Bicycle Touring 101: Touring doesn't really have to be expensive when starting out

New leaves reflecting on water.
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The fifth busiest page on this site is Jakub's Amazing Bucket Bike and it's not difficult to understand why. Jakub's creation shows someone using their imagination to come up with a system that is both inexpensive and works well for them. If you haven't seen the article before then you might consider making a visit now.

At first glance it's possible that his creation looks almost laughable and to be honest when I first saw it I didn't give it much of a chance of working for very long. It turns out that the last laugh is on me because the creation shown in that page lasted through a long cold winter that featured many rides on bumpy, icy, and snow covered terrain complete with a few unexpected dismounts that ended with the bike lying on a bucket. I can't even claim that the bike was always lightly loaded because even that wasn't true. Jakub likes to carry a lot of stuff with him on the bike so that modified milk crate got a real work out and it made it through the entire winter with no visible damage!

Unfortunately as is true with most tinkers, Jakub finally tired of his design and began working on the next generation of his system. He made the change not because he was worried about the durability of the device but because he wanted a system that would make taking the buckets off a lot easier.

Experimenters like Jakub aren't new to bicycle touring and in fact it could easily be argued that many cyclists in the early days of bicycling were actually inventors of numerous devices including the airplane.

Other examples exist on Bicycle Touring 101 such as Peter Gordon's DIY Needle Oiler, Andy Janz's Homemade Map Holder and Fritz Krueger's Zero Cost Cookset. I suspect that there are many other great ideas out there that I would also love to include on this site. If you have such a Do it Yourself tip that you would like to share please contact me and we can create an article together.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that in order to bicycle tour you need to have the latest and greatest gear. Part of this is likely fostered by the numerous threads on popular bicycle touring mailing lists and newsgroups that all seem centered around the gear. I believe that many of these threads come about because we are always seeking to improve our bicycle touring experience and it is much easier to discuss the advantages of the latest bicycle gear then it is to try to get into the joys of an early morning start or a late night finish. For some strange reason stories about battles with headwinds also seem to be absent.

Jakub's copper experiment.
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In my opinion bicycle touring doesn't have to be expensive and with a bit of searching you are likely to find a number of resources and ideas that will go a long way towards reducing the cost of bicycle touring from some out of reach number to a much more manageable one that still allows you to have fun.

Will you enjoy riding the latest bicycle touring bike? Probably but maybe not as much as you will your garage sale special if one's paid for and the other one isn't. Making do with what you have and getting a chance to experience the thrill of bicycle touring is something that might just get you out there sooner, let you experience a tour and help you to decide what, if any, upgrades are necessary to improve your bicycle touring experience even more. Obviously this statement has some caveats, one of them being that your bike should fit you well and in reasonably good shape to reduce the need for roadside maintenance/repair.

As I mentioned before Jakub continues to tinker. Earlier this month he tried to fashion a new mounting system using copper pipe, some rivets and a few trailer pins. He was unhappy with his system so he's moving on to something else. As an interlude before the next big design change he's agreed to help me create an article with pictures showing his buckets held on to the bike by the Arkel mounting hardware. This is actually a relatively common option that many people use requiring about $35.00 to purchase the hooks from Arkel.

It's become customary for me to include some mention of the web site at the end of each editorial so I will once again do so today.

Although this has been a very busy month in terms of visitor traffic you have likely noticed that new articles have been going on the site much more slowly then in the past. This is a short term issue related to the work I've been doing getting the Travelin Hobo web site working, my brainstorming for an improved version of this web site and of course some personal endeavours like my recent two day tour and my new Surly Cross Check single speed/fixed-gear bike. As much as I enjoy working with people on this site I have to admit that I also derive a great deal of personal satisfaction from getting outside and enjoying myself too.

Several of my friends have also gone out on tour including Jim Oliver's 310 km, two day, tour and the Feldmann family who have set off on their Cross Canada family bicycle touring adventure. These people both inspire me and make it incredibly difficult to sit at my computer when I feel the pull to get out there myself.

Fast flowing water arrives with spring. By summer's end this will be but a trickle.
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The work on the Travelin Hobo site isn't complete but although a bit bland looking on the surface it's a completely database driven site. The knowledge I've been gaining and will likely continue to gain from that work will someday be applied to Bicycle Touring 101 as well.

Currently I've been trying to think about features that could be added to the site to improve your reading experience while also making it possible to add articles more quickly. Some of the items I've been considering (but haven't promised) include a way to provide feedback about a particular article, an easy way to report spelling/grammar mistakes since I unfortunately seem to make them from time to time, a new navigation system that will make it easier to find the information that you are looking for, a way to browse the images on the site for those days when you want to randomly visit pages with interesting photos and of course a method that will allow you to submit your own articles while still making sure that you receive the credit that you deserve for your contributor efforts.

Perhaps you have some ideas about other things that could be done to make the site better for the readers? Please drop me a note and let me know your idea. Any and all feedback will be appreciated!

In case you are curious last month saw 3,686 unique visitors to the site. To give you perspective back in January there were 1961 unique visitors so traffic has almost doubled during that period of time. The more important stat is that most visitors are now coming back at least one more time meaning that there must be at least something of interest that makes them want to visit again. It's my hope that at least one of them ends up trying out and enjoying their first bicycle touring adventure this year.

Surly Cross Check single speed/fixed-gear. This bike will be going on at least one tour.
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If you are a contributor who has been waiting for a BT101 reflective sticker then I apologize up front for the long delay between your request and the stickers leaving my desk. I promise to get them out tonight!

I'll end this editorial by reminding you that in the Northern Hemisphere the lovely warm weather of summer is just about upon us. I believe that now is the time to plan your next tour and then to get out there and enjoy it! I've never toured as early as April before but when the window of opportunity appeared I am very glad that I didn't let it pass me by!

For readers from the Southern Hemisphere hopefully the temperatures never really reach the point where it is uncomfortable for you to tour. If nothing else perhaps a cooler weather tour will also translate into less crowds and more opportunities for you to enjoy peace and quiet while on the road less traveled?

P.S. For those who wondered about my New Years Fitness program well I put it on hold pending the arrival of summer. I find it much more realistic for me to reduce food intake during the summer months when I can easily get on the bike and pedal. For some reason I find that exercise often reduces hunger rather then increase it especially during a weight loss situation. Since summer is now here this seems like a good time to start the program so there will be updates happening on a regular basis as I attain my fitness goals. You can read about it on the following page called Jamie's Pretour Training