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The most life-changing thing I've ever done was ride a bicycle from Austin, Texas to San Salvador, El Salvador. It took six months from 2013-2014 and all I think about is doing it again. There's a thread with more experienced tourists here in YLLS. I'm not a gear-head, and didn't even know how to change a tire when I left Austin. Learning on the road was tough but fun and I felt really accomplished after a few months. Lots of stupid poo poo happened and I almost died more than once, but every minute was still worth it. I encourage everyone who likes traveling backpacker-style to give this a shot because of how easy it all is. I maintained my own equipment, camped, ate at taco stands and gas stations and came in way under-budget for the whole trip. I prefer this method much more than backpacking because I stayed incredibly fit on my trip, was able to pack away about 4-5000 calories a day of chicharrones, met totally interesting people who were in turn interested by me, and I traveled every goddamn mile of two whole countries north to sound under my own power and it feels awesome. The shrinking of our world has made bike touring for non-experts totally viable, even in what one would consider dangerous places. Everywhere has 4G-LTE, clean water is always available and people are way more helpful and curious when you're on a bicycle. Where have you been? Where would you like to go? The entire planet is able to be cycled and extensive infrastructure exists for this especially in the US Northern Tier and West Coast, much of southern South America and the Eurovelo. The Eurovelo in particular looks fantastic as well as incredibly safe and easy-to-use. My dream trip is Lisbon to Bangkok, but the Arab Spring and later the Russia/Ukraine war have made the borders between Europe and Asia pretty sketchy. Someday! i say swears online fucked around with this message at 03:00 on Jul 10, 2016 |
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Dec 19, 2015 22:55
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Man, I live in Austin as well and feel accomplished when I can ride my bike from 25th to 6th and back without dying of exhaustion, so hats off to you. I don't have any big biking plans right now, but I'd really like to ride around the hills of West Austin near Mount Bonnell at some point. That whole area is beautiful
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Dec 20, 2015 00:14
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This Austinite Thread Owbs
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Dec 20, 2015 01:31
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I have dreams about doing something like this cycling tour through the southwest: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/travel/01Biking.htm quote:We passed old tailings piles, evidence of long-ago mines. (The uranium for the Manhattan Project was pulled from the earth nearby.) We passed the skeletal vestiges of the Hanging Flume, an absurd sluiceway nailed high on the canyon walls from 1889 to 1891 to carry water to a (failed) gold mining operation. There was a lesson here about the futility of man’s hubris in such unforgiving country, and I rode with a little more humility into the griddle-hot noon. 
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Dec 20, 2015 04:16
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Speaking of travel blogs like that, I was daydreaming in a concrete block house in Abuja when I came across http://www.crazyguyonabike.com and I just couldn't get over it until I had hit the road myself. Some of the writers are really great.
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Dec 20, 2015 05:18
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I moved to England at the start of last summer and, after seeing how many people here do cycle tours, I binged on a few books and ended up designing my new bike around this purpose. The weather here is too variable for any trips until spring, but I'm looking forward to cutting across the island on some short trips next year. The bike's all ready, though I still have to pick up camping kit. I feel like this is a form of recreation that can go either way in terms of planning - either you set off with a general direction, insufficient gear and knowledge, and figure it out as you go, or alternatively you spend months collecting gear and scrutinizing Google Earth for road surfaces. Has anyone tried https://www.warmshowers.org/
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Dec 20, 2015 18:29
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I love bike touring. Tip: go up to someone's door of a house with some woods in the back and ask them nicely if you can tent in their property. They'll usually say yes and they'll often even be nice and give you food, showers, etc.
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Dec 20, 2015 18:42
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I want to do some bicycle touring but I don't think my taint can handle that much time on a bike seat. Do any of you cycling pros have any advice for taint strengthening exercises? Some friends are planning a tour for April next year, but I just don't know if I'll be able to build my perineal endurance up in that time.
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Dec 20, 2015 18:56
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Free your mind and the taint will follow
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Dec 20, 2015 18:59
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Warmshowers is a great organization to use; much better than Couchsurfing. Both are usually too...planned for my style, though. alnilam is right, pedaling up and asking people consistently got me a spot to camp and about half the time I ended up in a real bed.Moon Atari posted:I want to do some bicycle touring but I don't think my taint can handle that much time on a bike seat. Do any of you cycling pros have any advice for taint strengthening exercises? Some friends are planning a tour for April next year, but I just don't know if I'll be able to build my perineal endurance up in that time. The only nice part of my bike was a sprung Brooks saddle. If your bike fits properly, you'll be sitting in a way that makes your two assbones the only contact you'll have. I avoided bike clothing (lycra shirts, shorts with butt-pads) and just dealt with it. My taint stiffened after a week, but that first week is rough.
