by Tim Jones
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Steve Moses from Newport Beach, CA recently rode his bike-and-BOB trailer rig
along the coast of Maine, across New Hampshire to Burlington Vermont.
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It's an American tradition: pack what you need into the family automobile and
head out for a few days on a rolling adventure. But how about trading the car
for a bicycle?
Pedaling lets you explore a lot of territory, yet see it well. Pack
everything, and you are free to roam anywhere. Every quiet country road becomes
an adventure. And, best of all, since you are burning a couple of thousand extra
calories pedaling the bike every day, you get to replace them with a lot of
great eating.
Many committed road bikers and mountain bikers never consider touring. Biking
is so much fun and such great exercise anywhere, any time, why bother to load
your bike up with a lot of extra weight and pedal to distant places?
The answer, of course, is: "Because you can."
If you'd like to get a sense of the allure of bike touring for young and old
alike, visit
Crazybuyonabike.com and look at the journals that bicyclists contribute. I
was clued in to this website by Bill and Nancy Schettenhelm, a couple from
Cashmere, Washington. I met them while they were gamely pedaling up the steep
hills on Route 9 just east of Bennington, Vermont on their pannier-equipped
tandem.
They stopped to rest; I stopped to chat. They had biked from the Pacific to
Michigan in 2004, and were now completing the Michigan to the Atlantic portion
of their route. Their journal and the attendant photographs make you want to
jump on your own bike and ride to somewhere far away.
Marilyn and I have been easing into bike touring ever since we bought our
Burley tandem bicycle this past spring. Knowing that we would be traveling lots
of back roads and, sometimes, carrying lots of gear, we opted for the workhorse
"Samba" model. It's a great choice for touring. Cannondale, Co-motion, KHS and
Santana make similar tandem models.
If you want a solo bike, most companies offer a touring model. These bikes
are generally sturdier than the ultra-lightweight road bikes,to carry the weight
of both rider and gear. Some touring cyclists use a trailer to take some of the
load off the bike wheels.
The great news about bike touring is that you can tackle it in increments.
Our first bike tour was an
inn-to-inn adventure in Vermont with our luggage moved daily for us. All we
carried on the bike were the emergency kit every biker should have (tool kit,
spare tube, CO2 inflator), plus appropriate clothing (it rained much of the
time), food and water.
Our second bike "tour" was a quick visit to Nova Scotia, where our luggage
rolled along behind the bike in a Burley Nomad trailer. It rained most of the
time on this trip, too. Despite that, after these shakedown cruises, we feel
ready to fly.
While the whole world is made for bike touring, the northeast corner of the
U.S. and the southeast corner of Canada are just about perfect. The countryside
is more intimate here than the vast reaches of the west and mid-west. Every turn
in the road brings a different view.
We're now planning a bike tour this November around Cape Bike-uh, I mean Cape
Cod, after the traffic season slows down there. Next spring, we're looking at
Prince Edward Island, a circumnavigation of Lake Champlain and another trip to
Nova Scotia -- for starters. The possibilities are endless. So is the fun.
Packs and Racks or Trailer?
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Bill and Nancy Schettenhelm from Cashmere Washington on tour in the Green Mountains of Vermont.
Their panniers pack 100 lbs. of gear. (Tim Jones Photo)
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Some experienced cyclists will tell you that the way to carry your luggage is
in panniers. These dual packs which sit low on either side of the wheel make for
a compact load, balanced weight and a smoother ride. Apparently, the waterproof
packs and panniers by
Ortlieb are the gold standard. I haven't tried 'em.
On our tandem, we use a lightweight, well-made, compact
Topeak rack and
quick-detach MTX Trunk bag which has stow-away panniers. We also have a Topeak
Tour Guide handlebar bag. Together, these are large enough to carry kit and
clothes for an overnight getaway. Excellent quality, highly recommendable.
The other option is a bike trailer. Bike trailers take the weight off the
bike, saving wear and tear on axles, wheels and tires. They are very convenient
to load. It's easy to take the trailer off, leave it at your lodging and explore
unloaded.
I've been experimenting with two different trailers this summer and like them
both for slightly different reasons. My choice for smooth roads is the
Burley Nomad, a lightweight
two-wheeler with a nylon-cover. It attaches to the bike in seconds, loads and
unloads easily, and tracks beautifully behind our bike. Once you are moving, you
hardly know it's there.
For rougher roads, I like the a one-wheeled
BOB (Beast Of
Burden) Yak. It's heavier and a little more difficult to attach and detach from
the bike (especially when loaded), but almost seems to disappear when you are
riding. It's attached more firmly to the bike and seems to handle bumps a bit
better.
The BOB comes with a huge, waterproof storage bag. We use dry bags to store
our gear inside the Nomad. Both systems work.
Cutting Edge
I haven't had a chance to see one yet, but I'm intrigued by the
cargo-carrying system produced by
Xtracycle. Sort of a
step beyond the whole panniers vs. trailers debate for bike touring. Check it
out.
More Resources
Bikeforums.net has
lots of information (and opinion!) on all biking topics, including touring and
touring gear.
I can't recommend any of these from personal experience, but if you want to
start your bike touring career with a "supported" tour, several companies here
in the northeast offer them.
Here's a sampling:.
Tim Jones is founder and executive editor of EasternSlopes.com. He writes about outdoor sports and travel.
You can reach him at timjones@easternslopes.com
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Gear and Toys
