I rode my bicycle 6000 miles this summer from MA to WA (with

Nice ride!

What model trek is that, 520?

Also, what tent, sleeping bag/mat system did you use? I've been hearing a lot of good things about quilts, but I have a perfectly servicable downbag that cost a fair bit.

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>>1018098
It's a 2011 Trek 520.

Tent is a LL Bean Microlight FS2, pictured here with self-repaired pole near Cisco, UT. I won't say it's the lightest/best in the world, but they mailed a replacement pole to Vernal for me after I broke one, for free, which was nice.

I used a Trek TK II as my sleeping bag, with a dirt cheap, 3/4 length inflatable pad. A big reason I like the sleeping bag is that it unzips all the way, so it works as a blanket for hot evenings.

How did the hiking days work? Did you leave your bike in the middle of innawoods hoping you'll find it again or did you mean walking your bike days?

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>>1018133
I locked it. When I was in areas which seemed sketchy and/or busy I tried to put it someplace out of sight. I did most of my hiking in National Parks, where I optimistically assumed that no one would come with the tools/desire to snip my 0.5 inch thick cable lock, or just take my panniers off.

I visited 12 National Parks and hiked in 10 of them, 5 for more than a day, and Yellowstone was the only one where I felt motivated to hide my bike a significant distance from the parking lot.

It ended up working out, but I would be cautious about leaving my bike in places where people might see it just driving by.

Picture is from Teddy Roosevelt NP, while my darling bicycle sat locked to a fence at the trail head.

>>1018095
Come back when you do that on a third world country, kiddo.

>>1018169
Would that be a better way to prove to you how large my penis is? I'll put it on my schedule.

>>1018144

Wtf I thought we killed all those a long time ago

A customer of mine was doing just that...are you from the boston area, op?

How long did it take you? Did you have any technical problems during the ride?

What did your typical day look like? (Schedule)

what part of MA did you come from?

did you ever fear for your safety?

what about food, did you mainly just stock up then buy when you can and use your supply when you couldn't?

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>>1018197
Yup, Greater Boston.

>>1018266
I didn't set an alarm once. Basically:
-Wake up somewhere around sunrise. Starting before sunrise happened fairly frequently, although it got cold in some mornings (below freezing in NH/VT when I started, chilly at high elevations out west too)
-Eat, break camp, start pedaling
-Continue pedaling, stopping to acquire/consume food and water or occasionally to read while eating
-Depending on the area, start thinking about a place to sleep in the afternoon or evening. For example, in National Forest, where I can legally camp anywhere, I'd ride until around an hour before sunset. Out in the prairie, where the roads are surrounded by fences (pictured) I needed to base my stopping time on the last 'good' spot for camping I would reach before sunset. Some spots were better than others.
-Set up tent, cook, eat, do a little reading and journaling
-Hang food bag where bears won't get it
-Sleep

About 90 days. I spent some time homeless at the end while I was looking for a place to move into.

The big technical problem was me blowing out the sidewall of my rear tire (I think by going off a curb with a full load). I used my foldable replacement tire until I could buy a new one, which was fine. I didn't realize it at the time, but doing so had also seriously fucked up the rim, which in turn did some damage to a spoke.

I ended up traveling around 1000 miles after the issue appeared. For the last few hundred my rim was so disfigured that I had to unhook my rear brake to keep it from rubbing the rim as it rotated around.

Anyhow, I arrived in Laramie, WY, and a random guy riding his bike from the grocery store recommended a bike shop to me where he thinks I can get a replacement wheel. I spend a few hours in the bike shop, between waiting for other customers and having the chief mechanic/boss there look through his stock and try to find something which would work for me.

Turns out they don't have any appropriate wheels (700x35-700x40 wheels aren't too popular for racing or mountain biking) but he says he'll call someone who might have something which will work. Turns out the guy I met at the grocery store is the rider for the place in races and he gives me a wheel for free, which I'm still using today. This all finished up well after closing time and saved me from having to twiddle my thumbs for at least a few days (it was July 3 so their wheelbuilder was on vacation) as well as a lot of money for the wheel.

Thanks, Pedal House.

The rest of the problems were all things I could handle myself. I broke one other spoke, which I replaced with a Kevlar cord replacement spoke until I found a bike shop. I got some flats and patched/replaced the inner tubes as necessary.

How much money did you spend? Total and daily average?

What did you do for hygiene?

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>>1018200
Whoops, >>1018274 is for you.

>>1018271
Lexington is where I was living, with my yuppie parents before I got in to graduate school. Picture is from NH, around a days ride from home.

The scariest moments were probably getting caught in a hail storm in the Black Hills, hitting 50 mph going downhill/downwind in Montana, and having a guy find me camping on his property outside of Spokane. The guy ended up telling me it was cool if I spent the night, but it still scared the shit out of me. I have an irrational fear of some redneck coming up to me with a loaded gun and forcing me off his property in the middle of the night.

For food, I didn't buy from any restaurants except for when I met some friends/family along the way (so ~6 restaurant meals in 3 months) because I'm poor and it costs enough to buy 5000 Calories a day from a grocery store. I would generally hit grocery stores 1-2 times a week.

>>1018273
Thanks
>>1018278
What did you eat? Looking for ideas.

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>>1018275
Not counting medications (I'm type 1 diabetic), a bit over $1600 of food/bicycle expenses in 3 months, so close to $18 a day. I could find the details for you if you want, but roughly 85% of that was food.

For hygiene, I didn't do much. I tried to wash myself with soap around once a week, and I swam when it was convenient to do so, but I was in some very dry places for long periods of time (pic related, one such campsite), so it wasn't always practical to do either. In the case of this photo, I had taken a dip when I climbed down to the Gunnison River the day before, but I was already covered with sweat and dust. Clothes got essentially the same treatment as my body.

>>1018281
For breakfast I ate Cream of Wheat, Malt-o-Meal, or comparable hot cereals (I'm not a fan of oatmeal).

Between breakfast and dinner (loosely called lunch, but I normally ate 3-8 times during this interval), granola bars, peanut butter-raisin tortillas, and plenty of fresh fruit if I had visited a grocery store in the last couple days.

For dinner, any prepackaged just-add-water dinner. Pasta Sides and similar were the cheapest. I liked to add some chopped onion to give them extra flavor. Once in a while I'd pick up some extra veggies and stir fry some to go with the food.

I also did something like pancakes a few times, and bought a few sticks of cheese to change up my lunches a bit.

Between being diabetic and vegetarian (no, I don't want to convert you, or even talk about it, I just don't want my own money to support factory farming) my choices are fairly narrow. If you don't want to get 1000+ Calories a day from peanut butter, you can surely find some tasty jerky or similar.

>>1018169
North America has such a huge concentration of world class scenery and parks. It's relatively safe, well preserved, has extensive infrastructure, and wide open spaces. I could tour USA for two months or buy a plane ticket to Africa for the same price. In Africa, I would ride my bike around as people are struggling to find food, water, and shelter. I'd feel like an arrogant dipshit with a target on my head. Eventually I'd get kidnapped and I would deserve whatever misfortune came my way. But hey, my anonymous friends on the internet would think I'm cool. There are a few places I'd worth risking it for, one day when I have the cash to get there I'll do it. Peru has many horror stories of cyclists getting robbed at gunpoint, but damn though mountain roads look sweet.

Did you preplan the route? How did you get time off work to do this? Where to next?

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>>1018292
I was doing shitty temporary work at near minimum wage and I quit when I got accepted into graduate school out west and wanted to start riding.

I loosely preplanned the route. I knew the starting point, the ending point, and a bunch of places I wanted to visit along the way, but I changed the details of the route based on local advice, weather, information and my schedule. For example, I knew I wanted to visit Glacier National Park and go from there to Spokane, WA, but I didn't decide until a few days beforehand that I would skip the hiking in Glacier and do so by way of Yaak, Montana due to the rain in Glacier and my dwindling time to make it to my final destination to do some viewings for places to live.

