.

The first coupe of weeks of commuting - my legs absolutely killed every day, but now i get some stiffness....which i guess will be nothing to what it feels like on a tour....

 

[Amanda P]

As the advert says, Just Do it. You learn as you go along, and in the UK, you're never out of reach of a taxi and/or train and/or bike shop to get you out of any difficulty you might have.

This site has lots of useful information and inspiration (and at least two of your correspondents on here have posted on it).

 

[Garjenkins]

Site looks good!, I'll have a proper gander whenI get the time.

An option Im considering is to have a friend in a support car meeting us at specified locations ( should we ever make them!).....but I know that would take a little adventure away ...it would mean I dont have to spend a whole week only speaking to my cycling buddy! difficult!

 

[Cathryn]

I agree with Helen, don't bite off more than you can chew. I'd say 30 - 50 miles per day max and have a day off every four or five days so you can rest and chill.

For a week's tour from London, personally I'd get the ferry to France and cycle there. Cycling in France is awesome and somehow, being abroad makes it much more exciting. In a week you could comfortably do London to Paris if you wanted to 'achieve' something.

 

[Garjenkins]

Agh, too many places to go!..... I think I will in the future but there are too many places I havent been to in the uk yet....(Scotland being one).

One of my problems is that I want to book hotels at the night stopovers ( I dont mind camping, but I have no desire to lack sleep on a trip like this) but I dont want to under-cook the miles I do...i..e getting there with miles still in my legs (or over cook them)... i guess I just need to try a couple of days out and see how the legs go.

DO they do maps that can show the terrain of the land ( so i can miss the hills weherever poss!)

 

[snorri]

An option Im considering is to have a friend in a support car meeting us at specified locations

No hi tech gear, good.
Cycling 24 miles to work, good
Obvious enthusiasm, good
Support car, aaaarghh

But seriously, part of the joy of cycle touring is the freedom from having to keep to a timetable just like many have to do in real life. Arranging times and locations to meet your support will introduce more problems than it is worth and reduce the feeling of achievement we all enjoy following an independent tour. Also, by maintaining the company of these you know, there is less opportunity for chance encounters with local people who can often add greatly to the whole touring experience.
You will have to think about overnight accommodation, tent, hostel, hotel? Cooking your own meals or eating out as you go? There are pros and cons for each.
As has been said, 40 miles per day is quite a good average to go for. This allows time for sightseeing and is a pace most people can keep up for some weeks.
A few one or two day trips beforehand will give you the confidence and knowledge to undertake a longer tour.

Edit
I see now you plan to use hotels, but booking hotels in advance also ties you down to a programme, unless you mean just booking a few hours in advance. I don't think you will be able to plan a tour with ideal mileages every day, weather can vary, places of interest turn up unexpectedly, your enthusiasm levels vary, best I think to keep all forward planning as loose as possible for a stress free tour.

 

[HelenD123]

One of my problems is that I want to book hotels at the night stopovers ( I dont mind camping, but I have no desire to lack sleep on a trip like this) but I dont want to under-cook the miles I do...i..e getting there with miles still in my legs (or over cook them)... i guess I just need to try a couple of days out and see how the legs go.

DO they do maps that can show the terrain of the land ( so i can miss the hills weherever poss!)

You could book the hotels for the first couple of nights then book the rest en route as you work out how far you can get each day. Just print out a list of hotels to take with you. Staying in hotels should drastically cut down the amount of stuff you need to take with you and thus the weight.

 

[Amanda P]

There are pros and cons to camping and hotels.

If you camp, you have to buy and carry extra kit. Lighter and better is usually more expensive. But once bought, you don't have to keep paying for it. You can often be more flexible about where you stay with camping: you don't have to make it to the next town where there'll be hotels or B&Bs, as campsites are often out of town. Depending on where you are, you may be able to wild camp or just ask farmers for the use of the corner of a field.

In my experience, sleeping isn't a problem after a day's fresh air and exercise, even in a tent.

Hotels are good if you're travelling light, like to eat well and don't like cooking, and have a bit of cash. But you may need to book ahead, or be prepared to travel on some distance to the next town if the one you planned to stay at is full. Or, as you say, you have no flexibility at all if you've booked it all weeks in advance.

A mobile phone helps, because you can phone hotels or tourist offices in the town you're heading for and book "on the fly". Sometimes, everywhere's full, but for a single person who's not fussy, you'd be unlucky not to find somewhere. You can always get the train to the next town if all else fails.

Hills - and headwinds - do slow you down. OS maps have contours on; learn to interpret these and you get some clues. Other maps have high and low ground in different colours. And someone'll be along in a minute to point you to websites that will show you a profile of the route you plan to cover - lots of guide books to cycle routes have these printed in, too (e.g. Esterbauer's BikeLine guides).

For your first tour, why not do it Cathryn-style? If you arrive at your hotel feeling you've got more miles in you, then leave your bags at the hotel and tour the town/city. Or walk around it and choose where you'll eat/drink the evening away. Or do a mini-afternoon/evening tour from that town. Err on the side of too few miles, not too many, and it won't seem like a chore to reach the next stop if it's raining or there's a headwind.

If you find that experience to restricting, try camping the next time.

There will be a next time.

 

[Garjenkins]

Yer, I know... freedom and acheivement is mainly why Im doing it -

But im also a complete numbnut on cycle maintenance, repairing punctures ( although Im a dab hand at using my allen keys to raise....or lower the saddle,,,i know impressive.)

Is there a youtube of someone changting a tyre? wonder how many hits they have...

 

[andym]

Have you thought about simply taking off around Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk? If not for a week then a long weekend, just to start you off? Great beaches. Lovely villages. I love touring abroad, but we often underestimate what is literally on our doorsteps.