Easy Steps to Start Bike Touring

Bike touring, which means self-contained cycling trips for pleasure, adventure, and autonomy, ranges from single day to multi-day trips, or even longer, just as an around-the-world adventure. Have you ever experienced a bike touring? Or considering your first bike touring? No matter how many days you want to spend on the bicycle touring, you need a plan. Here are the steps to make a plan for your bike touring.



Make a Firm Determination

The hardest part of a bike touring is to make a real determination and never go back. Many cyclists have a dream to travel on their bikes, however, the fact would smite them with several questions. They would take the physical strength into consideration, or they would say "I don't have enough money" "I need to work and have little time". With so many problems, it is hard for them to start their bike touring, and even more seriously, the dream may never come true. Therefore, the first step is to make a firm decision. With the firm determination, you can start to make your plan for bicycle touring.

So how to make up your mind for a bike tour? Tell your friends and family that you are going to a bike touring and make them trust in you. For your bike touring, you need to have enough time and have enough money, so you need to set a firm date and save money for your touring. The most important thing for you is don't listen to the naysayers, or you may feel disappointed and want to give up.

Decide Your Type of Tour



After making the decision, you need to choose that type of touring you want to take. There are several types of bike touring, including guided tours, self-guided tours, and supported tours. When making the plan, you need to ask yourself "how much money you can spend on the touring" "How many days are available for you" and "how much effort you can make". Then you can decide your type of touring.



If you would like to travel with a group, meeting new friends, and having a guide in the touring, you can choose the guided tour, which provides you with a daily schedule. You don't need to worry about the hotels, meals, routes and so on.

The self-guided tour is similar to a guided tour in some aspects: the routes, hotels, meals and so on. The difference is that you are not touring with a large group, instead, you need to tour individually or in a group of small size, bringing your luggage with you on the bike.

The self-supported bike touring also called as "traditional bicycle touring". The type of bike touring requires the bikers to travel without a guide and carry the luggage by themselves on their bicycles. Besides, you need to plan the touring, which including the routes, food, water, shelters and so on.

In a guided tour or self-guided tour, you don't need to spend much time on planning. In a guided tour or self-guided tour, you should bear in mind: the place you want to go, the companies' willingness, your physical ability and cycling skills. As for the self-supported tour, you need to make a detailed plan.

Planning Your Self-supported Bike Touring

At the first place, you should know the place you want to go and determine your route of the bike touring. The Adventure Cycling Association has established a bike riding network with more than 42,000 miles of routes throughout North America and they sell maps of these routes.

On the one hand, you should ask yourself "how long and far do you want to ride?" The gears you need to take on your bike may depend on the answer to the question. The longer you want to go, the more gears you will need to take. On the other hand, the longer you ride, the more you need to take into consideration, because the possibility that you will encounter the trouble, such as bad weather and bike maintenance, will be greater.



Are you clear about how much gear you should take? On the self-supported touring, you need to carry tools for bike repairs, clothing, money or credit card, rain gear, and camping gear (in case that you can't find a hotel or want to go camping). It would be a great burden in the bike touring when all things come together on your bike.

When making the plan for your bike touring, you should understand the limit of your body. Don't reach what is beyond your grasp. The goal of bike touring is to have fun instead of competition or performance. Before starting your tour, see the weather and start your bike touring on a sunny, cool weather day rather than headwind and torrential days. Leave and return in good weather.

Another thing you should consider is how much money you can spend. No matter what type of the bike touring you want, you need to spend money, even if the self-supported bike touring, you need to spend money on the shelters, food and water.

Advice on Bike Touring

As in all travel, put safety first
When encountering the adversity, bear in mind that safety should be the basic principle in a bike touring. After all, the aim to a bike touring is to have fun and enjoy freedom rather than to get hurt. Staying safe and healthy is the best way to ensure the success of the bike tour.

Be comfortable and confident with your bike
Make sure that your bike is in good condition that everything works well. Check out all parts of your bike and know how they work, because the more familiar you become with the bicycle, the more likelihood that you can solve the problem on the road. To take your dream of bike touring into reality, making a plan for it. Considering bike touring now? Just make a determination and forget everything to make a plan to start your bike touring!