I'm not sure when my next big trip will be. I'm hoping to do Alaska to Tierra del Fuego eventually, but I'll need more $ and time for that, and I anticipate being busy with school and then a job I want to keep for a while. I'll definitely take some week-scale trips around WA. The last time I was here by bicycle the rain kept me from spending as much time as I might have liked enjoying the west side and the national parks. In the spring I'll probably take at least a couple weekend trips up into the mountains.

The South/Southeast and Midwest are the only regions of the US that I haven't visited by bicycle and I don't have any great desire to do so. I'd rather stick around the West/Northwest.

>ywn live in a fuckhueg country like america
touring as an eurotrash is suffering

Did you follow the ACA maps, or did you make your own route?

Did you meet any cool people on the road? Did you run into any other tourists?

>>1018305
I made my own. I followed Adventure Cycling routes for my first 2 large-scale tours, and they were pretty nice, but I like taking detours to avoid people/cities or to get further /out/, whereas Adventure Cycling assumes that you want to pay for a campground, do warm showers or sleep in a hotel or similar. I ended up on some bits of the Northern Tier and Continental Divide routes, but only briefly.

>>1018308
I met a bunch of people. Going through Ontario I saw a bunch of people touring on the trans-Canada highway west to east. In Montana I met a guy from South Korea riding from AK to Tierra del Fuego. He told me he thought America and Canada were boring, after having just done the Cassiar highway and the northern Rockies, which are, in my opinion, at least arguably the best part of the continent. To each his own, I guess.

My best human experience, from a very selfish standpoint, except perhaps the guy giving me the wheel I mentioned here >>1018274 was near the end of the trip, as I was riding along the Okanogan River. I had pinched a delicious apple and pear from trees by the side of the road, and while feeling slightly guilty, the taste was worth it. Anyhow, a farmer waved me down and handed me a couple ears of corn, slightly damaged by birds on one end, telling me that they were still good if I broke off the ends. Then, that evening, a family from Vancouver Island invited me over to their picnic table (I was hanging out at a public park) where they gave me more food and conversation. I'm not a very social person, but after almost 3 months without more than a couple minutes of conversation at a time, I appreciated the human contact almost as much as the food.

The next day a guy invited me to take all the food/beer I wanted from the back of his truck, which he had apparently filled up from a supermarket throwing out their imperfect goods (for the veggies, not the beer).

>>1018308
>>1018319
continued

When I was riding around in circles at the end of the trip, looking for a place to live, I met a guy who had ridden over from Eastern WA on the John Wayne trail. He's an older guy, who apparently hasn't paid taxes in decades, choosing instead to look for informal living arrangements where he can trade his work for food money and a place to stay without going through the government. He told me about different places to get food in town (I was homeless at the time, even if I had plans for employment/living arrangements). Anyhow, we got along pretty well, and I still text him now and then today. He might be a little crazy, but I probably am too.

>>1018319
Would you suggest using an ACA map for a first tour? I wanna do a cross country ride next summer and I was thinking of doing the transam. Any advice/suggestions for a first time tourer?

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>>1018325
Buying an ACA map is a pretty good idea. It will keep you on a fairly safe route in terms of traffic and access to supplies and give you lot of information on where you can get food/water/a place to stay, as well as the hills along the way. You'll also run into more tourers. When I did the Trans America route (OR to VA) as my second big tour, I ended up riding maybe 40% of it with 4 other people around my age who I met on the road. What I will say is that you should consider detours. I had a great time in Colorado on that trip, hitting Rocky Mountain National Park and then Great Sand Dunes and hiking in the Presidential range, none of which was on the ACA maps.

As far as first timer advice, here are a few things which have helped me as I've learned more about touring. I'd be happy to answer more specific questions:

-If money is at all relevant, learn to stealth camp. Basically, this means finding someplace that isn't visible from the road to set up your tent. You can get a decent idea of where such places will appear from maps.

-Finding such a place with a water source is often harder, so if you're going to camp without a water source, you'll need to have enough for dinner, breakfast, and however far it is until your next refill point. When I started touring I carried ~4L of water in bottles. For the last 2 trips I've had a 10L bladder which I can fill as much as I need to. I didn't fill it all the way too often (20 lbs is a lot of weight), but between it and ~2.5L in bottles, I've done close to 100 miles in hot, mountainous areas between refills. ACA would never put you in a position to need to carry that much water.

-Don't worry about speed. On a mph level, you're going to go slow if the wind and hills aren't helping. On a daily level, sometimes you'll feel fantastic and push all day, and sometimes you won't. On a weekly/monthly timescale, the main thing is to keep yourself rolling and enjoy the journey, which is more mental than physical.

>>1018325
>>1018333
Oh, and one thing which really helped me as I was getting into touring was taking weekend trips. You'll get used to the weight of your gear, how much you'll be eating/drinking packing and repacking, and you'll get a sense of your daily range. Of course, all of these things can be different in different conditions, but it helps a lot to have some information.

>>1018333
>>1018337

Thanks. I'll be leaving from Oregon headed east. My goal is to get to maine because I have a good friend there I want to visit for a bit. My plan so far is to quit my jobs early March and start the transam in the beginning of May. This will give me two months to train since I don't have any time to do it now because my jobs take up most of my time and energy. I should have at least 6 grand saved by then, but I still want to be frugal on my trip because I might keep going after the transam if I'm enjoying myself. I was thinking of doing route 66 on the way back to the west coast. I want to stealth camp as much as possible. I was also considering dehydrating a shitload of food and having my folks mail it to me along the way like long term hikers do. I'll probably eat at some restaurants to try the local cuisine in areas where it interests me. Any criticism of my plans is welcome.

>>1018095
see anything weird out there?

>>1018095

Did you get laid at all

>>1018414
Maybe there are some farmers here for which this is normal, but the weirdest experience for me was riding along a quiet country road and seeing a black blob on it in the distance. My eyesight is pretty good, but I couldn't identify it. As I got closer, it turned out to be a herd of cows (probably several hundred) being herded along the road, I guess from one field to another.

I and any cars who were passing through just had to go very slowly through the midst of them. They got out of the way, but there was a whole lot of mooing and depositing of watery shits on the road.

>>1018412
There are plenty of styles of touring. It sounds like your plans would be workable.

As far as the food is concerned, I'm pretty sure it would be cheaper to just buy food in grocery stores along the way than to have heaps of it mailed to you. Cycling can burn loads of calories.

Route 66 doesn't seem terribly appealing to me, especially in Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma, but whatever floats your boat.

>>1018417
Nope. I also didn't fap either for more than 100 days with 0 wet dreams and a boner once in a blue moon. Exercising all day, every day with a bicycle seat pushing your balls back into your scrotum is a good way to kill your sex drive.

Something like pemmican might be worth mailing if you are broke, but low calorie dried fruit is silly.

Whole milk and cottage cheese is the cheapest calories per dollar in any supermarket, besides sugary garbage treats. Peanut butter and bananas are a close second

>>1018095
I envy you. Deeply and sincerely.

>>1018095
Why do you think anyone cares?

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>>1018442
As I spend Sunday working in my office, I envy the me of 2-5 months ago too.

>>1018450
Why would you post that when several people are already showing interest?

>>1018450
I care

I've been saving up for some new speakers for my computer, but my brother is coming home after a bike tour and wants to sell all his shit.

Talk me into buying it from him instead of speakers.

>>1018189
Do u even Omaha Steaks?

>>1018302
I disagree. The density of things to see is much higher in Europe.

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>>1018456
I love my computer too, but touring is a different type of joy.

I might be doing the same things all the time, but endorphins make it all seem amazing. Headwind? A challenge! A long boring straight road? Look at all this world which belongs to me! Rain? God is sweating for me!

It's like physical, mental and emotional therapy. Society and all of its obnoxiousness still exists, but it's someplace else and you don't have to participate often. Even if you've already seen someplace by car, experiencing the hills, the wind, the smells, the sights, and the sounds from your bike is a whole new experience. A vista isn't just a vista, it's a reward you've earned from hours/days/weeks/months of effort, which makes it fucking awesome.

Your speakers might make your current experiences a bit nicer, but they can't open up a whole new world for you.

>>1018484
Well put.

>vegetarian
>bikes across country
marry me senpai

>helmet

FUCK YOU

>>1018516
kys
no really, just do it.
you could go for a nice helmet less ride perhaps...

