1st TOUR MISTAKES-you won't do again......................
07-27-10, 10:24 AM
#76
Senior Member
[QUOTE=acantor;11139967]
But I have faced nasty climbs, and thanked my lucky stars that I had a granny gear in Charlevoix (Quebec) and the Swiss Alps.
I changed my granny from a 28 to a 24 for a trip through the Pyrenees, glad I did although the switchback grades weren't toooo bad, but I was still glad I did. Was handy in San Fransisco a few times too.
I have done the Gaspe side, but not the Charlevoix--have in a car and boy o boy, there is some serious climbing there, hats off to you. Some real long buggers too arent there? A real challenge that route.
and on that note--the "too much stuff" was my error on my first big tour (forementioned Gaspe Penninsula, with some bugger climbs) so I learned to pare it down big time for the next trip.
STRONGLY suggest to anyone trying touring, to load up bike BEFORE trip and see how it is, you most likely will find that after that experience, you will find things to remove....
But I have faced nasty climbs, and thanked my lucky stars that I had a granny gear in Charlevoix (Quebec) and the Swiss Alps.
I changed my granny from a 28 to a 24 for a trip through the Pyrenees, glad I did although the switchback grades weren't toooo bad, but I was still glad I did. Was handy in San Fransisco a few times too.
I have done the Gaspe side, but not the Charlevoix--have in a car and boy o boy, there is some serious climbing there, hats off to you. Some real long buggers too arent there? A real challenge that route.
and on that note--the "too much stuff" was my error on my first big tour (forementioned Gaspe Penninsula, with some bugger climbs) so I learned to pare it down big time for the next trip.
STRONGLY suggest to anyone trying touring, to load up bike BEFORE trip and see how it is, you most likely will find that after that experience, you will find things to remove....
07-29-10, 04:10 PM
#77
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A few experiences have taught me a lot about touring.
1. The first time I did an overnight by bike, I took an old pup tent from home. I also had borrowed a frame bag from a friend and I had a tool pouch under the seat and a small handlebar bag and a sleeping bag. That's all. In the evening, more than 100 kilometres from home, when I got ready to set up the tent, I realized I had no tent pegs. Fortunately, the ground was quite soft and I was able to find twigs to use instead of tent pegs. Everything worked out. However, I now make sure everything is in proper working order before I leave.
2. A few years ago, coming out of Osoyoos, B.C. and up Anarchist Mountain, I ran out of water in 40 C heat. That was not fun. In a dry climate, you might not realize you're hot and thirsty until it's too late. In hot and dry areas, if there's a mountain pass, it's a good idea to start early in the morning and reach the summit before it gets too warm.
3. For a one-week trip, build in at least one extra day. If something should go wrong and you're stuck for a day, you'll still be able to finish in time. And if it looks as if everything's on schedule, you end up with an extra day for a bit of sightseeing and relaxation. Also, build enough flexibility into the plans to allow some changes. On a one-week tour, I reached one town and was ready to go farther, but I then realized I didn't want to be in that area. It had too many memories I wasn't ready to face. So I turned around and went back on a slightly different route. It was wonderful.
4. While people talk about having too much stuff, it's better to be prepared for the freak weather conditions than to be stranded and unprepared. This is especially true in mountain areas where it's possible to have snow at any time of the year, or in areas where storms can bring cold rain. At the same time, there are all sorts of ways to trim down the weight, without making serious sacrifices
5. Take a notebook and a pen. Keep detailed notes of where you went, what you saw and what happened, whether good or bad. Keep a record of each day's time and distance. At the end of each tour, analyze what happened. Consider what you would do differently, what you would take or leave behind, how you would cope with the things that went wrong. Not only will these notes be useful for a journal; they will also help you make decisions for the next tour. I've kept detailed notes on every tour I've done since 2004 (and I probably have some notes from the last tour before that, in 1992.) Those notebooks are more valuable to me than the pictures I've taken along the way.
