First Time Touring Ride

[Dog]

Greetings. It has been a while since I've posted (probably a year). Anyway, I've didn't ride as much this year as in 2008, but still was on the bike a decent amount. The only organized ride this year was RSVP (Ride from Seattle to Vancouver BC & Party). Always a good time. I have found myself curious about traveling/touring by bike, so last year I bought the book, Bicycling the Pacific Coast. I mentioned it to my neighbor and she borrowed the book. She's a recent retiree and decided she is going to ride a portion of the course (starting on Whidbey Island and riding to Northern California). Her husband will SAG using their Casita trailor. She is leaving in about two weeks, but he won't be able to SAG until the following week. So, I have offered to ride the first 4 days with her (due to my work schedule). She hasn't been doing much riding, so I'm not sure how many miles we will ride each day (my husband will pick me up where we end up at the end of day 4). Her husband will meet up with her in Astoria regardless - so she may have a day on her own? She has a Trek 1800 (?) and a BOB. I will be riding my Bianchi Veloce with a light rack and BOB. I have never toured before, but she did some touring up the east coast with her husband about 10 years ago. I talked to my LBS about whether I should try panniers or a trailer. She recommended a trailer unless I wanted to upgrade my wheels. So, I'm borrowing her husbands BOB and axel.
I have been wanting to try touring for several years and figure this will give me a good idea if I really like it and whether I should invest in a touring bike. I love my Bianchi, but realize it is not appropriate for real touring. We plan to camp along the way, but I will still pack lightly to avoid too much strain on my bike. I have to return to work after the 4th day, so my husband will come pick me up wherever we end up at the end of day 4.
Any guidance or words of wisdom from the experienced tourers? Do you think I should be okay trying to use my Bianchi (steel frame with carbon fork?) She has been a great bike so far....I hate to abuse her.

[eofelis]

That sounds like a great trip, and a good way to try touring.

If you don't pack heavily your bike should be fine. How much weight do you think you'll have?

When I tour with 4 panniers I have about 12 lbs total up front (6 lbs per pannier -- usually the tent and rainfly split between the panniers). And ~12lbs per pannier behind. So I have 35-40 lbs of gear, plus a 30lb bike, which is as much as I'd ever want to ride/carry. Think about how much weight you'd carry for backpacking and apply it to the bike. My rule of thumb there is no more than 1/3 of your weight. (30-35 lbs for me)

Also, keep in mind there will be a learning curve to riding a loaded bike. I commute with panniers a lot, but my loaded touring bike still takes a day or two to get used to. A bike with a load will handle differently, and respond slower to turning and stopping, especially if it's at all windy. Wheeeee!

Don't hesitate to keep your mileage modest! On one tour a few years ago we rode 70 miles on the first day and it was a big mistake! We were so fried at the end of the first day that we almost called off the rest of the tour. We took day 2 off and just walked around the town we were staying in. On day 3 we finally decided to keep going on our trip. We now keep day one short (40 miles) and we expect the first couple of days to be mentally or physically tough.

On our 12 day/500 mile tour last summer we had a few days that we only did ~25 miles. Some of those days included big mtn passes, and some of them were just easy days.

[Tri Girl]

Sounds like a lot of fun!! I think your Bianchi should be just fine. Steel bikes are a great touring option. Sure, they are heavier, but when you're loaded down for a tour, what's a little extra. ;)
I've only done a supported tour, but would LOVE to try a few days self-contained (did one overnight self-contained).
Please take pictures and report back when you finish. :)


Good rule of thumb on the weight, surlypacer. I'll have to remember that if I ever try a few days self-contained.

[eofelis]

I haven't toured with a Bob trailer (altho we have 2 of them!) but my bf took a Bob on our 12 day tour last summer. He had about 32 lbs in it. Remember that the Bob weighs 15 lbs by itself. He said it was fine on flatter roads, but on big descents it kind of pushed him around a bit. (He's 200lbs).

[Dog]

I've been reading a lot about how to pack lightly for backpacking/touring. I'm making a list of what to pack (besides the 10 essentials). I do know that I will be packing my tent, sleeping bad, sleeping pad, toiletries, rain gear and clothing. We haven't decided if we will cook dinner or eat on the road. I've started to assemble my gear and will do some loaded practice rides to get use to towing a trailor and extra weight. We have lots of hills on Whidbey Island, so I will gets lots of practice climbing. I do plan to pack my camera, so I will be able to share pictures later this month.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions! I'm very excited!!!