>>1018521
Just got back from one. Spent most of my time dropping faggots with 200$ fashion accessories on their head and chatted with a guy who is recovering from a broken neck after getting into a wreck while wearing a magic hat.

>>1018450
stop being a dick to op, he actually went and did something

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>>1018504
You'd think it would be a pretty good way to pick up girls, but I'm probably just too beta to take advantage of it.

Granted, it could have something to do with the fact that this is my idea of a romantic spot for a date.

>>1018516
I'm sure you intelligent riders are better off without your wizard hats, but I'm stupid enough to let my blood sugar fall low (which is fairly easy when I become ~6x more sensitive to insulin while riding up a mountain) and my sense of balance is one of the first things to go.

>>1018528
you didn't even leave the house today.

>>1018333
Where was your first big tour?

What part of the road do you ride on? Like just the middle of a lane or the side or what?
Touring sounds fun.

Did you ever get hassled by police?

OP is a pretty cool guy.

>>1018570
From Bellingham, WA to San Diego, CA through the mountains. Sort of the cycling version of the PCT. There's an ACA map set for it, called the Sierra Cascades.

Since then I've also done OR to VA and AK to Chihuahua, Mexico. I wanted to go further into Latin America but I was running out of money. I've also done a dozen <500 mile ones near where I've lived. 200 miles from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening was a pretty frequent occurrence for the last couple years of my undergrad.

>>1018608
As much as I like taking photos from the center of the road, I spent my cycling time on the shoulder. On the quieter roads, I would cheat more into the right hand side of a lane. I had to spend maybe 20 miles total on interstates, and there, I would stay on the right hand side of the shoulder and panic every time I needed to pass an off/on ramp.

>>1018614
No problems with the popos. I'm pretty sure I at least talked to one over the course of the trip, but the only thing I can remember which comes close was some guy coming up to me where I had taken a break at a fishing access point at like 10 AM and telling me that I wasn't allowed to camp there.

>>1018557
i know what you mean type 1 bro
i always carry a bunch of white bread with me just in case

>>1018680
Oh, I carry an absurd amount of food. It's just a question of convincing myself to stop to eat it. I lack the dexterity to extract something from my pocket, unwrap/open it and consume it while ascending at 5-7 mph.

>>1018095
weren't you too lonely ? how was the weather ? did you getlike a full week of rain ?

But most importantly, whatthe fuck is that white and blue plastic thingy on the top of your rear rack ?

did you have to camp illegally many times?

>>1018726
I'm not a very social person, and I was actually more sociable on my bike than in the ~8 previous months because people come and ask me about what I'm doing when I'm riding around with all my stuff.

The weather was mostly fine. I got a lot of rain in Wisconsin, which kind of sucked when I followed US2 as it merged with US53 and it became illegal for me to ride on it (it was nice of them to put a sign a couple miles after the intersection to tell me). Anyhow, I got off the road and headed for the adjacent gravel/sand rail trail which I had left ~70 miles back due to all the shitty sand. To do so, I had to walk my bike through a knee deep stream. I was already very cold and wet, so it didn't make me feel much worse, but it wasn't much fun.

West of there was mostly hot and dry. I did get hit by one big storm in North Dakota which snapped a big tree in half about a hundred feet away from where I was cowering. Luckily, North Dakota is pretty chill about letting you camp in public parks, so I was in a shelter with walls and a roof.

As for the thing on the back of my bike, please see >>1018095

>>1018729
Some were less legal than others. The least legal was probably climbing over fences where trees had flattened them a bit to camp in some woods, which I did only a couple times. Most of the time I was either in BLM land, National Forest, somewhere between the side of the road and an adjacent fence or in a 'city' park.

>>1018287
That's awesome op. I'm a type 1diabetic as well and I thought a trip like that wouldn't be possible. This gives me hope. Did you get 3 months of insulin in advance or stop at pharmacies along the way?

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>>1018805
I replenished my supply twice. I carried the syringes, test strips and lancets for the whole trip. I only had a few days in which hypoglycemia really became relevant, and two were from misjudging how sensitive I would be to insulin overnight and waking up barely able to retrieve my food from its bear-safe position hanging from a tree.

Warning: advertisement ahead.

Two things which really help me out with the diabetes are the Frio Insulin Cooling Case, which uses evaporative cooling to keep insulin 'cool' (not very cool, but not hot), and a continuous glucose monitor. The first few trips I did before having the CGM and I would get paranoid about letting my sugar fall too low so I ended up with super high levels almost every night. With the CGM and a little practice, I can keep it stable indefinitely. The first couple hours during which I still have the rapid insulin from breakfast working can be a little sketchy, but once I get onto the slow stuff, things are pretty easy. I just need to eat more when I do hills or go upwind or similar and less when the riding is easy.

>>1018450
This is one of the most interesting threads I've seen on 4chan.

>>1018558
say the word and i'll post my strava you piece of shit

>>1018813
where in Washington are you now?

>>1018855
Eburg.

Did you carry a cell phone with you?

Also, what kind of riding gear did you use? Lyrca and cycling jerseys?

>>1018863
I was going to suggest that we ride sometime but you're 100 miles away

>>1018867
Yes. It was off 99.8% of the time. I called my parents and told them I was still alive every week or two. Once in a while I used it for directions to something specific, but I used paper maps for the most part. T Mobile is a really shitty carrier outside of cities, Colorado and Washington.

>>1018869
I'm a big fan of Ibex Merino wool stuff. I wore 1 pair of their bib shorts and 1 shirt for all 6000 miles. Granted, the shorts are in tatters now and I had to replace them when I finished, but they were comfortable the whole way.

Over that I wore layers, as necessary. I had a wool jacket, a windproof jacket, a rain jacket and lined waterproof pants. On my feet I wore my Nashbar SPD sandals, which were nice for the breathability, but chaffed a bit, so I had to wrap my ring toes in duct tape to keep them from getting torn apart. I also had some thin cotton socks, wool socks and some waterproof socks. Except for the waterproof socks, they were mostly used for hiking. I had some chilly days here and there where I took advantage of them, but not many. I wore a cycling cap, sunglasses and cycling gloves almost always. I also carried a balaclava and lined, waterproof lobster gloves.

I also had 2 pairs of underwear, 1 pair of pants, 1 shirt and hiking boots for hiking and other off-the-bike purposes.

My cold/wet weather gear might have been a bit overkill, given where I was traveling, but when I used it (rarely), I really appreciated it.

>>1018873
As much as I'd like to, Puget Sound bro, if you're at all serious about cycling you'd probably leave me in the dust. Endurance is something I've got loads of, but my steel touring bike and muscles are not designed for speed, unless the environment chooses to bless me with downhill/downwind, in which case I can hit 40-50 mph.

Should you carry a gun?

>>1019849
I never have, but I guess traveling through a really shitty area with gear that makes you look rich or enough paranoia and/or stupidity might make it a good idea.

Some things to consider: can you do it legally in all the states/countries you're visiting? Is it worth the weight? The stuff I actually use (everything I carry) is heavy enough.

Whatever makes you happy. Please just don't do stupid things which make the rest of us look bad.

And thanks for the bump.

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Thought about this thread the other day.
where do you relieve yourself?
Do you have any funny stories about getting spotted?

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>>1020772
I saw a sign once by the side of the road which stated:
"The world is not your urinal."

Well, it actually is. I pissed anywhere and everywhere (ok, not on/near buildings when I could help it, but I spent a lot of time very far from buildings). Did people drive by as I took a piss facing away from the road? Yes. Frequently. Did they laugh at the size of my genitals which tend to retract into my body after being rubbed on a bicycle seat all day? Probably not. I'm not too worried either way.

Shitting was a little bit more complicated. When possible, I took advantage of public restrooms, but of course, it frequently wasn't. The next step down was using a trowel to dig a cat hole in some trees. But trees weren't always available either. I shat a couple times using sagebrush as a shield from the road, which also seemed to be appropriately modest.

