Home Add to Favorite Contact Submit  
             28 March, 2024
 

    
Category:  Articles » Recreation & Sports » Cycling

 

Cross Country Touring

Popularity:
         Views: 1673
2006-12-05 01:50:00     
Article by Alex Landels

A bike is a wonderfully elegant creation-true technological genius.

A well-made bike can take you thousands of trouble-free miles. When it does break down, even the most mechanically challenged can repair it. The near universality of bikes-even in countries like Bangladesh-means parts and skilled repairmen are readily available-at reasonable rates.

I use a 21-speed Norco with DX gearing and a light frame, a pannier rack on the rear with two panniers, mud guards on rear and front, bell, two water bottles with corresponding attachment points, flat bars with extension grips, a bike lock, reflectors, a tool kit (see below), a helmet, biking shoes, a spare inner tube, and biking gloves.

ASIDE: With the exception of the extension bars I strongly recommend all this equipment-the bell and helmet are legislated in some countries. Extension bars are only required if you purchase a mountain or hybrid bike-they allow you to hunker down, making you more streamlined. A road bike does not require the extension bars. DX refers to Shimano's middle cost range for bike gearing-not bad but not the best.

My Norco is a hybrid-a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike. A limited budget with a desire for flexibility-to ride on paved roads and in wilderness areas-made the purchase of a hybrid clear to me. The cost for the bike and listed accessories was $780 CDN-still about the same in 2006.

ASIDE: I never rode my bike on any rough terrain, always on paved or good gravel roads. I never regretted my selection and used the same bike on other long-distance tours as well as around my hometown-to this very day.

I will not get technical about bikes but will give you some sound advice. Get as much bike as you can afford but never buy a cheap one-medium- to high-quality only. Cheap department store bikes cannot take the punishment of a long-distance tour and you will have nothing but problems-problems that will eat at your soul and pocketbook. The threshold for medium bikes varies, with a bottom of around $350 (US or CDN dollars). Spending more, if you can afford it, makes very good sense, as a good bike will last for decades.

ASIDE: Expensive bikes are attractive targets for thieves all over the world. If you do buy one, you'll have to be more vigilant than you might like-certainly extra security precautions are in order.

A few words about accessories:

Biking shoes are a good buy even if you only plan one long-distance tour in your life. They are constructed with a steel shank, which means you can impart more energy into your pedaling-the shank reduces the flexing of a normal shoe or runner. Biking shoes reduce the strain on your feet, and happy feet are good things to have on a long trip.

Biking gloves make those hundreds of miles easier on the hands. Even on paved roads (and certainly off-road) there can be a lot of jarring. You can get the ones that enclose the whole hand or the ones that leave the fingers free. Either type is good as long as they have good thick padding in the palms.

One thing that I didn't bring on my first trip was a pair of proper biking shorts. This was a very big and painful mistake-don't go without proper bike shorts. The Lycra type with thick padding in the crotch and bum areas is the best.

I didn't bring a bike computer the first time. Get one as you will want to know how far and how fast you are going. Using the bike computer in conjunction with a daily mileage log will help you plan your itinerary-point to point-and of course will allow you to exactly state how many hundreds of miles your journey has taken you.

Panniers (portable suitcases for bikes) fit on either side of your back rack. Do not go cheap on them as they are carrying all your worldly goods. Bring small garbage bags to stuff your clothes into-then into the pannier-as well as Ziplocs for your food, because panniers are water-resistant but not waterproof.

Front and rear fenders may not look chic but they are extremely effective at preventing water/mud going up your back or in your face.

I strongly recommend that you bring a small bike tool kit. Most bike stores sell these kits. They usually consist of four or five Allen wrenches (hex heads), a fork and pedal wrench, a tire repair kit, and a spoke wrench. I augment the kit with a plastic bottle of bike grease for the chain, a chain breaker to join the chain together if it breaks, a bike pump, two spare spokes, and a spare inner tube. A small book on basic bike repair would be advisable-there are plenty of those around. Bike repair is not rocket science and is very easy to learn and do.

