barryrenesson

Hi,

I have been dreaming of a long tour for years and am still a couple of years away but am at a point where I can start planning. I really would like to do the PCBT, but am looking to do a tour from Vancouver,BC to St Johns first, as I'm more familiar and comfortable with this route. I've read that a beginner tourer should average 20KM's/hour and a comfortable budget would be $60/day. I'm just trying to calculate my budget and looking for advice. Is 20KM's/hr with a $60/day budget accurate--$60 seems like a lot for a day?


Thanks.

Machka 

I'm not sure where you read that, but the speed you average per hour with a loaded touring bicycle will vary. Some cyclists might be able to manage 20 km/h. Many others might only average 12 or 15. And it will depend on the day too. Some days you'll be faster, some days you'll be slower.

The only way you'll get a decent idea of how fast you can ride with a loaded touring bicycle is to load up a touring bicycle and go on a weekend tour ... and find out.

The other thing is that most cycletourists include rest days in their schedule, and again, the frequency varies. I like 3-4 days on the bicycle, and then 1 day rest, and repeat. That schedule gives me a regular break, and also offers some flexibility should there happen to be a bad storm one day or something.


And as for the money, you'll be cycling through Canada (my home country). $60/day does not sound unreasonable. But it does depend on what kind of cycletourist you are. Where do you want to spend the night? Do you like camping? Or would you prefer to stay in hostels or hotels? Where do you want to acquire food? Can you cook, or at least assemble food? Or will you need to eat at restaurants and cafes?

Again, go on a weekend tour and find out.

Machka 

We even have a Short Tours thread so you can talk about your practice/test/experimental tours leading up to the big one ...

https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/98...ort-tours.html

barryrenesson

I got the numbers from "Canada by Bicycle" by Steve Langston. 20KM's seemed high to me as well. I will be camping and cooking, so I hope to keep my expenses low. I've visited your website in the past and appreciated the information. Touring seems relatively cheap; I've calculated my trip to cost $6000 over 98 days.

Thanks for the reply.

paul2

When I cycled across Canada I didn't have a cycle computer, but through northern Ontario I cycled with someone who did, and we averaged 21 km/hr in the hills north of Superior, and we were slower than most cross Canada cyclists. On the prairies I had tail winds, and had a much higher average speed.

How much it costs will depend on how much camping vs motelling and restaurants vs cooking you do. I averaged $62.80 per day. I stayed in campgrounds, hostels when I was in cities, and motels when there wasn't another option. Campgrounds averaged $15 in BC to Manitoba and $25 from Ontario to Newfoundland. I ate at restaurants when I was in cities, which adds up. And I found I had to add extra meals. The ferry to Newfoundland adds a fair bit to the daily average.

Norsman

I rode across Canada in 2012 and certainly did not average 20km/h. I think that happened fewer than 20 times in the 76 days of actual cycling. I think my average was nearer to 15 or 16km/h. I am also pretty sure that I spent more than $60 per day but I think that is still a reasonable figure to use for budgeting purposes. I ate in restaurants virtually every day. If you cook for yourself you can probably get by on the $60 or less. If you wild camp often there is no doubt that you can get by for less. Some campgrounds, in particular provincial parks in Ontario, are ridiculously expensive.

If you haven't already done so check out the journals on Grazyguyonabike (https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/) On the opening page go to the left side and under Journals by Category, click on Routes, then North America, then Canada and then Canada Coast to Coast, There many journals there that might answer some of your questions. You can look at mine (https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/..._id=10107&v=9q) which may or may not be helpful. If you have any questions just use the Guestbook on my journal. I get an email notification anytime there is a new entry in the Guestbook.

gerryl

An average of 20km/hr is pretty much what I have done over long tours. Mind you at the start I'm nowhere near 20km/hr but after a few weeks in, 20km/hr is about right. In your case with the prevailing winds at your back the whole way and the big mountains done with in the early going it shouldn't be much of a problem. At $60 a day I'd be living like a king! I camp 99% of the time and cook my own food.

Doug64

I think you might average 20 km/hr over the trip. When we rode across BC our average was a just slightly slower than 18 km/hr (11 mph/hr) due to the hills, but our daily mileage was also a little less than our normal average. Once we hit the plains both speed and distance increased. The increase in speed was not that great, but daily mileage was longer. I attribute this to being able to ride longer days in the less hilly terrain. I can't help much past Alberta, because we turned south at Calgary and headed for Montana. If you plan on camping and cooking, $60/ day should be adequate. It may even be enough for an occasional motel if needed.

I'm not sure this will help in your planning , but my wife and I averaged 83 km/day for 74 consecutive days on our ride across the U.S. However, you have to factor in the fact that I am an old guy, and your daily mileage will vary

barryrenesson

Thanks for the information. I will be a riding a Big Dummy so I would be happy with a 15-20 km/hr average.

barryrenesson

I have read many logs on crazyguyonabike over the years but have not read this one. Thanks for the link.

staehpj1

People vary pretty widely on both distance traveled per day and money spent. My guess is that 20 kph would be in the medium-high range and $60 in the very-high range (assuming camping in the US). I am not sure how much Canadian prices vary from the US but suspect $60 is still very high for a reasonably frugal individual camping unless they are getting rooms pretty often.