The worst was needing to shit when there were no outhouses, no trees, no sagebrush, just prairie, prairie and more prairie (pic related). Sometimes the road seemed quiet enough to just dig a hole and squat by the side, hurriedly wiping up when I heard a car coming. It didn't seem so embarrassing, given that I dress like a faggot when I bicycle anyway and close inspection can tell you which side of the chamois my dick has bent too (for the record, right is far more comfortable).

When the traffic was heavier, I ended up doing something I'm not too proud of. I found irrigation tunnels going under the road and did my business in those. I assume/hope that there was enough cow shit and fertilizers in the area for the water passing through there to get thoroughly filtered before going anywhere where the cleanliness might be important.

>>1020772
are you a fucking retard? in the middle of the desert do you think he held it until he could get to a proper bathroom?

Would it be possible to do a long tour with a pet rat?

>>1020903
I've never had a pet rat, but I had a couple gerbils when I was ~10. Assuming they're similar, I don't see why not, other than annoyance.

It would be a pain to carry a place for it to live and food for it to eat. Presumably your rat would like to stay warm and dry, which adds more stuff to your packing list. If 'long' in your book is international, there are probably additional regulations there.

>>1018289
>. I'd feel like an arrogant dipshit with a target on my head.
That remind me of this vid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECs8ZrmH8D8

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>>1020780

very informative
I assume you'd only keep a roll or two of toilet paper with you, as well?

if you have anymore pics to share that'd be nice too, as it's interesting/comfy.
as for >>1020786
no duh, but I'm trying to squeeze out useful info because touring sounds like a hoot, and OP seemed genuine with what he's been sharing.

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>>1021005
I do have more photos, but I'd just assume save them for posts with content in them.

I did forget about a few guys when answering >>1018308
Reading my journal last weekend was fun and informative.

Before taking this photo where I spent the night on the shores of Lake Superior, I rode for ~20 miles with another guy around my age who was heading from his home in Ohio off to Alaska. Apparently he was just done with Ohio and wanted to find direction in his life or similar, planning to go to some relatives/family friends in northern California afterwards. I'm not sure what happened to him. I stopped before he did that day and didn't see him again. I assume I passed him because he was heading in the same direction and I have a hard time imagining someone getting up earlier than I did to ride in a miserably wet/cold/windy morning.

Google tells me he stopped at the Bicycle Museum of America (well before I saw him). I hope you found something to do with yourself Brett.

I also ran into an older guy touring out near Telluride, CO who had me pose for a photograph to put in his blog. I haven't taken a single selfie while riding and don't plan to, but it was a bit of an ego boost to have a guy put my picture up, labeling it 'touring cyclist with 34,000 miles on his bike'. In a couple weeks I'll be closer to 38k.

And then there was another older guy I met near Jackson, WY who told me about how the presence of a military changes the personality of the residents of a country and how he was going to go back to Costa Rica and live with proper human beings. I hope you found what you were looking for too, Jay.

Keeping a journal is something I never do in everyday life, but I'm happy I do it while I'm touring.

>>1021005
Oh, and yes, I carry toilet paper. Trying to find single rolls to buy can be a pain sometimes, but even at 1/4th the value (buying 4 rolls and keeping only 1) it's worth it to keep my ass in good shape.

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>>1018412
here

I rethought my route a little bit, and this is my new plan. I might only make it to Maine, but if I'm having fun, I want to keep going and do this whole thing. I have around 10 friends that live on or near this route. I also want to check out Chicago, so that's why I'm going up the Great Rivers south route up to the northern tier. .Great Rivers South sounds like a cool route from what I read on the ACA website. The website also says that the northern tier crosses into Canada a bit along where I will be riding it. Do you think it would be worth it to get a passport just for the small portions of the route that go into Canada, or should I just make a detour to stay in the states? One point of this trip is to check out places I have never been since I've never really left the west coast. I also live on the Oregon coast, so I will be able to leave from my doorstep, which is pretty cool.

>>1021063
oh yeah. I figure this will take me 8-10 months. Do you think that time frame is doable?

>>1021005
I'd love to have a tour to El Paso de Cortés.

>>1021063
>>1021064
>Do you think it would be worth it to get a passport just for the small portions of the route that go into Canada
I've been through Canada twice on my bicycle. Yukon/BC were awesome, Ontario not so much. I mean, there are lots of trees, but there aren't very many roads and you get to share them with all the traffic. It's also not terribly different from UP Michigan or upstate NY. I don't think you'll be missing too much if you skip it. You should look into the details of the border crossing though. As I understand it, Americans don't always need a passport to cross the Canadian border.

>Do you think that time frame is doable?
Doable? Sure. It all depends on the rider. There are people who ride coast-to-coast in 10 days (fully supported super-athletes). I can comfortably sustain 2000 miles a month, including some hiking and other breaks. I don't know exactly how fast you're comfortable riding now, nor how that might change after a week or two on the road. There's also the psychological side of it - some people have an easier time pulling themselves out of their sleeping bag in the morning and rolling up another hill than others.

What I will say is that there are almost certainly people who are older and in worse health than you who do comparable/bigger things. Your route is what, 8-9000 miles or so? 60 mile biking days should be achievable, even if you aren't in great shape. So maybe 5 months on the bike, plus whatever time you chose to spend off of it. The time shouldn't be an issue.

The weather, on the other hand, might be. It looks like you're planning on spending time in the east/Gulf coast during hurricane season. If you spend the whole 8-10 months then you're going to need to worry about snow in the mountains in NM/AZ. You can do it, just understand what you're getting into and prepare yourself for it as necessary.

>>1021060
>>I also ran into an older guy touring out near Telluride, CO who had me pose for a photograph to put in his blog. I haven't taken a single selfie while riding and don't plan to, but it was a bit of an ego boost to have a guy put my picture up, labeling it 'touring cyclist with 34,000 miles on his bike'.

he certainly did not label it that, because google returns nothing. taking it out of quotes, trying it with 33 and 35,000, "blog", "telluride" or "trek 520" doesn't return anything that looks like the OP bike.

come on, man, lets see the pic.

>>1021139
Well, I couldn't find it either, after several minutes of searching. Maybe he just told me he would put it up to flatter me, then decided I was too much of an ugly faggot to disgrace his lovely blog with.

>>1021154
eh, maybe he just got lazy. or a cage ran him over on the way home.

>>1021060
How did you keep your journal? Did you use old fashion pen and paper, or did you use a device like a tablet or laptop?

>>1021873
Pen and paper. I used ~$1 notebooks for the first couple trips I took. I was given a fancy waterproof notebook as a Christmas present from my sister, so I used it, but my tent is waterproof, so I never suffered without one.

Coincidentally, the same type of notebook was used for my geology field work. It wasn't necessary there either.

Did you consume any caffeinated beverages?

>>1018319
How the fuck did you shower? Fucking nasty, man.

>>1022021
Nope. I don't normally in everyday life either. I wake up every morning without coffee. Wild, I know.

I was pretty diurnal, especially close to the solstice. Later in the summer I spent more time awake after it had set, but I always tried to at least have started setting up camp by dark.

>>1022027
Shower? I probably took less than 10 in the 3 months. I did, however, swim when it was practical to do so, dunked my head underwater otherwise, and occasionally just filled water bottles and poured them out on my head. I did not stay very clean.

It seemed kind of pointless to put much effort into it, given that I would be soaked with sweat and covered with road dust within an hour or two of any thorough cleaning.

Really great thread, but goddamn I don't think I'd be able to handle the solitude.
Did you ever run into problems with running out of food or whatever?

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>>1022124
I'm quite introverted so not talking to people is not really a change for me. There are people who tour who like to talk more, and there are plenty of opportunities to do so in the continental US at least. People will be interested in what you're doing, where you're going, how you pull it off, etc. If you want to avoid people it is possible, but takes some effort, and you'll inevitably encounter them where you need to get food and other supplies. If you really want solitude you need to spend more time on gravel forest service roads between the middle of nowhere and the middle of nowhere. If you don't use Warm Showers or stay in paid campground or similar, lonely nights are an inevitability, but a pleasant one.