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Dec 20, 2015 19:25
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Taint stiffening aside, saddle sores and the like are a recurrent issue for long distance cyclists. Other than making sure your bike's fit is good, with the seat at the proper height, or using a sprung seat, there's not much you can do for the rear end bones - but for the flesh, people wear lycra to reduce friction, chamois cream to reduce the effects of friction, and suggest you keep clean whatever is against your skin to prevent bacterial growth. Everything I've read has suggested people at minimum throw in some anti-bacterial wipes to clean their thighs and junk when showers are spare.
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Dec 20, 2015 23:28
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Moon Atari posted:I want to do some bicycle touring but I don't think my taint can handle that much time on a bike seat. Do any of you cycling pros have any advice for taint strengthening exercises? Some friends are planning a tour for April next year, but I just don't know if I'll be able to build my perineal endurance up in that time. Ride more bike. Plenty of time before April.
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Dec 21, 2015 21:30
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Thanks for the advice everyone, but I must have an abnormally delicate perineum or something. I've tried all sorts of seats and padded bike shorts but even day rides produce crippling taint pain for a week afterwards, and redistributing the point of contact doesn't help because I have the emaciated boney butt of a distance runner. I'm about ready to give up, but I think if I can combine the padded bike shorts with some slightly more 'internal' cushioning I should be alright. I've been investigating synthol, and for the well-targeted and relatively small injection I would need it seems both safe and affordable. I don't want to get my hopes up, I know you can't just supplement your problems away but by the same token I have nothing to lose by trying.
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Dec 21, 2015 22:00
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Moon Atari posted:Thanks for the advice everyone, but I must have an abnormally delicate perineum or something. I've tried all sorts of seats and padded bike shorts but even day rides produce crippling taint pain for a week afterwards, and redistributing the point of contact doesn't help because I have the emaciated boney butt of a distance runner. I'm about ready to give up, but I think if I can combine the padded bike shorts with some slightly more 'internal' cushioning I should be alright. I've been investigating synthol, and for the well-targeted and relatively small injection I would need it seems both safe and affordable. I don't want to get my hopes up, I know you can't just supplement your problems away but by the same token I have nothing to lose by trying. Do not inject poo poo into your groin to make it more cushy. It's not like fat people magically don't get taint pain from bikes. You'll just have an artificially swollen groin that is now also painful. Seriously where did you even come up with that it's one of the most retarded things I have ever heard. Personally I've never ridden more than like 5 hours straight because mountains but having nice high handlebars so you can stand on the peddles a long time without your back getting sore helps me alleviate asspain from bike riding.
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Dec 21, 2015 22:27
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Moon Atari posted:Thanks for the advice everyone, but I must have an abnormally delicate perineum or something. I've tried all sorts of seats and padded bike shorts but even day rides produce crippling taint pain for a week afterwards, and redistributing the point of contact doesn't help because I have the emaciated boney butt of a distance runner. I'm about ready to give up, but I think if I can combine the padded bike shorts with some slightly more 'internal' cushioning I should be alright. I've been investigating synthol, and for the well-targeted and relatively small injection I would need it seems both safe and affordable. I don't want to get my hopes up, I know you can't just supplement your problems away but by the same token I have nothing to lose by trying. Maybe get a BMX and don't ever sit down?
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Dec 21, 2015 23:57
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Moon Atari posted:Thanks for the advice everyone, but I must have an abnormally delicate perineum or something. I've tried all sorts of seats and padded bike shorts but even day rides produce crippling taint pain for a week afterwards, and redistributing the point of contact doesn't help because I have the emaciated boney butt of a distance runner. I'm about ready to give up, but I think if I can combine the padded bike shorts with some slightly more 'internal' cushioning I should be alright. I've been investigating synthol, and for the well-targeted and relatively small injection I would need it seems both safe and affordable. I don't want to get my hopes up, I know you can't just supplement your problems away but by the same token I have nothing to lose by trying. 
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Dec 22, 2015 00:04
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added advice to OP
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Dec 22, 2015 00:58
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Moon Atari posted:Thanks for the advice everyone, but I must have an abnormally delicate perineum or something. I've tried all sorts of seats and padded bike shorts but even day rides produce crippling taint pain for a week afterwards, and redistributing the point of contact doesn't help because I have the emaciated boney butt of a distance runner. I'm about ready to give up, but I think if I can combine the padded bike shorts with some slightly more 'internal' cushioning I should be alright. I've been investigating synthol, and for the well-targeted and relatively small injection I would need it seems both safe and affordable. I don't want to get my hopes up, I know you can't just supplement your problems away but by the same token I have nothing to lose by trying. there are taintless bikeseats out there, no joke http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000DZGLVY/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1450793767&sr=8-2&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=chair+bike+seat
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Dec 22, 2015 15:16
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Can we post cool bike tour pictures? This is Luddington on the Lake Michigan tour.
