The Ultimate Guide to Bicycle Touring

Depending on how it is practised, bicycle touring can be classified as a recreational activity or an extreme sport. In fact, if you seek insurance for a week long bicycle tour, many insurance companies will classify the tour as an extreme sport regardless of whether or not you'll be hitting more advanced trails.

Images that are commonly used to depict bicycle touring show riders on heavily laden bicycles, or people camping out in nature with their bikes adjacent to a tent. And when you look at the image shown below, you hardly get the impression that bike touring is an activity reserved for athletes.

As the image shows, bicycle touring can be a recreational activity for people of any age. People tour their surrounding countryside, overnighting in local pubs or hotels. No special carry bags or clothing are required (although a bike helmet would be strongly recommended).

Bicycle touring can cover everything from the act of riding a bike for days around your local area, or riding for weeks or months in remote areas or countries.

Local touring requires no special skills except a reasonable level of fitness, but touring other countries is another game altogether. It requires stamina, determination, and organisation. And that's why your insurance will always classify bicycle touring as an extreme sport - because it can take a lot out of you.

So why do so many people still do it?

Because there are so many possibilities, so many places to see, and basically it's just amazing!

Different types of bike touring

Your preferred type of bike touring depends on your personal circumstances: age, level of fitness, experience, and organisational ability.

There are 3 different touring types in which you can engage:

You may want to start by joining a recreational cycling club located close to where you live. A few group rides will be helpful in teaching you the correct riding posture as well as road tips.

From here, start by exploring a site such as Go Bicycle Touring, where you will find organised bike tours all over the world.

The guided tour

This type of touring is suitable for beginners and for people who do not wish to take it upon themselves to organise a tour. For a fee, a tour company organises the entire tour.

Some of a guided tour's benefits include:

  • Bikes can be rented.
  • A tour guide rides along with the group, and some tour companies also provide a support vehicle that accompanies the group to carry people's luggage.
  • The tour guide and support vehicle provides assistance and support in case anything goes wrong for group participants.
  • The tour company provides a packing list, a detailed map, and an information package that highlight scenic stops and sights along the route.

Self-guided tour

In a self-guided tour, you will travel on your own but are spared the effort of planning your itinerary.

The benefits of a self-guided tour include:

  • You travel along a pre-designed course designed by a bike touring company, meaning you don't have to pre-plan an itinerary.
  • Although you will need navigational skills using maps, familiarity with road signs, and basic bike maintenance experience, you have security in being able to call your tour company for help and/or advice at any point during your trip.

Self-supported bike tour

This is the complete do-it-yourself type of bike tour. Depending on your intended destination, there are a number of essential questions you need to consider:

  1. Will you bring your own touring bike, or do you prefer to rent a bike?
  2. Where will you sleep? In hotels, guesthouses or do you prefer to camp whenever possible?
  3. How/where will you eat? Will you bring your own food on a daily basis, or will you rely on local restaurants and cafes?
  4. How will you handle mundane tasks like washing your clothes?

The self-supported type of tour becomes the true adventure tour, and you have to rely on your own organisational ability and develop the skills to survive on the road and handle minor emergencies like bike problems and minor personal injuries. You also need to be clear on how you will ensure personal safety, and prevent the loss of your bike and personal belongings.

This type of bike tour requires the greatest amount of planning and preparation. A positive attitude and firm belief in yourself is required before undertaking a self-supported bike tour, especially if it involves touring foreign countries.

What to read and study before planning your tour

There is a wealth of information about bike touring available online. Resources include guides on bike selection, destinations, route selection, navigation maps for the best cycling trails, bike maintenance tips, what/how to pack, how/where to camp, what to eat and much more. The following references are recommended.

Planning your self-supported bike tour

The first requirement in planning a tour is to make sure you have the stamina to bicycle at least 50- 65 km per day. Getting to this level of fitness may take longer than the organisational planning, so it's important that as soon as you decided to do a bicycle tour you begin training.