The only time I had an issue with food was between Rangely and Dinosaur, CO. In Rangely I only found a gas station and bought food, but it was not enough to keep my blood sugar up on the way to Dinosaur so I ended up falling off the side of the road into some sagebrush/tumbleweed where I lay for a while, stuffing my face with everything I had (which wasn't much) and waiting for my blood sugar to rise. Eventually someone noticed me there, pulled over and generously gave me some of the very sweet little candies they had for their baby, which was enough to get me back on the road in decent time. I would have survived anyway, but that certainly diminished the time I had to spend waiting. Thanks, random family.

Tumbleweed is actually pretty nice to fall into. It's a decent cushion and smells nice too.

>>1018095
What's in your touring toolkit? You've alluded to using a kevlar spoke and a basic puncture kit. Anything special?

Also, did you use dyno or battery lighting?

>>1022342
>toolkit
1 fairly fancy multi-tool with Allen keys, spoke wrench, screw drivers and a tiny useless knife.
2 spare inner tubes
1 bottle of chain lube
tire irons
1 foldable tire
2 kevlar cord replacement spokes
~5 patch kits, each with the materials to repair 5 punctures. I didn't replenish my supplies of these, I just started with a bunch and worked my way through them
Not for bicycle repair, but I found my needle and thread useful on multiple occasions for fixing up clothing.

My lights were both USB rechargable, which meant that I could charge them from my small, shitty solar panel as needed. I used them a few times before dawn and in tunnels, but by dark I was essentially always off the road. For my next big trip I'd like to have a dynamo hub so I can actually use electronics without worrying and spend less time looking for public power outlets.

Would you recommend training on a stationary bike for someone that isn't accustomed to a lot of hills? I want to tour next year. I've also never been a fan of going really fast, but I'll just have to man up on those downhill rides.

>>1023510
>stationary bike

Why take all the fun out of it? Just start small and work your way up. You can even do this after you've already started. I normally start my trips getting wiped out by modest hills and finish feeling chipper at the top of mountains.

Spending a decent amount of time on your bike before you start will make the start much easier. If you plan to start by riding real mountains, then some training there will make a big difference too. If you live in Kansas and you're planning on heading west, up over a 12,000' pass in CO then I don't know what to tell you. A stationary bike might help you get in shape, but I don't think they can replicate the difficulty of pulling yourself and ~50 lbs of stuff up.

If you are lucky enough to live somewhere with mountains, or at least hills, then go experience them. You probably won't be going up too high on your first go, but if you try to make your muscles handle it they'll start to rebuild themselves appropriately. As you get stronger, add more distance and weight.

As for speed, I wouldn't worry too much. Panniers are not terribly aerodynamic and you probably won't have any reason to shave a few seconds off of your 6+ hour ride time. In ~22,000 miles of touring I've probably only broken 40 mph a few dozen times. Encountering the dream conditions with a steep hill, a tailwind and a good, straight road might happen, but you can always just use your brakes. For what it's worth, when you get up to speeds like that, angular momentum makes it pretty difficult to fall.

>>1023510
You need bike handling skills, confidence, and good form ingrained in your muscle memory to deal with long hours on the bike safely. Basically experience. You won't get any of that on a stationary bike. It sounds like you really need it too.

>>1018095
>Ask me anything.
Post your Strava records for the entire trip, if you've got one, I'm interested in your overall performance.

>>1023510
If by 'stationary bike' you mean one of those atrocities they have in gyms, then no, don't even bother with those, if you're going to train for something even semi-seriously, you need to do it on the bike you're actually going to ride. The reasons why are many:
>No 'stationary bike' is going to be fitted properly for you, so when you sit down on a real bike, it'll be totally unfamiliar
>Any bike, stationary or otherwise, that isn't adjusted specifically for you (i.e. 'fitted' to you) is going to limit your ability to produce maximum power, be less comfortable (even as bad as actually injuring you), and may not even be as safe to ride.
>Any 'stationary bike', even your own bike on a trainer, gives you NO bike-handling skills, which especially over long distances, means the difference between being safe and getting in a wreck, especially when descending, in less-than-ideal conditions, or when there is traffic to contend with.
>All you're doing on on a 'stationary bike' is turning pedals, and even that doesn't react like the real thing, even on the most expensive trainer.
>Climbing hills is totally different in real life and can't be simulated properly on any 'stationary bike'.
>Even if by 'stationary bike' you mean 'your bike on a trainer', most of the above applies.
Bottom line: Ride a real bike under real conditions. Climb real hills. Get real experience.
'Club bikes' (stationary bikes at a gym) are for warming up before strength training, really, and are torture to use for more than half an hour because of how badly they're set up anyway. Avoid them.

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>>1025438
Nothing so fancy. Just a ~$20 odometer. 6000 miles on the dot at an average of around 11 mph from what I recall. On my faster days (read: flat with a constant tailwind) I could average around 15 mph. On slower ones, as low as 9 mph. The time spent moving at <2 mph pulling my bike from the road to a place to eat/sleep probably didn't help my overall velocity much.

I did do some hills, but nothing long enough to really sap speed. You might think that the downs would make up for the ups in terms of velocity, but it's not true at all. Riding 20 miles up at 5 mph and 20 miles down at 30 mph gives you an average speed just below 8.6 mph.

Honestly, speed is pretty irrelevant in my eyes. I have heard of people who push themselves and do 120 mile days consistently, but I'm happier relaxing through ~75 miles and focusing on the land and my plans for eating, drinking and sleeping in the immediate future. Once in a while, setting a distant goal and reaching it is fun, but I feel like stressing over that kind of thing every day would go against the reason I enjoy touring to begin with.

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>>1025439
I joined a gym to use one of pic related to recover from a knee injury. I'm supposed to spin at minimal resistance to 'polish' my knee cap. It's quite difficult to do that on the road, never putting down any real power.

It's not that bad. If you have a reasonable idea of your position you can dial it in adequately. The resistance adjustment and drivetrain feel good. The variable resistance, fixed drivetrain is good for building pedaling form because you can't coast. It gives a good workout to someone inclined to coast on the road.

The models they have with digital displays, no fore aft adjustment on the saddle, no adjustment on the front end at all, one piece cranks and slop in everything are absolute shit. Those are the bikes almost everyone at the gym i joined choose to use. The rare people who do come into the spin room outside of spin classes to use a decent spin bike generally bring in the 'spin dvd' to have some greasy instructors on video with poor form shout motivational shit at them, blare loud bad music out the speakers, so they can sweat their fat fuck asses at >50rpm.

I think i was originally going to disagree with you but honestly i love cycling and hate the gym.

>Bottom line: Ride a real bike under real conditions.

So yeah. Yeah.

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great thread op

>>1025447
That is not your typical 'club bike', that can actually be fitted to individual riders the same way an actual bike can be, so it's not what I'm talking about. Higher end versions of your pic have power meters and electronically variable resistance units built right into them and can be pre-programmed with entire workouts. Totally different animal. Or course things like your pic cost several thousand dollars, too.

Still as soon as you're physically capable of doing so you need to ride an actual bike or you'll get out on the road and probably crash. Fancy and expensive or no you're still just turning pedals and not dealing with all the dynamics of riding an actual bike under real conditions.

>>1025469
I think you miss my point, from shopping gyms, those kind of spin bikes are the most common. They aren't fancy at all. They're purely utilitarian. They're ok and there are reasons to use them.

>Still as soon as you're physically capable of doing so you need to ride an actual bike or you'll get out on the road and probably crash.

You're mixing yous and you're, so i hope you aren't saying this to me.

>>1018095
I've been thinking about doing something similar, although probably limited to just my home state of Oregon at first.

But honestly going by the maps, it feels like it'll be more than 9/10ths biking along the side of a highway, and I really don't trust cagers that much.

I was able to bike to the coast and back from Salem by going mostly through old backroads between country towns, but any other direction out here is just freeways until the next urban center, ad nauseum.

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>>1026749
I got into touring while I was doing my undergrad in Corvallis. Salem isn't quite as good, but you're in range of loads of awesome places to ride. Almost anywhere in Suislaw, Willamette, Umqua or Dechutes National Forests can be pretty great. Just because a road is a US highway doesn't mean it's busy. There are loads of smaller roads which go through the Willamette Valley. I don't know about the north side of Salem, but on the south side it's just a question of finding a few which take you where you want to go.