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Dec 22, 2015 15:38
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FreakerByTheSpeaker posted:Can we post cool bike tour pictures? This is Luddington on the Lake Michigan tour. Oh no, how are you going to proceed 
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Dec 22, 2015 15:51
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Moon Atari posted:Thanks for the advice everyone, but I must have an abnormally delicate perineum or something. I've tried all sorts of seats and padded bike shorts but even day rides produce crippling taint pain for a week afterwards, and redistributing the point of contact doesn't help because I have the emaciated boney butt of a distance runner. I'm about ready to give up, but I think if I can combine the padded bike shorts with some slightly more 'internal' cushioning I should be alright. I've been investigating synthol, and for the well-targeted and relatively small injection I would need it seems both safe and affordable. I don't want to get my hopes up, I know you can't just supplement your problems away but by the same token I have nothing to lose by trying. If laughing at stupid people on the internet who inject synthol has taught me anything it's that your balls are likely to explode if you do this
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Dec 22, 2015 16:22
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alnilam posted:Oh no, how are you going to proceed Swim. Actually Luddington is a cool stop because it's the last bail point. There's a ferry that crosses the lake to a city about 20 miles north of Milwaukee, and after that it's another 600 miles to go. In the picture, we paused to see off the ferry before going to make camp (in the dark, as is tradition half the time on this trip.)
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Dec 22, 2015 16:26
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FreakerByTheSpeaker posted:Swim. btw i had that same jacket for 9 years, it was grungy as hell by the end and i liked it that way, but the reflective piping always held strong jacket story So one time i was in a bicycle tour riding along the Great Allegheny Passage - the GAP and the linked C&O Towpath Canal go from Pittsburgh to DC, though I was only taking it 2 days out from Pgh for some fun camping and then back. I've just passed my PhD qualifiers, and then immediately left town for several days on a bike with my best friend, but we didn't get on the road until noon and had 70 miles to go. It's halloween night  We're both wearing the same sort of jacket and also rain pants too, all with reflective piping on the limbs. As you might guess, we end up riding about 3 hours in the dark, on a dark trail. Ugh. It's also chilly. And we're getting all paranoid about animals, like are we going to nearly hit a deer or startle a bear. As we ride, we're singing Sgt Pepper's - the whole album, or as much as we can recall - to keep spirits up. We come out into the first thing other than woodsy trail that we've seen for like half an hour - it's a municipal park! The municipal park is technically closed after sunset, but obv we're excepted as we're biking through on the trail, we think. Until a cop car, who had been sitting alone in the parking lot, pulls up alongside us. gently caress. He's going to give us poo poo for being there at night or something. Nope! He opens his window and shouts "hey you guys look so fuckin cool, you look like tron or something, with that glowy poo poo in the dark!" He was really nice, he ended up telling us we could camp in that park if we wanted to. We wanted to get through to our intended campsite but it was nice of him.
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Dec 22, 2015 16:49
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alnilam posted:jacket talk That's actually my second purchase of that jacket. It served me well the first time, but got leaky, so now it's a wind layer.
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Dec 22, 2015 20:44
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Moon Atari posted:I want to do some bicycle touring but I don't think my taint can handle that much time on a bike seat. Do any of you cycling pros have any advice for taint strengthening exercises? Some friends are planning a tour for April next year, but I just don't know if I'll be able to build my perineal endurance up in that time. OWLS! posted:there are taintless bikeseats out there, no joke http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000DZGLVY/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1450793767&sr=8-2&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=chair+bike+seat I had a girlfriend who had a similar issue and though she loved touring, it was painful for her soft tissue to ride more than 30 miles at a time. We went through several seats and shorts and nothing helped. The only thing that ever worked was actually a seat adjustment technique that I think i got off Sheldon Brown or some cycling forum. The idea was to fit your bike seat by imagining that you were actually sitting on one of those cut out bike seats posted above since you shouldnt really have any pressure on your soft tissue (guy or girl) and all the pressure should be on your sit bones. Try that op...also if it is not a pressure thing, but rather a friction thing, then Gold Bond is your best friend.
