Vexxer

I am hardly an average roadie (30 miles is about as far as I currently ride), but I watch people online post pictures and stories about their tours, and cross country rides and I am really jealous. I really want to do that one day too. Where does one start? And what would you recommend as a good starter (budget) touring bike? I'm 6'5, so used bikes are not usually an option.

350htrr

Were does one start? One gets on a bike, any bike, a goes on weekend getaways, as far as one can pedal... Then you figure out what you need/want with you...

andrewclaus

I started (forty years ago) with my old Schwinn 10-speed, rolled up some clothes in a sleeping bag and put it on a rear rack with a pup tent, tied an old gym duffel bag between the brake hoods to hold some food and stuff, and rode 1000 miles around Lake Michigan from my house in Chicago. I got hooked, then started upgrading as I could afford it.

If you can ride 30 miles, you're most of the way there for fitness. If you can ride 30 miles every day, you are there.

Some people make packs out of kitty litter buckets. Some just use a backpack. Some don't carry much at all.

Doug64

Welcome!

You may just want to start by doing some searches on this Forum. There have been a lot of discussions about bikes and other gear.

Another source of information and inspiration is:https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?doctype=journal

I think that you will quickly discover that there is no right or wrong way to tour; and that there are as many different ways to tour as there are members on this Forum.

Warning—Touring by bicycle is addictive

Machka 

I started by riding increasingly longer distances and exploring my local area while I was doing so. I'd go sightseeing ... I'd locate tourist attractions etc. on the map and cycle there and back in a day.

While I was doing that I sort of dabbled in overnight tours or hub-and-spoke style touring. My then-husband wasn't into cycling at all, but did enjoy camping, so we'd go camping for the weekend and while he was sitting round the campfire or playing cards with friends or whatever, I was out cycling. Or I'd set off on my bicycle to a camping location 50 km away or something, and he'd drive out and set up camp.

A few years later, I got into Randonneuring, and touring was a nice compliment to Randonneuring. I also joined the local cycletouring club and I used day or weekend tours as training rides. I did a bit of weekend touring on my own as a part of my training too. And then when I attended Randonnees in other parts of the world ... I figured I might as well tour while I'm there!



So my suggestion would be to start with the bicycle you have now and begin expanding your cycling distances. Remember, there are probably people who come to your part of the world to see the sights, so why not have a look at them yourself. And then, while you ride, make a list of things you'd like in a bicycle onto which you might attach a rack and panniers.

indyfabz

https://www.adventurecycling.org/res...to-department/

mstateglfr 

Same height, I know the difficulties in finding affordable touring bikes. I have built my two from a bare frame and from a previous bike that I swapped everything out on.
Fuji Touring.
Novara Randonee.
These are two solid options for new touring bikes at $1100 or less which come in a size that should fit.

The route I would go is to expand your craigslist search. If you dont want to spend more than $500 or whatever amount, then that may mean taking a day and driving a few hundred mi to get to a bike. Many say that isnt worth it, but when its a viable solution due to limited inventory in your size and price range near you, then there is little reason not to take a day and go out of the local market.

Often times, the first bike ends up being used as a way to determine what you like and dont like for when you get your next bike. Just keep that in mind. Also, you can swap most anything out on a bike. It isnt an end product, its ever changing due to use and can therefore be updated or changed as desired.



What do you currently ride? It may be worth looking into converting it/using it for touring.

saddlesores

got a box of parts lying around?

Vintage 80s Univega Touring Road Bicycle Frame Fork Frame Set XL Steel Chromoly | eBay

Vexxer

I am thinking my current ride would work for now. Its a Specialized Tricross that can hold front and rear racks, and fenders. It should at least work for shorter getaways while I see if this is really for me.

mantelclock

Definitely will work if it's a comfortable ride for you. It has all the attachment points for fully loaded touring, can handle reasonably wide tires, and doesn't weigh a ton. Good choice. Take it out for an overnight and you'll be well on your way to touring.

mstateglfr 

Oh yeah, I would stick with that and not think twice. Room for comfortable tires(whatever size that is for you), mounts for racks, 44cm chainstays to lower the chance of heelstrike with panniers, and gearing that should allow you to not struggle on most hills.

Really, gearing is the only possible issue as you may find it isnt low enough for you to comfortably ride up some hills when loaded.
If heelstrike is bad with normal panniers(since im assuming you have sz14 or so shoes), there are racks which allow bags to be placed a few cm further back. This is then enough to not get heelstrike while not being so far back that the bag weight negatively affects handling.

You can go all in with Ortlieb panniers and Tubus racks will be incredibly expensive but of the highest quality.
If you want to dip your toe, get an Axiom Journey rack or a comparable rack with a horizontal lower rack to allow for panniers to slide up or back if needed. You can get a good solid rack for $30 even if many say you cant. It will be aluminum instead of steel and wont have as nice a finish. Itll also only be $30 and should last years, so eventually upgrading wont break the bank. Nashbar, Axiom, Transit, and a few other brand names have good solid panniers that will get the job done. If they arent waterproof, they will be water resistant. Just use a trash bag or smaller plastic bags to keep the contents dry inside the pannier.

Buying online will cost 60% of buying in store. But you dont get to see the stuff in person. Its always a tradeoff.