The need for a water bottle should be obvious to anyone but the need for two may not. The more water you have and drink the less dehydrated you will be. Dehydration can be a serious health risk-especially when you are exerting yourself. Even low levels of dehydration can affect your strength and, therefore, your pedaling speed. Two bottles and/or a Camelback give you enough water to maintain hydration between stops.

Specialized in: Cross - Touring
URL: http://www.aglandels.com
Print article      Bookmark this page
Related Articles 
Consider Bicycle Tours as a Form of Recreation and Fitness (Popularity: ): Cycling has always been one of the best ways to tone up and exercise. Although being one of the best forms of exercise it is often underestimated. Along with being the perfect tool for exercise a bike today is also hired for the purpose of recreation. The Quadcycle is a bike that is ideal for the entire family. Bike rentals offer a number of bicycles and quadcycles that can be ...
How Important Are Cycling Heart Rate Monitors For Aerobic? (Popularity: ): Cycling is a really prominent sport, especially in the Europe. So many cyclists are born everyday to ride the most efficient human machine, the bicycle. You might very well know about cycling terms like Lycra and aerodynamics. But do you know about maximum heart rate? What about terms like aerobic and anaerobic?These concern your heart, the main organ that is pumping blood to your leg muscles to keep cycling. You ...
Know More About Cornering (Popularity: ): People love cycling. Whether you are highly competitive or cycle for leisure purposes, there is a method to the act. Learning the proper way to do things is a benefit in many ways. It supports safety, durability, and performance. The following article addresses the act of "cornering." There are several factors contributing to the cycling maneuver. Some with years of cycling experience never took the time to properly read and ...
Studded Bicycle Snow Tires (Popularity: ): Last Christmas (2007) my parents bought me Studded Snow Tires (Innova Studded Winter Tire - 26 inch X 1.9 inch with 104 studs) for my Mountain Bike. These tires worked great at first. With the extra aggressive tread pattern and the metal studs I felt very confident biking on snow covered trails. Even though the tires worked great for most situations they didn't work if there was ice under the ...
How to Clean a Bicycle Completely? (Popularity: ): Keeping a bike clean and rust free for a long time is not a very tough and time taking job if you have the right equipments and if you know how to clean a bike properly. If you are a first time bike cleaner, do not worry, it is as simple as riding the bikePeople often ask, what should be the frequency of cleaning a bike It completely depends on ...


Related Business 
White Grass Touring Center (Popularity: ): Offers cross-country ski touring. Includes trails, rentals, clinics, backcountry tours and snowshoeing. Located in Davis.
Canberra Cross-Country Ski Club (Popularity: ): Based in Canberra, Australia. Includes membership information, photographs, lesson and touring programs, club news, and touring advice.
Cross-Country Skiing Online (Popularity: ): Information on cross-country skiing, cross country skis, and where to find the best Nordic ski deals.
Cross Country Skier (Popularity: ): Cross country skiing equipment, technique and xc ski reports from Cross Country Skier Magazine, the oldest journal on recreational Nordic Skiing in the World.
Sierra Nordic (Popularity: ): California cross country ski equipment specialists sell skating, classic, and no-wax touring skis for racing or recreation.
Great Lakes Nordic Ski Council (Popularity: ): Home page for cross country ski touring centers in Michigan and Ontario.
CanoeSki Discovery Company (Popularity: ): Saskatoon-based outdoor adventure company, specializing in canoeing and cross-country skiing instruction and wilderness touring.
RusSte, Inc. (Popularity: ): Cross Country QuickScorer was developed for scoring cross country meets and QuickRegister for event registration and the reports. Both are compatible with Windows.
Washington Ski Touring Club (Popularity: ): A Seattle-based, recreation-oriented club who organize cross-country ski trips, training, and related activities.
Ole's Cross Country Ski Center (Popularity: ): Cross country ski and snowshoe on 30 miles of groomed trails near Sugarbush in the Mad River Valley of Vermont.