BIKE TOURING 101: GETTING STARTED

A how-to guide to get you going on your first ever bike tour

Bike touring opens the world in the most wonderful way.

Really, at it’s simplest, there are only two steps to getting started on your first bike tour: 1. Get a bike. 2. Ride.

It really is pretty much that simple. Honestly, my first tour my entire setup cost me about $100 and it was all low quality. I called my bike Bertha, she broke on me a couple of times and by the end she was more repairs than bike, but she still took me through five countries.

But if you want to get more complicated about it, here’s some of the nitty-gritty you’ll want to think about.

The bike

Bertha was my super cheap, first-ever touring bike. Touring doesn’t have to be fancy. But you will want to name your bike.

Choosing a bike can be pretty stressful, especially if you’re new to bike touring. There are a whole bunch of things to consider, a lot of jargon, and they can get pretty pricey. Unless you know for sure bike touring is something you’ll be doing for a long time, think about starting at the cheaper end. That way you can figure out what you actually want and need before sinking a few thousand dollars into your steel steed.

Second-hand bikes are a great option. Those pre-loved puppies will reduce your budget and the amount of waste we create in the world. Plus you’ll know they were tried and tested.

The big picture considerations when looking for your new bike are going to be the design, the materials, and the destination.

Design

By this I mean the purpose the manufacturers had in mind for the bike. Is it a road, mountain, hybrid, or touring bike? What is the geometry of the build. Bikes built for different purposes have slightly different shapes and ratios in their design.

You can definitely tour on any one of them, but if you’re going to be doing a lot of off-road bikepacking, a road bike is going to cause you some headaches. Likewise, if you’re going somewhere where you’re carrying a huge amount of weight, a mountain bike’s wheels are potentially going to snap a lot of spokes because they aren’t designed to distribute that amount of weight. Touring bikes are built a bit longer and steadier, but can be heavy and cumbersome because of that, which might not be necessary for your tour.

Materials

This one is relatively straightforward. Relatively. Bikes frames are usually made with one of three materials: carbon fiber, aluminum, and steel.

Carbon fiber bikes are those sleek, super featherlight bikes that zip by me and set off my green monster. They’ll fly up hills, but be very careful not to hit anything. The flipside of lightweight is they’re not very durable. This might not be a problem for your intended tour, in which case, zip along merrily.

Aluminum is what the majority of bike frames are made of. The happy medium between lightweight and durable, they’re in theory the best option for a touring bike. And they might be for you. Just keep in mind that if you crack your frame (which happens to the best of us), welding aluminum is a specialized skill, and the bulk of welders you’ll find on the road won’t have the tools or know-how to fix that.

Most touring bikes are steel. These things are beasts. True, they’re quite a bit heavier (my touring bike weighs 17kg just on its own), but there’s a reason steel hasn’t gone the way of the dodo. On top of being super durable and easily weldable by any welder you’ll find, steel also helps, however minutely, to absorb vibrations, which will really help your hands and elbows in the long run.

The setup

Each cyclist has their own unique setup. Some even decorate!

Essentially how are you going to attach your stuff to the bike? The two broad categories are bikepacking (where everything is strapped directly to the bike) and touring (where you have racks and panniers). However, there’s no hard and fast rule. Maybe you bikepack with a back rack. Or tour with only front panniers. It’s up to you, how much gear you have, and what you want to do on your trip. It’s easier to hike and bike with a bikepacking setup, though still doable with panniers, just a bit more difficult. Whatever setup you choose, it will probably change a bit as you learn and as your gear adjusts. No matter what combination though, just make sure it’s all in balance. Try climbing a mountain with no weight at the front and double at the back. You’ll be kicking yourself.

The Gear

Remember that everything you’re bringing has to fit somehow on the bike.

Clothing, panniers, tools, oh my! Let’s break it down into manageable, bite-sized pieces. This is everything else you’ll have, apart from you and your bike. There are a billion options for gear, and your gear needs will change as you traverse between climates and styles, so don’t get too bogged down.

Clothing

Let’s be honest, most likely you’re wearing the exact same thing every day. Give in and appreciate your clothes as they slowly disintegrate off your body in protest. In general, you’ll want riding clothes, end-of-day/city clothes, warm layering pieces, and rain gear. Anything more than that is up to you how much luxury you want, and weight you’re willing to carry.

Panniers/Bags

You’ll want to decide your setup first, because that will help you choose what bags or panniers or combination you’ll need. If you’re going somewhere that has a reasonable number of wet days, or somewhere quite dry and dusty, I recommend springing for waterproof. If you don’t want, can’t find, or your budget doesn’t allow for waterproof, lining your bags with two heavy-duty garbage bags in addition to the rain cover is a pretty good runner-up to the fancy waterproof bags.

Keep in mind also that packing those bags as full as possible is fine when you’re home, but won’t work that well on the go. First of all, you’re not leaving yourself any space to get new things, whether souvenirs or unforeseen gear needs. You’re also forgetting that the weight and bulk of your food and water is going to go up and down like a yo-yo every day. Plus digging through a jam-packed bag to find an item is a giant pain.

Tools

Your tool kit is going to look different depending on where you’re going. Heading somewhere quite remote means bringing more tools and backup parts, especially if your bike has specialized or hard to find pieces, like disc brakes or 700cc wheels (which are not common outside of the Western world).

