Farmer Dave

Hey all, so I'm 19 years old and ham finishing up the first year of my two year general ed for college. I have been studying spanish for four years and have a strong grasp of the language. I love biking, love spanish, and I'm need for an adventure. Thus, touring seemed like a natural choice for me.
However, I must admit, my dream/ goal is lofty, I want to pedal from the pacific northwest all the way to cape horn, the most southern tip of Argentina. After I finish my two year degree I plan on making this dream a reality. I have never been out of the United States, but i have the travel bug in me. Until then I have been working on my spanish skills as well as my fitness. One thing that does concern me is I don't think it would be very safe to do this alone, yet I'm not sure if I would be able to find anyone crazy enough to go with me.
I guess the point of posting is to ask you guys what do you all think? Any suggestions? What type of gear would be required for such a tour? Panniers or a trailer, or both? Do you have any personal experiences of a similar long tour, that you can impart your wisdom? I look forward to any help the community can provide in terms of knowledge.

Jonathandavid

It's a good idea to do a few shorter tours to find out if you like making a long journey by bike and what kind of setup works for you. While it's never too early to start planning for such an ambitious project, the best preparation is simply gaining experience.

fietsbob

Maybe work on your street theater skills, so you can entertain people
and pass the hat, so you can add to the travel funds along the way

NCbiker

I'll go! When do we leave?

pasopia

Go for it!

Lots of people do this trip solo, you should be OK. I rode from Ushuaia to Ecuador solo, and I only felt unsafe in a few spots. Do some research on safe routes in Mexico and parts of Central America.

If you are heading south, you are likely to meet other tourists along the way that you can ride with. I crossed a lot of people heading south ( i was going north). So even if you start out alone, you made find ride partners.

Check out this google group my friend paul started for pan am riders, a ton of very useful info.

https://groups.google.com/group/panam-riders?pli=1

Machka 

+1

If you've got a bicycle with a rack, borrow some panniers or a trailer, and camping gear, from someone and go out for a weekend tour. Make notes on what works and what doesn't work.

mev

+1 I'd also say that suggestion to do some shorter trips in the next two years will also help sort out some of the equipment and experience questions in addition to Spanish and fitness.

Pasopia, Thank you by the way for posting your blog. I enjoyed following along as you were riding. Like the OP, also dreaming and scheming of a trip through Latin America. One or two rides in the queue ahead of that one but have subscribed to the Google Groups list to pick up some tips in advance...

Confederate

Go for it. I biked across a big chunk of Europe right after college and I didn't know anything about riding. I had a cheap mountain bike with racks front and rear. (The front rack was actually a rear rack that I managed to attach to my suspension fork with some hose clamps and zip ties.) Stuff will occasionally break and you'll have to figure out how to fix it, so it helps to have a little cash and some basic mechanical skills. For a trip that long, you'll have to figure out the appropriate time of year to start. And as you transition through different areas, you'll need to make significant changes to your clothing and camping kit. You can either shop along the way or have a plan for someone to ship things down to you at some point.

The dangers of travel are real, but they shouldn't stop you from travelling. Just be wise. The single greatest danger to any traveler is alcohol. People start having too good a time and drink too much before they stumble back to their hotel, and they end up getting ambushed along the way. Drunks are like low-hanging fruit for criminals. You suddenly become a much more enticing target. Be happy; smile; mingle with the locals. But keep your wits about you and pay attention to what is going on around you. If people tell you not to ride through a certain area, listen to them. And remember that in other countries, the bad guys often wear badges.

Go forth and seek your adventure.

pasopia

You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Dan The Man

A camping hammock might be a versatile tool for that kind of trip. The Alaska to Vancouver part will be pretty wet and desolate, assuming you do it in the spring. US Pacific coast is by far the most popular leg, and it will have the most amenities, and lots of chances to meet up with other riders.

If you put the word out while you're in the States with those going faster and slower than you that you are heading to South America, I am sure you would be able to find someone else doing the same within a few days ahead or behind you. All of the cyclists camp together and travel approximately the same speed. Inevitably you end up knowing the people in your "pack".

bikemig 

Sounds like an awesome plan; buena suerte.

simplygib

Absolutely go for it. You are coming up on a time in your life where this kind of adventure could be very doable - before too many trappings of "life" prevent you from such an extended journey. Take advantage of it.

I've been to Mexico, Central and South America many times, and love the Latin people and culture. I toured there once - from Cancun, Mexico to Panama City. It was awesome. Incredible scenery, people, and experiences. Some very tough climbing, but much of that was not along the Pan Am. My Spanish is abysmal, but I'm working on it. With your command of the language it will be much easier for you.