But although getting fit is essential, there is still a lot of detail you will need to work through. This includes taking into account the following questions and considerations:

  1. Timing is essential if you plan to tour a country with different seasons. The best time is summer, but the spring and autumn seasons are also acceptable in most countries. Winter is generally considered an unsafe choice of timing, so we recommend that you hold off on until warmer weather.
  2. You need to decide if you will be sleeping in hotels, guest houses, or if you intend carrying camping equipment. This will have a huge impact on what kind of luggage you will be taking, where you will sleep and how you will feed yourself.
  3. Determine a starting location and how to get there with your bike and your luggage. If you need to have some of your luggage transported ahead, how will you do so?
  4. Establish a daily route and a daily end destination before you leave. However, you should always build in some emergency time into your schedule in case something goes wrong.
  5. How will you get your bike/s to your starting destination? If you plan to travel by air, please see the section on How to Pack in this article.
  6. Set a budget for daily expenses, including travelling, accommodation, eating, visas, insurance, bike transport, and healthcare.
  7. Plan and acquire equipment/software for navigation. An advanced GPS attachment can be fitted to your bike's handlebar, and there are several different types of bike GPS devices. An alternative is a GPS system accessible via a smartphone. However, battery power capabilities needs to be considered.

Selecting the equipment

Your choice of equipment could make or break the success of your self-guided bike tour. Your essential equipment pieces are the bike itself, and the attachments and accessories in which you will be carry your gear.

The touring bike

A good reference for selecting the right touring bike is the Bicycle Touring Pro article titled Let Me Help You Find the Perfect Touring Bicycle. You will find everything you need to know about the features, characteristics, and components that are unique to touring bikes, including brakes, handlebars, shifters, and gears.

This article will also provide some guidance in regards to which type of bike (mountain or road) is most suited to the terrain you will be traversing.

The luggage carriers

Your luggage should either be carried in panniers attached to the sides of your bicycle, or will be in a specially-designed trailer that is attached to the rear of your bike.

If you are going for an easy day trip or an overnight trip where you are staying in a hotel, then it's also ok to have a simple backpack with your belongings. However for any period of travelling longer than 48 hours it is recommend that you use the appropriate luggage carrier to prevent back injuries and undue stress on your body during the trip.

  • Panniers and rack bags

    You can easily fit 4 panniers and a rack bag onto one bike by having two panniers attached to the back of your bike, one on each side, and then two again at the front of your bike over the front wheel. The rack bag would then sit on top of the two panniers over the back wheel.

    The primary advantage of using these panniers is that you can have a different pack for different items, to make it easier to get out what you need without having to sort through all of your luggage. It will also make it easier as you won't have to unload everything to get to the bag that you need.

  • Trailers

    These bike trailers come in a variety of shapes, styles and colours, so you're sure to find one that will suit you and your bike. Bicycle trailers are recommended for those who have large or bulky pieces of luggage such as tents and sleeping bags that will not sit evenly on the side of your bike like a pannier.

Travelling with your bike

Aeroplanes

If you wish to bring your touring bike on a domestic or international airline, you need to consult the airline about acceptable packaging and their individual regulations for bicycle transportation.

For most airlines, if you want to travel to your tour destination by an international flight then the weight of the bike is included in your 20 or 30kg baggage allowance, and generally complete bicycle that has been properly packaged for air transport will weigh around 20-22 kg. Unfortunately, this does not leave a great deal of room for personal luggage.

Common advice in these situations is that the bike pedals should be removed and added to your hand luggage, and the handlebar should be turned in line with the bike frame to reduce the size. The bike tool kit and spare parts should be packed with the bike as well, and everything else you should try and fit into your hand luggage.

*Tip: Liquids and pastes such as shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste etc. are generally not allowed in hand luggage on flights, so it's best to buy these once you reach your destination to reduce your checked luggage weight.

Many airlines provide specific boxes for carrying a bike. Unless you have organised this in advance, it pays to ask your designated airline or other carriers at your departure point.

A few packaging alternatives are a purpose made bag, such as the one in the image below, and other types of packaging include wrapped plastic or just a generic zippered fabric bag.

