Long-distance Bicycle Training

[Perry Winkle]

Ok, I'm a cycling newbie. I'm pretty fit at is it but I'm not sure if I'm to the point where I can cycle all day every day. Anyone who's done long-distance or competitive cycling have any tips?

I also have some doubts about my equipment. I have a Trek 4300. It's a mountain bike but I read some advice that said I could replace the front forks with rigid forks and be okay. Overall, it's comfortable enough for the short rides I've done on it. But I think I'll go to the bike shop and test out some actual touring bikes.

[Griff]

If you're doing a loaded tour you need a bike with toe clearance when you mount the front panniers. Often a mtn bike is a little tight but people do tour on them. You could go the trailer route if you really wanted to stay with the 4300. I'm more comfortable on a touring bike and if you are going to a Trek shop check out their 520, Pete and I both ride them.

foot^3 knows more about bike fitness than I do but I'd try to get to the point where I'm riding 3 days a week with one serious mileage day per week. You can get fit on tour as long as you don't hurt yourself pushing too early. Its nice to know how much mileage you are comfortable doing per day. Pete and I averaged about 65 miles per day on our Irish tour. At that target you don't have to ride hard and you can have that second pint at lunch. The advertisements in the back of my touring magazine have personals for folks who want riding partners for long tours or parts of tours. I saw one in there today who wants to average 140 miles per day

Are you camping or motel / B and B?

[Perry Winkle]

Thanks for the advice Griff. The Trek 520's are a little pricier than I'd like but I might try and find a used one in my size.

I plan to free/bush camp 99% of the time. So front and rear panniers are mandatory from what I hear.

I've done most of my mileage planning assuming 40-50 miles/day average. At 140 miles/day I don't think you'd actually enjoy the ride!

[Perry Winkle]

My next question is: how does a touring bike handle on rural, developing world, or rough (possibly even gravel) roads?

I know you can get some wider wheels and tires for them. But I'm not sure how much that helps.

[footfootfoot]

If you are an agile rider (read keep your skinny ass off the seat and steer your bike) then you can do a lot of off roading w/ a tour bike)

Keep your pannier weight down and balance front and rear. I have no idea what is on the market these days for equipment, but I have some 20 year wheels, trek sold them as titans, I think.

sorry so brief.

[Griff]

My bike came with 36c (really wide) tires on it. I think I'm running 32's at the moment. Something as wide as those really handles well on dirt and won't cut you in half when road conditions are poor. Importantly, you need to be comfortable on the bike so that means many miles ridden in different conditions.

Its a good idea to start making a list for what you'll need. Then you can test your list with weekend rides. CycleFrance does a lot of this stuff, he'd probably have some good input.

[Cyclefrance]

Hi Grant

Only just caught this thread - getting a bit late now as I have to be up in under 6 hours time, so will add more later, but for starters....

So long as you can cycle 30-40 miles in one session (i.e. no stops), over mixed terrain and can do this at least 3 times a week, then you should have no trouble touring with distances up to max 60 miles a day, I would say. Doing 60 miles a day can be difficult if you have to do a lot of map-reading - continually checking bearings and ensuring that you haven't taken a wrong turn can eat up time very quickly. As a guide, allowing for a stops for this and occasional refreshmeht then, unless you are super-fit (I am not) work on 10-12 miles per hour average. That way you can judge how far you will get with reasonable accuracy. For me its usually 3 hours in the morning and 2-3 in the afternoon (a good lunch is an essential component of my rides!).

Bike-wise, I have enjoyed touring for several years on an old Raleigh Record Sprint that I fitted with panniers at front and back (because it doesn't have strong enough hubs at the back to take all the load I carry) and a set of gears that included a very low ratio one for hill-climbing. I liked the drop bars for options of riding position, however this year I lnvested in a new Trek 7.1FX - not an over-expensive bike, and good for touring - with light aluminium frame, steel forks and a good range of gears. I added bar end grips to give me more choice, 28 x 700 Armadillo All-condition tyres, and a decent saddle (I favour an ergonomic one), but that's about all I've done to it by way of customisation. It performed well on last year's tour and I will be taking it out again this year - it features in my profile photo. I used my Sprint for a 100 mile charity run one day last September, and to be honest I find it difficult to choose between them from a comfort and enjoyment point of view.