I've had good rides on 223, King's Valley 'Highway', and that can take you down towards Alsea and then Lobster Valley where I've had great trips to in the past. Cascades Lakes Highway is probably my favorite short trip in Oregon, but you'd have to wait a few months for that. I've been up around Detroit too and that's not bad either. If you're willing to spend more time on gravel your national forest options expand a lot.

Some people think that 101 is a nice ride, but it was too busy and built up for my tastes.

This is from my very first multi-day tour on my bike, out at Green Peter Lake, which is certainly in range of Salem. Almost 38,000 miles later I love her more than ever.

>>1026752
You knows, I was just looking at my map after posting, and it occurred to me that I was in fact retarded.

I'm way south salem, so Independence/Monmouth are literally right next door, and from there it's basically open roads as far south as I want to go, 223 like you mentioned, etc. Thanks for the tips man.

>>1018484
>Headwind? A challenge! A long boring straight road? Look at all this world which belongs to me! Rain? God is sweating for me!

All these things are frustrating as fuck IRL desu.

>>1026790
My point exactly. Perhaps it's a sign of some sort of mental disorder, but frustrating things aren't frustrating for me while I'm touring. I can enjoy the bads along with the goods.

I can honestly say that I haven't had a bad/unhappy day spent traveling on my bicycle. I've had some which were close, but even spending ~14 hours out riding in the almost-freezing rain was made up for by how fucking fantastic it felt to be warm and dry(er) afterwards.

>>1018629
>I had to spend maybe 20 miles total on interstates, and there, I would stay on the right hand side of the shoulder and panic every time I needed to pass an off/on ramp.
You can right a bicycle on highways in America?

>>1027236
>right
*ride
I should go to sleep.

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>>1027236
Some places more than others. For example, riding any distance on I-90 outside of Boston would probably get you killed, a ticket or both. In general, using interstates (or other big roads) near big cities where you're going to be riding with a lot of traffic is a terrible idea and often illegal.

However, riding 10 miles on I-94 outside of Teddy Roosevelt National Park (the middle of nowhere) where there are no paved alternatives seemed to be okay. There wasn't much traffic, people I asked beforehand told me to go that way and the police car which passed me didn't stop. The other occasion was crossing the Colombia on I-90 which is also pretty far into the middle of nowhere.

>>1027236
>>1027258
Can confirm this, also see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-motorized_access_on_freeways#U.S._states_permitting_bicycle_use_on_interstate_highways

There's a stretch of I-25 near where I live in Colorado that's open to cyclists, and I've ridden it a few times. If you don't mind the noise it's not really a bad place to ride, the pavement is uniformly good and largely clear of debris, and the shoulders are wide enough to be quite comfortable. I wouldn't want to try to cross freeway exit ramps anywhere near a busy city, but in a rural area with almost no local traffic it's not a problem.

>>1018629
Are / were you a Western student? I just graduated from there.

>>1027566
Nah, doing my masters at CWU.

>>1026752

Holy crap, so much good info!
I'm >>1021005
and this thread is a small goldmine, thanks for keeping it alive OP!

Rough gear list for a long tour

What do you fellas think?

I'd need to buy the frame bag, have most of the other stuff already.

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>>1029128

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>>1029129
bump for advice

>>1029129
>no first aid

>>1029266
true, ill add a few small plasters, a gauze pad and some breathable tape

Anything else? I can always find some vodka and cut up a shirt if i massively eat shit and get a million grazes.

>>1029273
chamois butter? or am I the only one that actually uses it?

>>1029280
I got a new b17 brooks for my bike so iunno how it's going to add up with touring miles and potentially bad hygiene. It seems really comfy though.

I get saddle sores occasionally on a road bike with a regal/ turbo saddle but it's never stopped me riding or made me want to lube up my asshole lol.

>>1029273
>I can always find some vodka and cut up a shirt
You're going to die.

>>1029129
I'm not sure where you plan on touring or when, but I personally value rain gear very highly. This means being able to protect my feet, legs and hands from the cold/wet in addition to my torso. If you're out for long enough, you'll eventually find good rain gear useful. Spending my first few days of long-term touring soaked to the bone in near freezing temperatures probably makes me a little biased.

Having more than one set of off-the-bike clothing seems excessive to me, but it's personal preference. Making myself seem presentable when rejoining civilization seems like an awful lot of effort when I'm going to be a sweaty, dusty mess again within an hour of leaving.

Being a bit over-prepared with first aid is probably a good idea. You are not going to find Vodka when you're 200 miles from the nearest general store. You also might consider bringing a trowel or similar implement for digging cat holes. Depending on how long you're out for, caring for facial hair may be another concern. I bought a little mirror and carry a comb and scissors almost exclusively for the purpose of trimming my beard.

What I really recommend is taking a few small-scale trips before the big one. Get out for a few weekends, see what you use, what you wish you had and what you can't see yourself ever using. If you're over/under-prepared, you'll only have to suffer for a day or two as a result.

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>>1029299
>where
Southern alps of nz in summer. I haven't done any cycle touring there but a few years ago i spent 8 months working in the region, mostly outside.
>rain gear
I have a good shell rainjacket. Normally in the wild i wear a pair of goretex boots (can stand in a creek and not get wet), but the soles are too thick to ride in and they're quite heavy. Wet feet do suck. I haven't decided if i'll buy some spd shoes or wear my onitsuka tigers with straps & cages. What do you think on waterproof shoes vs shoe covers? The tigers are leather and water resistant but they wouldn't stay dry for ever. I dont really mind getting my legs wet in shorts or my hands wet in gloves though.
>Having more than one set of off-the-bike clothing
It's all bike clothing. I wouldn't ride in the bibs/ jersey every day.
>trowel
Good idea, although there are a LOT of public toilets in NZ. It would make free camping easier for sure.
>facial hair maintenance
naw lol
>first aid
Yeah ok i'll put together a more comprehensive kit with something to clean wounds.
>What I really recommend is taking a few small-scale trips before the big one.
I will definitely do this, thanks.

>>1029309
>What do you think on waterproof shoes vs shoe covers?

Having tried both, I think the shoes are much more waterproof. With that said, another pair of shoes to carry is a lot of weight/volume and covers pack much more easily. I've found waterproof socks to be a nice balance of waterproofness and size. Sealskinz makes a bunch.

Understand that if it's been raining all day and you have waterproof footwear but your legs aren't covered, water will just drip down your legs and collect around your feet. Maybe all-day or many-day rain is unlikely enough in NZ to make this irrelevant, or perhaps you'd be content to stay sheltered and stagnant for long enough to avoid such problems.

>It's all bike clothing
You plan to tour in cotton shirts? They're going to get wet and stay wet (not from rain, just sweat).

>naw lol
I hope you like the taste of mustache.

>>1027655
Are you a geology student, OP? All this talk of schools out west gives me major geo vibes. Regardless, best thread I've been in on /n/ in a while, thanks for a good read and some nice pictures.

>>1029273
have you ever actually tried to sanitize a wound with alcool ? shit's really painfull. Not painfull to the extent that you can't do it, but painfull enough to make you do a shitty job and not cleaning the wound properly.

Do yourself a favor and take a small flask of disinfectant.

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>>1029375
Physics undergrad, geology graduate, doing geodesy computer work. Geology means more field work, but the numbers they use hardly mean anything. I read one paper with 500% error in some measurements and another claiming 3.6 mm/yr and 7.7 mm/yr were the 'same' velocity without any discussion of error or uncertainty at all.

I like rocks, but not the way the geology folks do.

I'm happy enough getting my qualitative lessons from the side of the road.

>>1029371
I normally wear gaiters like pic related with my boots when it's raining hard. You don't often see people in the bush here not wearing shorts. Shorts & leggings if it's cold.

>waterproof socks
holy shit what, is this a thing? So you can wear them with wet shoes and your feet stay dry? That's amazing. Do they breathe well or do you get sweaty feet?

I like cotton.

>>1029379
Haha no i haven't. I wouldn't normally bother at all, just wash it out with water and dress it, but it's not a bad idea to take some.