[bikerHen]

Dog,

Like everyone else said, pack light! I tour with my BOB trailer and love it. You do have to be careful on the down hills. Trailers can start swaying and you get the "tail waging the dog" syndrom. What I discovered on my last tour, where we rode a LOT of hills, if you hold the front wheel of your bike very steady on the down hill the trailer will track beautifully behind you. I think my fastest speed down hill with the trailer was in the high 20's and I didn't have any problem. But if you swerve or turn the wheel to much, the side to side motion seems to travel back to the trailer and set it to wagging! Do practice on some gentle down hills and you'll see what I mean. Good luck and have fun. BikerHen

When packing the trailer keep the heavy stuff low and toward the front when possible.

[Dog]

Thanks Bikerhen. I went for a short ride yesterday pulling a the BOB with some gear. I can definitely tell the difference on the climbs and I was very careful with the downhills. It was a little windy in spots and I could feel the wind trying to push me sideways. I'll continue to practice with a little more weight each time. Of course we leave a week from tomorrow!

Thanks for the tips on packing too!

dog

[Dog]

My first touring trip was a blast. We had good weather and safe riding conditions with rain on the second day (and we still had fun). We rode from Whidbey Island to the Oregon/WA border (Astoria bridge) in 4 days. We rode about 210 miles with about 7,800' total climbing. My neighbor met up with her daughter in Astoria and my husband met me at the bridge and drove me and my gear back home. Sigh...I would have loved to continue - but had to return for work.
My Bianchi did really well, but now I'm dreaming of a real touring bike.

Here are some pictures from the trip.

[bikerHen]

Glad your first time out was a success! Isn't it just a blast to bike tour? :D I love to ride in the rain too. Loved the pictures. Something looked wrong with the picture of your bikes on the Ferry. It finally hit me, you didn't have your gear in a BOB sack. How did that work for you? I'd be afraid I would lose something and did your gear stay dry in the rain? bikerHen

[Tri Girl]

Congrats on your tour! I, too, love the pictures. If you have more, I'd love to see them. :)
I'm glad your first time out was fun and had you begging for more. Sounds like it was a great time. I would love to try the Pacific Coast one day- the pictures are simply breathtaking.
Thanks for telling us about your trip. :)

[Biketouringrook]

Oh wow! Very nice. I love this stuff man!!!!!!!

[Dog]

Yes, I had a blast! Still reflecting back on the experience and dreaming of my next trip. Maybe the British Columbia portion of the book (Riding Down The Pacific Coast). It sounds wonderful!

BikerHen, I did not have a BOB sack, so I stored items in dry bags that I use for kayaking and held them down with the bungee cord. It worked really well and kept me organized and things stayed dry! I do think it would be helpful to have either the hard case (like my neighbor had on her BOB) or the BOB sack. Just to make sure nothing gets lost.

I would like to try a trip with pannier bags so I can decide which method works best for me. I got use to pulling the BOB and it is convenient, but I've heard good things about pannier bags too.

[bikerHen]

BikerHen, I did not have a BOB sack, so I stored items in dry bags that I use for kayaking and held them down with the bungee cord. It worked really well and kept me organized and things stayed dry! I do think it would be helpful to have either the hard case (like my neighbor had on her BOB) or the BOB sack. Just to make sure nothing gets lost.

Well in case you want to get a BOB sack I happen to an extra one . . . :rolleyes: bikerHen

[shootingstar]

Great pics, Dog. Sounds like the weather cooperated for you also. It's been a great summer and early fall overall for the Northwest coast.

Several TE Vancouver members can show you around next time when you roll into town.

Consider taking B.C. Ferries from Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) over to Vancouver Island (Nanaimo) where there's choice to cycle north or south along Vancouver Island or take very short ferry ride to Gabriola Island. Then there's the Sunshine Coast. (Powell River, Sechelt, Gibsons, etc.)

Or take B.C. Ferries from Twassessen point (in Delta, suburb south of Vancouver) to go over to Southern tip of Vancouver island and the Gulf Islands.

Whole coast of B.C. especially north of Bella Bella to Prince Rupert,..is thick, pristine wild old growth forest and Coast Mountains. I took the B.C. Ferry (Inside Passage route) to Prince Rupert...awesome how wild this coastal area is. Not open coastline like Oregon .. It is the area where the rare "spirit" bear inhabit..the white bear. (no it's not the polar bear)

[Dog]

Hi Shootingstar. Thanks for the details on biking in the Vancouver area. Those are the exact areas I'm considering. I have been checking it out on the internet. Sounds like a beautiful area and I think biking would be a great way to check it out!