If you have a soft storage bag for your bicycle, then it's easy enough to fold it up small and carry it with on your travels, but if you have a hard-case or box to transport your bike then you may not be able to carry it with you. In this case it's best to organise your return trip from the same airport/city that you arrived to, so that you can store your bag/box somewhere. For example, local bike stores are usually happy to store your bag for a small fee.

If you plan to return home from another airport, you have a bigger problem. You either need to dispose of your packaging, which if you have a hard-case would be a waste of money, or have it air freighted/mailed to your destination port.

To avoid unnecessary stress, it may be advisable to make inquiries before your initial departure.

How and what to pack

This decision will entirely depend upon the type of bike tour you select. With a guided tour that includes overnight accommodation, you only need to carry your clothing and personal effects. However, you should always make certain the tour organisers bring tools and spare parts for essential bike repairs. If you are bringing your own bike then you should always take your own spare parts and tools, as you cannot rely on the organiser bringing the correct tools and equipment to repair your particular brand of bike.

For a self-guided tour and a self-supported tour you will need to take any camping equipment as well as your personal effects if you don't plan on staying in hotels every night, and the correct navigational equipment for your location.

It's human nature to bring too many things along on a trips, but because a bike tour places restrictions on both volume and weight it's important that you only take exactly what you need. Experienced bikers recommend that essential luggage be reduced to 10 kg per person. This video provides some tips and tricks on how to pack your bags correctly for a cycling tour.

This video proves that it is quite possible to carry all your clothing, personal effects and camping equipment, as two people can fit their bikes with up to eight panniers plus rack bags.

Equipment list for long bike tours - per person
  • Clothing
    • 1 x thongs (aka flip-flops)
    • 3 x sport socks
    • 2 x bike shorts
    • 1 x bike pants
    • 2 x short sleeve sports tops
    • 2 x long sleeve sports tops
    • 1 x casual shorts
    • 1 x casual pants
    • 2 x casual tops
    • 1 x fleece jumper
    • 1 x windbreaker
    • 1 x sunglasses
    • 1 x protective glasses (clear)
    • 1 x hat
    • 1 x padded bike gloves
    • 1 x cycling shoes

*Tip: Roll your clothing in your packs to make more room and reduce creases.

  • Toiletries
    • Soap
    • Laundry detergent
    • Toothbrush
    • Toothpaste
    • Comb
    • Sunblock
    • Chapstick
    • Toilet paper
    • First aid kit
  • Camping equipment
    • 1 x lightweight, waterproof tent
    • 1 x sleeping bag
    • 1 x space saver blanket
    • 1 x pillow
    • 1 x micro fibre towel/chamois towel
    • 1 x clothesline and pegs
    • 1 x swiss army knife
    • 1 x cooking pot
    • 1 x bowl, fork, knife and spoon
    • 1 x cup
    • 1 x portable small camping stove
    • 1 x fuel burner for stove
    • 1 x headlamp
  • Miscellaneous equipment
    • Passport/other identification
    • Cash
    • Credit cards
    • Maps
    • Mobile phone
    • Mobile phone charger
    • Torch
    • Water bottle
    • GPS/navigation tool
  • Bike accessories and repair equipment
    • Helmet
    • Bike lock
    • Cable ties
    • Tyre pump
    • Spare inner tube
    • Spare power link
    • Puncture repair kit
    • Spare spokes
    • Multi bicycle tool
    • Spare gear cable

When packing your gear at the start of each morning, check your bike for loose fittings, especially those holding your racks, fenders and toe clips.

First aid

A first-aid kit is an essential item in case you suffer a fall or other injury. Your first aid kit should include adhesive bandages, bandaids, gauze, surgical/medical tape, wound closure strips, alcohol/antiseptic wipes, antibiotic cream, and paracetamol tablets. Secondary items to consider are knee braces if you have a recurring knee injury, relief balm for mosquito or bee stings, vitamin tablets, scissors, and tweezers. Sealable plastic bags should also be included for medical waste disposal.