The basic toolkit is going to have some Allen keys (make sure you have all the sizes for your bike), tire levers, a patch kit, trueing key, an extra spoke or two, extra tube, and chain grease. Longer tours or more remote tours may profit from brake pads, cables, more spokes and tubes, maybe even an extra chain and tire. It really all depends on your comfort and mechanical skill levels and where you’re going. Some tools are so specialized they’re not worth carrying for most people. Generally the more populated a place, the more likely you can find someone to McGuyver you a fix.

The Destination and Route

Some routes and destinations are more challenging than others. All are rewarding.

Think about where and how. Are you thinking of staying local, or do you want to head to the other side of the world? Also consider what type of routes you want: roads, dirt, hike and bike (where you ride and push your bike along a route more appropriate for hiking), or some combination thereof. These choices are going to inform what bike, gear, and setup will work best for you.

If you’re starting on your very first tour and are a bit nervous, consider starting smaller. Aim for the Pamirs on your second time out the gate. Ride from your front door, camp for a night, and ride back. If you want something longer and local, there are a ton of forums and facebook groups that are chock full of route ideas for every square inch of the Earth. Make use of those people. Cyclists love to share stories and info.

Transportation

Transporting your bike can be as easy as wheeling onto a ferry. Or as difficult as packing it onto a plane.

Taking your bike on an airplane. Ugh. One of the greatest things about cycle touring is the freedom it gives you. One of the worst is the logistics of transporting a bike if you’re not riding it.

Different airlines have different rules about how your bike needs to be packed, what size they’ll accept, and how much extra it’ll cost you, so read the fine print. No matter which airline you go with though, I won’t lie, flying with a bike is stressful and a giant pain. But unfortunately also nearly unavoidable. So deep breaths and fingers crossed.

Trains and buses are a bit easier, though still, each company will have their own requirements. You might have to pack your bike down and cover it with a bag or a box to get it under a bus, or have to remove all the bags for a train. It’s still a hassle, but definitely less stressful than flying with your precious bike. I like to carry those giant, plaid, zippered shopping bags because they pack down and strap to my bike, and every time I need to transport my panniers separate from my bike, it makes 6 pieces of luggage into one giant one. Genius.

Boats actually tend to be fairly simple for the most part. Usually, your bike goes with the cars, and you can just roll it on, bags and all. No fuss, no muss.

Even hitchhiking is an option, though you’ll have to wait for vehicles that can fit a bike. Look for pickup trucks. They’re going to be your bread and butter.

Food and water

One of the joys of touring is sharing meals with other travelers.

This one is mostly trial and error. I will say that the amount you eat regularly, you’re probably going to want to double that. Remember, you’ll be pedaling all day. That’s hungry work.

Depending on your budget and destination, you might be able to get away with carrying minimal water and only emergency food. But buying food is not always possible. Carrying a stove and pot, and visiting markets for all your local ingredients is a great way to save money and give yourself more freedom to explore off the beaten path.

Carry a bit more water than you think you’ll need. Take it from someone who has run out of water in extreme heat, definitely better safe than sorry. You’ll also want a water purifier of some sort, unless you plan on buying water and boiling it if absolutely necessary.

Mechanical know-how

Roadside repairs are inevitable. Don’t let that put you off touring, we sure didn’t!

From fixing a puncture to re-cabling gears, how much is necessary to know? I keep saying it, and it keeps being true: depends on your destination and route.

The more remote or off the beaten path you go, the more you should know about how to fix your bike. Things will go wrong, stuff will break or get out of alignment. You don’t have to be a bike mechanic, but see if your city has a DIY bike shop where you can learn, or if a bike shop or outdoor store offers some basic classes.

If you’re staying somewhere fairly populated or generally going to stick to roads, having the basic idea of how to fix a flat should be good enough. It was for me. My first tour in Southeast Asia, I had seen my dad fix a flat tire once when I was a kid. That was the extent of my mechanical knowledge, and I managed to make it through that tour. So can you!

Sleepytime

Waking up to a new view each morning is exhilarating.

Where you will sleep every night is something that all cyclists think about every day. Once again, this will depend on your destination, route, budget, but also how you want your tour to be.

You can go for the nice and relaxing route where you aim for hostels, airbnbs, hotels, or any other paid housing situation each night, and know ahead of time you’re going there. Knowing you’ll have a dry and warm bed each night can sometimes be the perfect way to ease into touring. For this though, you’ll need to be in a place and along a route that has these amenities.

Your other option is camping. Whether in official campgrounds, or just wild camping, it’s a great option for giving yourself a whole lot of freedom, but it can be uncomfortable at times. Just remember to leave no trace whenever you camp.

Most of us utilize a combination of the two options, with the wonderful Warmshowers thrown in for some colour. Warmshowers is much like Couchsurfing, with the idea that someone opens their home to host you for a night (or two), but is only for touring cyclists. They’re a fantastic option because you get to meet some locals, share stories, get some great tips for rad routes, and share your experience with likeminded individuals.

So there you have it, some demystifying of the how-tos of getting started on your first bike tour. Honestly, though, it’s two steps: 1. Get a bike. 2. Ride. The rest are all just details. Now get out there are roll those wheels across the world!