Vexxer

Are there any other touring companies like Adventure Cycling that offer educational tours for people new to this? THe one that would be local to me started yesterday, and I guess wont happen again for another year.

wished

If you search for "Bicycle Tours" on the 'net you will find dozens, some may be local but there are others that cover a lot of territory. ACA does have a great reputation, and probably the largest, but I get ads from dozens of companies that offer everything from families only to senior citizens only to brewery tours only. To be honest I look at what they offer and the routes they use, but personally I think they are over-priced (at least to me). Read along on here some, maybe buy a book or two, and just go somewhere local. It's not perfect buy Google Maps now has bike routes as an option, so pick a start point and stop, then try what Google offers. Good luck!

LeeG

Piece of cake. One set of small panniers on front low riders and one medium sized dry bag on rear rack no rear panniers. The bike isn't designed for heavy rear loads so don't bother doing that esp if your weight is commensurate with your height. Touring doesn't have to be 40lbs of gear. It's riding and carrying enough to meet your riding and camping/living needs. Nearly all my touring in my teens and twenties was with 12-20lbs of gear.

fietsbob

You need a Bike to go Bike touring, But you dont have to have a "touring Bike" to go On a tour.
' Touring ' is the activity.

LeeG

Zactly. That TriCross is a better touring bike than most of the bikes I did tours on.

revcp 

Actually, a used bike would be a very good option. I'm amazed that of the higher end bikes I see on CL and FB--touring and otherwise--the majority are outsized. I think you would be very surprised what you could find for your height.

Below are bikes from a quick CL look in my area. I simply search for "touring". Now, I would quibble whether some of these are actually touring bikes... And even if you don't want to go with retro components, many of them have prices low enough that you could invest a bit of money to replace as you would like.

*Tall Guys* Klein Sport Touring Aluminum

TREK Touring Bike

1982 Chrome Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Cannondale Bicycle Bags

1973 Raleigh Grand Prix redo

1988 Trek 400

Civia Linden Road/Touring/Commuter

1983 Schwin Voyageur SP Champion No. 2

NoShiftSherlock

Howdy!

It's a good and common question, OP. If it were me, I would start off with the question "What do I want my bike to do, exactly?" Touring across America may be different than touring your state or region (southeast areas like Florida tend to be more flat, for example). Do you want it to be aluminum, steel, carbon? Steel is the typical touring option but weighs more. Do you want to have a bunch of mounts for things like racks and water bottles? Do you want drop bars? It's good start to with basics like this as it narrows down which bike you'll eventually get. Of course, you can always swap parts but many "touring" bikes come equipped pretty darn well right out of the box and if you can get most of your wants in a complete bike than it's sometimes cheaper. You can tour on anything, really. Folding bikes, mountain, etc. If you're talking strictly touring frames/completes, here are some options (these are under $1000 which would be "cheap"):

Windsor Tourist
Fuji Touring
Nashbar TR1
REI Novara Safari ($1099 but can easily get this lower with coupons).

I would also recommend checking out craigslist for touring specific bikes and other needed accessories. Be sure to get a bike that fits first and foremost. You want to be as comfortable as possible.

Feel free to check out the Newbie's Guide in the stickies.

If you have any more questions, we'd be happy to help!

jefnvk

I'm not much further along than you (longer rides are in the 40-45mi range for me, but an average week of riding only in the 50-60mi range). Dunno how well it'll actually go, but last fall I just decided to plan a trip out of the blue, it has been in the actual works since New Year or so and I depart May 20th. I picked a relatively easy biking destination (Brussels and Netherlands), although the learn as I go logistics of moving two bikes to and from airports have been overwhelmingly fun. Plotted the trip itself out so that the average days are in line with what I reasonably know I can do, and left a lot of extra time just in case. I love planning vacation details, but even I will admit this has been an exercise compared to other non-bike trips. I lucked into a beaten up old 80's touring bike for $85 that I have been slowly rehabbing and building, as I also like to do things on a budget.

I guess my point is, find a reasonable bike, find a reasonable destination, and go, and you'll learn what you need to learn when it comes up! Tis what I'm hoping works out for me, anyhow!

Vexxer

Well, I took my first step. I ordered a camping stove to test out and make sure I know how to cook on the road. Also reached out to my mechanic about about adding a climbing friendly cassette to the tricross. Looking into bike mechanic classes too, so I will know what to do if I breakdown on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.

dashely

At this point having a bike. I would look at a cheap rack and set of panniers and on the next three day holiday plan cycle out to a near by campground with a tent, speeding bag and your stove to see if you like it.

Vexxer

Planning that to. Im trying to find some cycling buddy's to do it with me, so far, not luck though. I have always been somewhat hesitant to ride alone on the roads around here.

jefnvk

Dunno what they have in NC, but I'd have to imagine that someone down there has some sort of organized weekend bike tour you can pay to go on. Might cost a bit of money, but you'll already have a route set up riding with many other bikers, with pre-determined food stops, place to camp, etc., and maybe even a truck to haul your luggage from one point to another so you can travel light on the bike itself.

Here is a ride of that type in NC, albeit in October and a full week, just to give you an idea: https://cnc.ncsports.org/fallCNCRide/