touring on a mountain bike

deathvalleydan

This morning, somewhere between the snooze button and the first cup of coffee, I decided that I am going to quit my job and do a 48 state mountain bike tour. Now the first thing:

I need a mountain bike. What kind of mountain bike could I get for less than $1000 that I could ride for 10000+ miles?

2) Is there such thing as a lightweight mountain bike trailer for touring? I did some extensive google searching and didn't happen upon anything that really spoke to me.

3) How do you prevent a sore ass after riding 40+ miles everyday?

4) How would one go about making sure their bike doesn't get stolen while sleeping without carrying around 20lbs of chains and locks?


Anyone who has done extensive touring on a mountain bike, I would like to hear from you so I can learn how to do it right.

MidBunchLurker

Congratulations!!



Any hardtail MTB should do. If you can find a steel one that would be great, but for touring on good roads in civilization an aluminium bike is fine too. Take the front shocks off and replace with a rigid fork though. And obviously put some slick tyres on instead of the knobblies.



I've only toured with panniers (front and rear), but these are THE guys for trailers -www.bobtrailers.com



Do a bit of training before you go and you shouldn't have any problems. Make sure you find a saddle that works for YOUR ass too. And get some quality cycling shorts. Test all of it properly before you depart for the big trip!



I normally only carry a small cable lock. In most places I just lock the bike and tie something from my tent to the bike, so the tent gets disturbed if someone moves the bike. In dodgier areas I might remove a wheel and sleep with it.



Some other tips:
- get barends. That way you've got another hand position
- a rear-view mirror is handy too, especially if you plan to be on some busy roads
- get comfy shoes, you'll be spending a lot of time in them
- although some people like to keep stuff handy in a bar bag, I prefer to travel with a small camera and my wallet in my jersey pockets. That way I never forget them on the bike

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nick.

www.nickcoyne.com

deathvalleydan

A few questions...would it be prudent to tour with a laptop? I know this may sound stupid, but I have 7.5 minutes quads of the entire country on a DVD, I could upload GPS way points, and routienly purge my digital camera if I have a laptop along. Or is it simply better to forget technology and just enjoy a ride?

Have you done any touring in any of the more remote western states? If you haven't, the summers are brutal and it's often 150 miles+ between any source of water. This leads me to ask: How much water do you carry? I can't possibly imagine traveling with less than 5 gallons, but that's 45lbs(!!)

How much does your fully packed, loaded multi week rig weigh? Thinking of all the gear I'd like to have, I can't imagine carrying less than 70-100 extra pounds. That's a lot!

Thanks for the information, I look forward to your reply.

MidBunchLurker

Never travelled with a laptop myself, but I've met people who have. Their main issue seems to be keeping the thing powered - the one guy had a fancy solar panel thing mounted on his bags.



I've never been to the USA, only done touring in France, Italy and South Africa (and Thailand at the end of this year). You need to work out how much water you consume for a specific distance in particular weather. And add 25% for "just in case". If its so remote and so hot that you'd have to carry 5 gallons, I'd consider another route, or try to encounter those parts in the cooler seasons.



We've only travelled up to 3 weeks at a time, but I can't imagine that we'd take much more for a longer trip - total luggage weight was probably around 20kg per bike. That includes the tent (4kg). The secret is to take only what you need and no more. If you REALLY need something that you neglected to bring, you can buy it on the way.

Have a look at these sites for some more useful info:
http://www.mikebikes.org/
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/touring/index.htm
http://www.biketrip.org/
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/

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nick.

www.nickcoyne.com

MountainPro

congrats on quitting the job...

i have friends who have said to me that they would like to do a bike tour of the UK or the US and have never actually ridden a bike in thier lives...funny that.

i have toured extensively in the UK and Ireland and especially the west highlands of Scotland, nowhere near as big as 48 states of the US.

I have been to Calif, Nevada, Arizona but never toured there but i can see what you are up against, massive country roads and challenging terrain.

one piece of advice that i can offer, and 'lurker' touched on it earlier, is to get some long rides in before you start the tour. Try doing 50+ miles with over 20lbs in your panniers a few times a week. This way you'll get used to the load, you'll get in better shape and your arse will get used to being in a saddle. It may hurt at the beginning but when you start your tour you wont have to contend with a sore arse after the first few days.

youre a lucky bastard...send us the pictures when youre done...

cheers
MP

PS, the advice about getting slicks is worth its weight in gold.

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HARD
.

deathvalleydan

I'll start training here soon. I plan on a late August departure so I can get over the rockies before winter comes. What is the cost per day? I'm assuming a $2500 start up, plus around $10 a day. Is this a safe assumption?

Would you reccomend I train on a road bike or would it be better to find the ideal mountain bike first? I know slicks make a world of difference, but when I'm in the west, I'll prefer to stick to dirt and low maintenance roads rather than state highways.

Clips. Would you reccomend clipping in or just a good pair of comfortable shoes?