You could also consider including insect repellant, lip ointment, cold relief tablets, antacid tablets for stomach upsets, antidiarrheal medication, and anti-chafing cream.

Organising insurance

Many insurance companies view bike touring as an 'extreme sport'. This means that your insurance policy will need to either cover special circumstances, or be tailored to fit the requirements of bicycle touring.

Here is a list of questions you need to ask before purchasing your insurance policy:

  • Does the policy cover bike touring as a primary form of transport?
  • How long a period does the insurance cover?
  • What conditions are covered and not covered?

Start your inquiries today by contacting NoWorries Insurance, the bicycle touring experts. You can call them now on +61 2 9966 4484.

Safety and security

Before you put yourself into the hands of a bike touring company anywhere in the world, you need to do some research to find out if the company is reliable and can be trusted to ensure your safety. Look or ask for references, and if possible attempt to contact and speak to previous clients - this is a lot easier now thanks to the Internet.

As you are most likely going to bike along country roads with sparse population, you want to make sure the organiser is not routing you into an unsafe area.

If you select a self-supported tour, your personal security is obviously in your own hands. Without any reliable self-defense mechanism at hand, it comes down to careful selection of destination and traveling routes.

You should also acquire and read an international health and first aid manual before departing on your trip, and notify your government's travel department with your route. For example, Australians are encouraged to lodge their travel plans with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade here.

Where to stay

If you intend to camp along your tour, you need to be careful about locations that you choose. Try and pre-book a campsite at national forest camping stations, or search forums to find out where other cyclists on your route have stayed in the past.

Many places will have restrictions on the burning of fires, and the costs will vary. Make sure that you check what each of these are before you set up camp, as there's nothing worse than being given a hefty fine while on the road.

What to eat

This tends to be a controversial subject because nutritional advice has changed quite dramatically during our lifetime. The basic requirement is that you must give your body sufficient fuel for completing a full day of cycling, and to drink plenty of water, as many as 8 big glasses per day.

Here is a recommended meal plan for a day:

Breakfast

Consume 200-300 calories to replenish the glucose you lost during sleep. Recommended meal is:

  • An egg omelette or two scrambled eggs combined with a selection of vegetables.
  • Essential fat from something like an avocado.
  • One or two pieces of wholemeal bread.
  • Tea or coffee.
  • 1 large glass of water.
Food consumption while cycling
  • 30-60 g of carbs per hour of cycling. Half a banana or other pieces of fruit are acceptable, or a small muesli bar.
  • Sip water every 15 minutes during the ride, with the goal of drinking the equivalent of at least 7 glasses of water during the day.

It is recommended that you do not stop for a big lunch, as this will reduce how much cycling you do in the afternoon. Instead, have snacks available in your most easily-accessible bag for throughout the day.

Dinner
  • Concentrate on a good serving of carbs, with a preference for vegetables and fruits over starchy foods like pasta and bread.
  • Minimum 150g of protein, either in the form of meat or high-protein vegetables.

Interacting with locals

While cycling through towns and villages, you will have the opportunity to observe local culture and engage with local people. Always remember that your final destination for the day is not your top priority; the chance of learning local culture should be a higher priority, especially when you have the chance of observing everything through the eyes of local villagers.

As an additional item of planning, you may also want to research the culture beforehand to learn what are acceptable and unacceptable behaviours and topics of conversation

Dealing with bike issues

As a safety precaution, before you head out on your cycling tour you will need to become competent with carrying out essential repairs to your bike. This is why it's important to carry the tools and spare parts you would need to carry out such repairs.

However, there are some bike problems that are just not able to be fixed on the road. It's worth finding out before you leave for your trip if there is a bicycle helpline/repairer along your route, and keep the contact information handy in case you ever need it.

When you get back

Once you have completed your bike tour and returned home, you should review the entire trip and evaluate your actions.

Ask yourself:

  • What did you forget that you needed?
  • What could you have done better?

This will make your next tour more successful, and is a great chance to go back over all of the amazing photos and memories you made on your trip!

Sources

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