>>1029394
>So you can wear them with wet shoes and your feet stay dry? That's amazing. Do they breathe well or do you get sweaty feet?

I don't use them unless it's cool and wet, so I haven't stress-tested the breathability. When I wear them with sandals in the rain, my feet come out dry.

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>>1029402
>spd sandals
this is one of my favorite sheldon memes and i want to try some on.

>>1021005
Now that's what I call an otherworldly photo!

...and a great bike...

>>1029394
>waterproof socks
>holy shit what, is this a thing? So you can wear them with wet shoes and your feet stay dry?

I tried the two different brands on offer at my sporting-goods store when I was a bike courier. this was a decade ago, but both models leaked from the seams after a day or so of riding. I think they're just for boat people that are standing or walking short distances. that said the brand "sealskinz" was not one I tried.

I am also a type 1 diabetic. It's the one thing stopping me from bike touring. I'm curious of what your setup is and how you managed that.

Being on a pump, I question how I would afford/acquire infusion sets/insulin. As far as test strips and lancets, those are cheaply available at most pharmacies with only a prescription. I'd like to hear about the insurance coverage you used, if any. My infusion sets are about $100 out of pocket for 10, so roughly a month of use for $100. Novolog is even more ridiculous at several hundred dollars per vial which usually lasts me around 2 weeks.

Also interested in your general experience exerting that much effort as a type 1. If I go on a day ride of 20 miles, I hardly need any basal for the remainder of the day.

Anyway, props to you. I've been type 1 for over a decade now and haven't worked up the courage to do something like this. Keep it up man.

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>>1029547
I've never used a pump, so I can't speak to their use.

As far as insulin usage, exercise makes a huuge difference. Taking essentially any Humalog during the day is too much. While touring, my meal/insulin schedule works like this:

Wake up

Take Humalog for breakfast (generally around 1 unit:30 carbs, more if I'm planning on going uphill immediately or similar) and Levemir for the rest of the day.
Start riding, stop to eat frequently while Humalog is still acting.

Eat occasionally throughout the day thereafter. If I've guessed right about the basal dosage this translates to once every 3 hours or so of flat riding. More going up, less going down.

More Humalog for dinner, more or less depending on how hard I feel I worked during the day. Normally between 1:20 and 1:30. Levemir to cover the night, also scaled between 8 and 16 based on how hard I've worked.

I try to stay up for the 3 hours after the dinner dosage to make sure I'm not going to bed with a low. This sometimes means eating afterwards.

Another thing to worry about is the strength of insulin, which decreases as it spends more time in the warm/hot, even with a case designed for the purpose. As time goes on the insulin dosages need to get scaled up, and after refilling prescriptions, I have to be super careful with the potent new stuff.

The first day of long-term exercise makes me much more sensitive to insulin than the subsequent ones. For example, yesterday I rode my bike 27 miles out and 27 miles back, hiking up to Iron Bear to take this photo between (which made for an awesome Thanksgiving, forget friends/family/turkey). I took 5 Humalog 10 Levemir and left 2 hours after breakfast with blood glucose around 150 mg/dL. During the 8 hour day I ate around 250 carbs. This summer I put in comparable hours with less food and more insulin.

You'll have to experiment a lot to get a good understanding of how your body works. A CGM has made a big difference for me.

>>1029547
The big thing is to have more than enough food at all times. Raisins were my fast-acting carb-container of choice. Fresh fruit means carrying the water in them (which is ok, but only in small quantities). Other dried fruits are more expensive. Stuff like glucose tablets can't be bought at the supermarket in Bumfuck, Nowhere.

I've been diabetic my whole life (22/25 years) so it's not like I feel like there's a different way things 'should' be. Is it obnoxious and inconvenient? Yes. But trying to keep my blood sugar stable is like a mini-game of exercising and sometimes I can almost enjoy it.

As far as $ go, I use significantly less insulin and other diabetic supplies while I'm on the road than in everyday life. If you've got some specialized, high-end stuff then it will be harder to get it a pharmacy out in the boonies. I was able to get CVSs to handle my needs if I called them a few days in advance so they could order stuff.

I won't get into any introspective psychoanalysis, but suffice to say, you're the one piloting your body. Unlike someone who is blind or a cripple, your body can do more or less what you train it to, so long as you put in a little extra effort. It's only really a disability if it prevents you from doing what you want to. Enjoy life. It can be a lot of fun.

What was your bike set up? Specs ?

>>1029641
2011 Trek 520, SPD pedals. 46/32/22 & 11-34 9 speed. Started with 700x38 Schwalbe Marathon Mondials and swapped to 700x38 Armadillo infinities in Fargo (that was what they had of the size). Rim brakes. Brooks Flyer saddle. I could find a few other specifics for you, but that's what I know off the top of my head.

>>1029633
>>1029639
you're the coolest guy I've never met.

>>1029384
Nice. I'm hoping to integrate physics and/or CS in my graduate geo work. And yeah, that was one of the things that bothered (and still bothers me) is how not all of geology research is as well-quantified as it could be.

Did you ever masturbate in 6k miles

>>1018296
>Alaska to Tierra del Fuego
Hoooly shit. Godspeed anon, that sounds incredible.

>>1029813
Nope, 3 months without a fap. No wet dreams either. My sex drive does not come with me on cycling trips.

>>1029819
I'd like to be on my bike again now. The first few days sleeping in a bed with walls and a roof and the like were really nice, but I miss living outside. Someday. I've got a classmate going to do some research in coastal Chile in a month or so which has made me think about it more. I met one Korean guy in Montana who was working on his southbound trip. He should be finishing in the not-too-distant future if nothing horrible has happened to him.

>>1029643
Thanks bro. Considering all the guys you've never met, that's pretty high praise.

>>1018528
>40 days ago
Yet this is still frustrating enough to respond to.

If the man wrecked hard enough to break his neck his skull would've been fucked without the helmet you imbecile.

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>>1029309

This improved my touring experience so much and i couldn't recommend taking something similar enough.

Sometimes youre just shattered after a long day and your legs are stiff, it just makes relaxing so much better and just generally puts you in a much better mood.

DID YOU HANG OUT WITH ANY DIRTY KIDSs?

>>1029642
What kind of rack set up did you have?

>>1030359
No filthy children. A few young adults and a handful of old coots. Mostly just the road and the wind.

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>>1030414
The rear rack is what was on the bike when I bought it, a Trek Interchange rack. The front was something else they had in the shop at the time. Now so much of the paint has peeled off (and the metal has worn away some too) that I can't see any names/logos on it, if they ever existed in the first place.

The picture in the OP should give you a pretty good idea of my setup and front rack. Two small panniers up front, two large panniers and one bulky bag on the rear rack.

I've considered buying a front rack with a flat portion above the wheel so I could put a bit more weight up front, or maybe replace my handlebar bag with something which doesn't require an obnoxious mount, but unless you're really overpacking, that sort of thing shouldn't be necessary. If I wanted to carry a lot more weight, I might consider a trailer, as seen in this picture from my OR->VI trip, although that would certainly impede my ability to lift my bike over fences or streams.

>>1030359
Are there many dirty kids that tour? I'm riding the transam next year and was wondering if I'd run into any like minded punk rockers. I'm also bringing my mandolin, so it would be fun to jam with some folks.

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>>1030632
Yeah dude tons of people choose to ride a bike halfway across a continent to display their affiliation with a subculture, you'll fit right in with your mandolin!

>>1030649
I've seen a few of people with instruments, especially on more popular routes. I've never cared enough to ask them what genre of choice was.

>>1030649
I'm not trying to display shit or fit in with anybody faggot. Just street kids are more my type of people than your average touring yuppie. I am bringing the mandolin to entertain myself more than anything. I'll probably be playing alone mostly, but it would be cool to jam with some peeps sometime to.

>>1018095
What did you wear when you cycled ?
Seems like very few bikepackers wear lycra, I wouldnt mind not a having a jersey but I can't imagine cycling for hours without bib

>>1031628
I find, on the contrary, that jerseys are least likely to create poor reactions from locals, especially if your tour in the third world. Personally i use jersey + cycling boxers (with chamois) under hiking pants. They may be less aero than bibs but at least you can stop and visit that famous cathedral/mosque without getting nasty looks because your dick is showing through the lycra.