Here's a blog written by a couple I rode with for a few weeks in 2008. They went from Vancouver, B.C. to Ushuaia. This should give you a good idea of what to expect along the way. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/honeymoon

Very good advice.

OP, just one comment about listening to others - be wise about who you listen to and who you don't. Find out why they feel the way they do about certain areas, and whether or not their opinions are based on personal experience, or "I heard that......" People are often fearful of the unknown, and a few negative stories about an area to which they've never been leads some to assume an entire region is unsafe when in reality nothing could be further from the truth. But some dangers are very real - you just need to learn which threats are credible and which aren't. Whenever possible, try to confirm stories you hear with others in the area. If you get a consensus, maybe detouring around a questionable area is in order. Usually, things turn out to be reasonably safe, in my experience anyway, but I have avoided areas that sounded too risky. Never had anything bad happen on tour in terms of crime.

Farmer Dave

Wow guys thank you so much for the advice! Hey I have a question, when on tour, do you guys often have mechanical issues with your bikes? Do spokes often "break" due to a loaded bike? To the poster who mentioned meeting people along the way, thank you so much, I never knew it was that easy. I will definitely check out some of those blogs you guys suggested. I'm so pumped!

Cyclebum

When choosing your ride, make sure it's got 26" wheels. These can be serviced, replaced, nearly anywhere. Bit stronger than 700's too. Select the bike well in advance of your trip to work out any issues, especially the fit variety. Fit is First.

As for spoke breakage, if the wheel is well built and the spokes stress releaved, shouldn't happen. But for piece of mind, learn how to replace. I carry a fiber fix temporary spoke that I've used once in 7 years of touring. Worked well.

Take a Park Tool tire boot and some Gorilla tape in the unlikely event of a blow out. Again, piece of mind for little weight/bulk. Use tape to reinforce the boot, and for other stuff.

bikemig 

Definitely go with 26 inch wheels; stay away from brifters. Use bar end shifters that can also work in a friction mode. Keep all the parts simple and strong. Where you are going, I'd carry xtra spokes and all the tools needed to break down the bike. I'm not sure what kind of touring bike you are thinking about getting but both Surly and Soma make good quality steel frames with 26 inch wheels that are designed for touring; there are others. Carry a spare tire (maybe two), carry a lot of spare tubes and of course patches. As long as you can get the wheels rolling, you can make it into a town where eventually you can get the parts you need.

I don't know how good a mechanic you are but you need to know how to build and break down your bike from one end to the other. In your case, it makes sense to buy a frame (like the Soma or the Surly) and build it up from the ground up (you don't need to build your own wheels but you do need to know how fix them). If funds are limited, go with good cup and cone hubs like the shimano mtn bike hubs laced onto stout rims. They are easy to fix and find parts for. If you have the money, I'd go with really high quality sealed hubs and BBs like Phil Woods.

I really like Latin America as well so I'm jealous; this will be a great trip but be safe and plan ahead.

Edit: while I have never done a bike trip in Latin America, I know the region and have done extensive bike touring throughout the US and Europe. I also worked as a mechanic when I was in college. Feel free to PM if you want to talk about your trip.

keenancook

100% just go for it. I had the same idea a few years ago, and took a couple years off from university to ride from Canada to Argentina. My brother and I went, and neither of us had toured at all before. In fact, the first time we rode with panniers was the day we left. Some people might say that's pretty foolish, and maybe in hindsight it's true, but I think if you really want to do something, you can just do it. We had 700c tires, and brifters, which people above have said definitely not to use. And aluminum frame bikes too. But they were fine. Between the two of us we had one broken spoke in a combined 40,000 km of riding. A couple broken shifter cables, lots of flat tires, a few broken bolts. Nothing serious at all - you figure things out along the way.

As far as meeting other people - it's kind of funny, the above poster said they were heading north and met lots of people going south - but that's just bound to happen. We were heading south, and met lots heading north. You're just going to meet the oncoming traffic. But anyway - you'll still meet people going your direction, and it will be great. The best thing above all is to keep a sense of humour and an open mind. If you've got a detailed plan you're likely to get disappointed because things aren't going to turn out exactly like you want. Some days will be extremely hard and you won't get anywhere and the road will be terrible and you'll feel like you're lost in the middle of nowhere. But as long as you can laugh about it, you're in great shape. That year of biking that I took was life-changing, and the best of my life so far. We've got a blog at canadatoargentina.blogspot.com, and a website at www.rideforhope.ca, with all out gear on it and more info. But above all - don't let anybody discourage you, be able to laugh, and enjoy the ride.