1. The first time I did an overnight by bike, I took an old pup tent from home. I also had borrowed a frame bag from a friend and I had a tool pouch under the seat and a small handlebar bag and a sleeping bag. That's all. In the evening, more than 100 kilometres from home, when I got ready to set up the tent, I realized I had no tent pegs. Fortunately, the ground was quite soft and I was able to find twigs to use instead of tent pegs. Everything worked out. However, I now make sure everything is in proper working order before I leave.
2. A few years ago, coming out of Osoyoos, B.C. and up Anarchist Mountain, I ran out of water in 40 C heat. That was not fun. In a dry climate, you might not realize you're hot and thirsty until it's too late. In hot and dry areas, if there's a mountain pass, it's a good idea to start early in the morning and reach the summit before it gets too warm.
3. For a one-week trip, build in at least one extra day. If something should go wrong and you're stuck for a day, you'll still be able to finish in time. And if it looks as if everything's on schedule, you end up with an extra day for a bit of sightseeing and relaxation. Also, build enough flexibility into the plans to allow some changes. On a one-week tour, I reached one town and was ready to go farther, but I then realized I didn't want to be in that area. It had too many memories I wasn't ready to face. So I turned around and went back on a slightly different route. It was wonderful.
4. While people talk about having too much stuff, it's better to be prepared for the freak weather conditions than to be stranded and unprepared. This is especially true in mountain areas where it's possible to have snow at any time of the year, or in areas where storms can bring cold rain. At the same time, there are all sorts of ways to trim down the weight, without making serious sacrifices
5. Take a notebook and a pen. Keep detailed notes of where you went, what you saw and what happened, whether good or bad. Keep a record of each day's time and distance. At the end of each tour, analyze what happened. Consider what you would do differently, what you would take or leave behind, how you would cope with the things that went wrong. Not only will these notes be useful for a journal; they will also help you make decisions for the next tour. I've kept detailed notes on every tour I've done since 2004 (and I probably have some notes from the last tour before that, in 1992.) Those notebooks are more valuable to me than the pictures I've taken along the way.
07-29-10, 05:07 PM
#78
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Two boo-boos that I made when starting out, which should have been obvious to any form of life that is considered to be more intelligent than a slug:
Try and keep the bike well balanced between front and rear panniers, don't put everything on the rear unless you have no choice or are not carrying much.
Get a very early start during the warm months so you can get the majority of your miles out of the way early before it heats up.
Try and keep the bike well balanced between front and rear panniers, don't put everything on the rear unless you have no choice or are not carrying much.
Get a very early start during the warm months so you can get the majority of your miles out of the way early before it heats up.
07-29-10, 05:25 PM
#79
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Overpacking is something I won't do again. Some brilliant "experienced" tourists told me clutter like fishing line and clothespins were going to be useful! But there's really no way to learn what you'll actually use without carrying it for a bit and trying it out. I'm sure fishing line and clothespins were lifesavers to those who advised I take them.
I wouldn't attempt to bring cooking apparatus again, either. Weight, clutter, and the hugely inconvenient task of doing cooked dishes without running water made it not worth the effort for a little creature comfort. Cereal and nuts took me where I was going.
I will never, ever enter the Southeastern wastelands of the US without reliable motorized transportation again. What horrible heat, what horrible terrain, and what horrible murderous inhabitants. The silver lining is that I finally got to see what White Supremacists are so proud of: meth addiction, toothless wives, chained mutts, and that beautiful Dixie flag flying over their rotting hovel.
I wouldn't attempt to bring cooking apparatus again, either. Weight, clutter, and the hugely inconvenient task of doing cooked dishes without running water made it not worth the effort for a little creature comfort. Cereal and nuts took me where I was going.
I will never, ever enter the Southeastern wastelands of the US without reliable motorized transportation again. What horrible heat, what horrible terrain, and what horrible murderous inhabitants. The silver lining is that I finally got to see what White Supremacists are so proud of: meth addiction, toothless wives, chained mutts, and that beautiful Dixie flag flying over their rotting hovel.
07-29-10, 10:30 PM
#80
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Cheap Brooks saddle knock-off (broke in the middle of the desert). Bad idea.