You can catch some of my rides on the website that's shown in my profile if you want to although, being over this side of the pond, they may not have that much value.

Back later with more input if you still needs same

[Perry Winkle]

The other issue I've recently become aware of is weight. In top-form I'm 230 lbs. right now I'm a fairly lean 240 (108ish kg) lbs. (I'm 6'8"[203ish cm])

Supposedly my weight in addition to gear weight will be a little hard on spokes, wheels and frame. I've got an appointment with a bike shop owner and touring enthusiast later this week to get set-up with a bike. I hope that there will be a touring bike that can handle the weight well, as I've already bought all of my camping gear :P

Now I'm thinking of doing the TransAmerica Trail instead of a world tour, just to test myself and equipment, and gain a little experience in a place where everyone somewhat speaks my language.

And thanks, CF, I'll take a look at your site and let you know if I have more questions.

[Cyclefrance]

Hi Grant - Always seem to start these things late at night.

Your a tad bigger than me (160 lbs and 5'10"), but I suspect that most reputable bike makers will increase the overall strength of their models as they climb up in frame size - at 6'8" you are definitely going to want a large-frame!

I don't know much about the Transamerica Trail (bugger-all if I'm truthfull!), but if it's like most American routes then you'll have long stretches without much need for navigation so you should increase your average mph and thereby miles per day. A bit different over here - if the World Tour materialises, make sure you make contact when in the SE UK and I'll treat you to some Surrey lanes and hills!

Common-sense stuff, but I'll repeat it all the same - take a few inner tubes - better to change a tube than try to loacte a puncture when on the road and up against time – you can repair the puncture overnight when you have more time. Tyre levers, puncture kit and a good pump (I use a Cyclaire now), plus a selection of allen keys and spanners plus a combo-screwdriver should cover most on-the-road repairs. Good waterproofs ( including boot/shoe covers - rainwater drips nicely off leg-ins straight on to your shoes and socks), and a few bottles of water/energy drink and energy bars to keep you going when the route is devoid of any means to buy food and drink (happens more often that you’d think).

May be worth talking to a few other tourers on the British CTC (Cycle Touring Club) forum, for more tips and ideas.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by Cyclefrance

including boot/shoe covers - rainwater drips nicely off leg-ins straight on to your shoes and socks

Thanks for that tip, I never would have thought of that!

Originally Posted by Cyclefrance

A bit different over here - if the World Tour materialises, make sure you make contact when in the SE UK and I'll treat you to some Surrey lanes and hills!

I definitely will. Even if the World Tour never happens I'll still get around to cycling Europe, piece-wise if I must.

Originally Posted by Cyclefrance

May be worth talking to a few other tourers on the British CTC (Cycle Touring Club) forum, for more tips and ideas.

Thanks for the link, I'll take a gander.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Grant, you might need one of these in warm weather.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Grant, you might need one of these in warm weather.

That's awesome. I'll see if I can get one to fit my helmet, and my face.

I've got most of my equipment either ordered or in hand. Launch date is about April 1st. More details to follow.

I'll take pictures as I pack it all up so you all can see how insanely overpacked I'm going to be.

[zippyt]

Here is you some training , a bike powered roller coaster in Japan
http://funtime.blogbugs.org/552046/F...-in-Japan.html

Just found some more info on this ,

This ride is called: スカイサイクル (Sky Cycle).
It's located at the Washuzan Highland Park (http://www.rcdb.com/ig1433.htm?picture=1), in the Okayama prefecture, Japan. The bridge is the Shimotsui-Seto Bridge.
The pictures probably come from here: http://drkssk2.fc2web.com/washuzan/skycycle/cycle.html
Regards.