>>1031640
>They may be less aero than bibs but at least you can stop and visit that famous cathedral/mosque without getting nasty looks because your dick is showing through the lycra.

I feel you, but dick consciousness is a stage to move through. If you're touring in iran you'll need to wear long pants anyway.

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>>1031628
Bib shorts + jersey + fingerless gloves + cycling cap + shades for riding, plus additional gear for the cold/wet as necessary. I highly recommend the bib shorts over anything that fastens on your waist. My stomach expands and contracts so much when I'm touring because I need to eat an absurd amount and then I digest and burn it all away. In my few experiences trying shorts with an elastic waist, they were often either too tight or too loose.

With that said, I had no desire to go into any place which wasn't a grocery store or park visitor center and having a stranger or two think I'm lewd and/or a faggot isn't something I lose sleep over. If I'm riding the way I want to ride I don't see too many people anyway.

I bring pants and wear them when I'm going to be off the bike for a while (95% of the time this means hiking or sleeping).

>>1031749
It's not just Iran. I got asked to wear something decent when visiting the cathedral of Milan.

Do you have any advice for sleeping safely in places with little public land? I am about to do my first tour, just a week-long trip around my neck of the woods, but we have almost no public lands here, it is all ranches and farms. Should I put my tent on the side of the road? In a ditch? pls help

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>>1033290
If you tell me more specifically where you'll be I might be able to give you more specific advice. Generally, my priority system works like this:

1. Someplace I can sleep legally, for free, without being seen. National forest/BLM land is fucking awesome. I've spent a few nights squeezed between a couple trees, a little hill or rocks and a fence, but these locations seem to be rare enough that I wouldn't count on them. Even a couple big sagebrush can be enough to hide a bike on its side and a tent, at least after dark.

2. Someplace I can sleep legally, for free, while visible. I've had good luck asking people in tiny towns out in the prairie if I could spend the night in their town park. I haven't tried in bigger towns, largely because I'd expect them to just point me to the nearest commercial campground.

3. Someplace I can sleep for free, without being seen, not-so-legally. Churches, graveyards and schools have all made for decent nights. Obviously, spending Saturday night at a church is not the wisest plan. The general idea is that the places probably won't have visitors between sunset and sunrise, so as long as I'm not visible from the road, I don't expect to run into problems.

4. Someplace I can sleep for free, while visible, not-so-legally. I've only done this on quiet roads after dark. I do not feel terribly safe while doing so, but I'm normally too tired to spend much time worrying about it.

5. Someplace I can sleep for $. 1 night at a KOA was enough to convince me never to do it again.

If you've got more confidence in your interpersonal skills than I do, you can try asking people to use their property. I've heard of people finding places to stay that way but I've never had the need/courage to do so myself.

In big flat areas I've planned around stopping in towns or near enough trees/hills to hide me, because I've run into really long stretches where there is nowhere I'd feel comfortable sleeping adjacent to the road.

>>1026752
i miss oregon, i lived in sweet home right near green peter

>>1031791
I suppose the difference is that you won't get put in a hellish prison in Italy for not obeying the rules.

>>1033298
Thanks man. I am in Texas, planning on doing a little trip around east texas, and there are a few national forests around there, a lot of churches, and big farmland.

>>1033446
Welp, I can't give you any more specific advice because the southeast is the part of the country I've never been to.

Touring close to home is nice because you probably already have a good idea of what the people are like and how much rule-bending is acceptable. I might worry a bit about some religious zealot freaking out about you desecrating their sacred ground by sleeping on it, but that's probably just the Massachusetts upbringing in me (Massholes have a very biased view of Texas). Regardless, if they can't see you, they can't ask (or force) you to leave.

is it really easier to ask for forgiveness than permission?

>>1018450
fuck you

>>1033509
Probably not, but it is a whole lot easier not to talk at all.

Bumpin' cause good thread

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whats good op

>>1038271
Jealous. It's getting down below -15 C here and while I'm enjoying some short night rides, I'm keeping them short in the interest of preserving my toes for future adventures.

I wish I had more sunshine and natural heat.

>>1018095
I'd did 5500 miles solo last winter from AL - NC - FL - CA. I can honestly say solo is the way to go. Do what you want when you want. And if your antisocial like I am it really give you a good reason to talk to different people while still remaining in control of when you just want to be alone. I met so many interesting people and learned how to be self sufficient. 10/10 would ride again.

>>1018450
Wow you sure showed him

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>>1038407
The sun here is brutal, the ozone layer above NZ is the thinnest of anywhere in the world. I covered most ground at night (i love riding at night anyway, get the roads to myself) and it isn't even the height of summer for another month.

I'm not gonna complain about being forced to relax at a beach all day though.

>>1038271

Who dat frame

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>>1038913
60cm 2002 gunnar crosshairs
Tig welded 853
got it like this for $200

>>1038931

Holy shit what a deal

135 dropout? Sell it to me

>>1038931
i want this frame delivie to russia

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hey op

>>1039056
You're traveling pretty light bro. I could probably fill all your bags with food. And eat it all while riding between two adjacent grocery stores.

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>>1039086
yeah, light but solo, fully supported. gotta get up those mountains

>>1039087
*self-supported

duh

>>1039088
Extra weight doesn't impair climbing so much below grades of ~10%. It just means lower gears and slower progress.

I didn't even mention water. I've gone far enough between water sources to go through my bottled ~2.25 L (about what you've got there) plus an additional 10 which can sit in a bag on my rear rack.

With that said, I'm sure riding light its much easier and more comfortable, at least when you're on the bike.

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>>1039099
For me, lightweight and long distance days is the most satisfying touring.

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>>1038974
>135 dropout
no dude
no

>>1039104
Might I ask what makes your short packing list and what kind of long-term average speeds you sustain (distance/day, week, month).

I'm having a hard time imagining how I could travel with that little. I surely do carry unnecessary stuff, but my essentials would still be bigger than that.

Are you staying in places with consistent enough high temperatures and rare enough rainfall to make do with just a few pieces of clothing and/or a skimpy super-compressible sleeping bag? Resupplying on food every day or two? Planning your route around reaching a water source 3+ times a day? Camping at a water source every night?

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>>1039107
1 change of bike clothes incl rain gear, jacket, (no rain pants), leg/arm warmers, gloves, neck gaitor, hat, 1 jersey, 1 baselayer
1 change of camp clothes (shorts, thermal shirt), flip flops
lightweight puffer
small camp towel
3 pair socks

i'll wash my bibs every night and twist it in the towel, hang dry clothes and towel over night.

45° sleeping bag, not super small

bivy/one man tent-ish thing w poles

usb lights, battery pack, phone, ibuprofen, benadryl, sewing kit, alcohol, wipes, water salination tablets, small scissors, knife, spork. small hand burr coffee grinder, coffee filters, wire pourover, camp mug

maps, phone

this is not an exhaustive list and food was bought impromptu on the route, usually at gas stations. jerkey, instant oatmeal, clif bars. purchased fresh food when possible, bananas, sandwiches, hamburgers, etc.

with one exception, I was able to camp near a water source at night and purify water in 2 of my bottles overnight, filter through coffee filter into the empty bottle as needed

NOTABLE THINGS I DECIDED NOT TO BRING:

Stove, fuel, sleeping pad, large water reservoir.

of these, the only thing I wished I had brought was a reservoir to make the logistics of water less complicated. Nevada/UT border off hwy 50 is a bitch of a stretch

I was traveling approximately 107mi/day for 12 days. ~1300 mi. About 8 serious mountain passes, many of which were on the first and second day.

Usually between 8 and 10 hours on the bike per day.

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>>1039123
Thanks dude. Rock on.

Camping with a water source, especially in my experience in Wyoming/Nevada/Utah/Arizona, has essentially never been practical. I reliably use water for dinner and breakfast, so without my large water reservoir I'd be dead.

Despite how much I love Long Valley, Nevada (my favorite place I've biked to) and some similar barren areas, they're not worth dying for.