Trying to re-hydrate dried beans in a ziploc during the day....I just ended up carrying around several pounds of beans and water for no reason; those darn things need to be cooked a long time to soften up.
Trying to re-hydrate dried beans in a ziploc during the day....I just ended up carrying around several pounds of beans and water for no reason; those darn things need to be cooked a long time to soften up.
07-29-10, 11:37 PM
#81
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07-30-10, 01:18 AM
#82
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on my first ever bike tour, about a week and a half, on day 2 or 3, I got stung by a bloody wasp right on my hand. which swelled up and was really painful the next day riding, each bump in the road made it hurt....had no choice, jsut had to go on.
07-30-10, 11:47 AM
#83
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Don't ignore the obvious.
6 weeks before my first tour I had to have surgery on my middle finger. 3 days before my first tour I developed some weird inflammation in same middle finger. Being totally absorbed with correct pannier packing, repacking and re re re packing, I shrug it off as just some weird inflammation. By tour day -1, I had to drag said finger back to the doctor, who shook his head, grabbed a syringe and scalpel and drained one nasty abscess while warning me to keep the wound clean the next few days...
finger.jpg
Don't ignore the obvious. Part 2.
That night my badly bandaged finger and myself drive to our departure spot and grab a good nights sleep. Bright and early the next morning, we load the bike, glide down the hill towards that first stretch of open road, and head off into the rising sun towards our eventual destination near the east coast. Pedaling blissfully down shaded country paths we stop 2 hours later for a little photography session where I notice the sun now at my back as I frame a photo illustrating our route ahead. Much hilarity ensues as I blame my throbbing finger companion for not noticing our initial launch point was on a little dogleg on the road which had switched back on itself and we'd been blissfully riding the wrong direction for 2 solid hours...
pt2.jpg
Don't ignore the obvious. Part 3
We put 90 miles in that day rather then the anticipated 60, got lost a couple more times, got really hungry, got route helped by a ghost roadie, got two free waters at an angry closed dive bar and walked our bike up a hill first time ever cause we just didn't care what anyone thought. The obvious part, I'll never have a better day on the bike then that first day of that first tour.
pt3.jpg
6 weeks before my first tour I had to have surgery on my middle finger. 3 days before my first tour I developed some weird inflammation in same middle finger. Being totally absorbed with correct pannier packing, repacking and re re re packing, I shrug it off as just some weird inflammation. By tour day -1, I had to drag said finger back to the doctor, who shook his head, grabbed a syringe and scalpel and drained one nasty abscess while warning me to keep the wound clean the next few days...
finger.jpg
Don't ignore the obvious. Part 2.
That night my badly bandaged finger and myself drive to our departure spot and grab a good nights sleep. Bright and early the next morning, we load the bike, glide down the hill towards that first stretch of open road, and head off into the rising sun towards our eventual destination near the east coast. Pedaling blissfully down shaded country paths we stop 2 hours later for a little photography session where I notice the sun now at my back as I frame a photo illustrating our route ahead. Much hilarity ensues as I blame my throbbing finger companion for not noticing our initial launch point was on a little dogleg on the road which had switched back on itself and we'd been blissfully riding the wrong direction for 2 solid hours...
pt2.jpg
Don't ignore the obvious. Part 3
We put 90 miles in that day rather then the anticipated 60, got lost a couple more times, got really hungry, got route helped by a ghost roadie, got two free waters at an angry closed dive bar and walked our bike up a hill first time ever cause we just didn't care what anyone thought. The obvious part, I'll never have a better day on the bike then that first day of that first tour.
pt3.jpg
07-31-10, 05:29 PM
#84
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1992 Quebec City to Toronto, planned tour, they hauled our gear every 30 minutes was a food and drink station path was very well designed to make it as easy as possible, the mistake was I got over confident from it, I was on a mountian bike riding road with off road tires and a month later I tried a 3 day tour and it was the hottest day of the year and the humidity was 99% and I got 4 hours into it and was vomiting from heat strong and had to cut the trip short and get picked up LOL Now that I am looking into touring again, I am not going to be so naive