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Dec 22, 2015 22:04
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One of my favorite tours is the Katy Trail which follows the Missouri River across MO. It's a rails to trails tour with plenty of camping and B&B's and some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen. Here is my bike (blue LHT) on the trail on one of my yearly trips. pretty much the whole 240 mile trip is almost entirely gravel and crosses through a bunch of very small villiages that were old railway towns years ago. The trail is maintained by a trust and is very well kept. Highly recommend it to everyone looking for a great 3 day tour. here are some more pics:    
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Dec 22, 2015 22:22
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me (competitive cyclist) and a friend (competitive swimmer) rode ~600 miles to paris and back from the UK without stopping. although we caught 30 mins sleep on the ferry across the channel each way and 2 hours sleep in a ditch at the half way point lol. the plan was to stay in paris for a day or 2 but the paris attacks happened so we didnt hang around for long. anyway, thats the only serious long distance riding i'll ever do.
I.N.R.I fucked around with this message at 13:43 on Dec 24, 2015 |
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Dec 24, 2015 13:38
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Moon Atari posted:Thanks for the advice everyone, but I must have an abnormally delicate perineum or something. I've tried all sorts of seats and padded bike shorts but even day rides produce crippling taint pain for a week afterwards, and redistributing the point of contact doesn't help because I have the emaciated boney butt of a distance runner. I'm about ready to give up, but I think if I can combine the padded bike shorts with some slightly more 'internal' cushioning I should be alright. I've been investigating synthol, and for the well-targeted and relatively small injection I would need it seems both safe and affordable. I don't want to get my hopes up, I know you can't just supplement your problems away but by the same token I have nothing to lose by trying. you should absoliutely inject stuff into your balls
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Dec 24, 2015 13:38
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You should talk to a doctor about that. Also, don't buy that taint-free seat linked above. I tried it and it's a constant, exhausting fight to not slide off. A fight you will lose over and over again.
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Jan 6, 2016 06:57
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Piso Mojado posted:One of my favorite tours is the Katy Trail which follows the Missouri River across MO. It's a rails to trails tour with plenty of camping and B&B's and some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen. Here is my bike (blue LHT) on the trail on one of my yearly trips. Rails to Trails is a national treasure. I tour the Wabash Trace through Iowa occasionally and it's an excellent, well-maintained trail with lots of friendly towns and bars along the route.   The Cowboy Trail through northern Nebraska is also just starting to become suitable for touring and will have 320+ miles when finished. http://www.bikecowboytrail.com/
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Jan 6, 2016 18:59
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I did my first tour from Seattle to San Diego this past summer, camping most of the way. Besides the initial gear purchases (camping stuff from REI drainin me) it wasn't too expensive! I'm thinking of doing Japan sometime this Fall, and Jacksonville -> Key West soon™ before it gets hot. I'd like to tour Europe sometime. Look Taiwan is officiating a round-island route with rest stops! http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2015/12/31/2003636100 You can go anywhere on a bike and it'll be fun. Guess what I'm tryna say is that I like bike touring.
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Feb 3, 2016 01:43
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Fozzle posted:I did my first tour from Seattle to San Diego this past summer, camping most of the way. Besides the initial gear purchases (camping stuff from REI drainin me) it wasn't too expensive! what route did you take up the west coast? that sounds like an awesome trip
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Feb 3, 2016 02:08
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Piso Mojado posted:what route did you take up the west coast? that sounds like an awesome trip I used the Pacific Coast ACA maps but you don't really need them because the route is mostly self evident once you get to the coast (it's even signed in some places). Nice to have, though! I ferried to Bremerton from Seattle, took some backroads through Washington to Vancouver (Washington not Canada), crossed into Portland and then headed to the coast via the Nestuccah River Valley route. From there it's pretty much 101 South through Oregon, and Highway 1 South through California, with a few deviations to avoid traffic. It's all fairly well populated so it's easy pz, and there's lots of state parks with hike/bike campsites which are cheap and let you have a shower. I took the Lost Coast side route and that was extremely brutal for me on my jury-rigged road bike but also super great. Like one of those experiences where at the time you're thinking "I'm an idiot this is terrible" but you're glad you did it afterwards.
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Feb 3, 2016 19:02
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Fozzle posted:I used the Pacific Coast ACA maps but you don't really need them because the route is mostly self evident once you get to the coast (it's even signed in some places). Nice to have, though! nice. I'm sick of winter and thinking of going on a tour somewhere nice and this looks really fun.
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Feb 3, 2016 21:54
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A good thread indeed. I've done three tours- NY to DC and around Lake Ponchartrain in Louisiana in 2008, and Pittsburgh to DC last year. All were a total blast and offered up some amazing memories, including: -riding through Amish country near Lancaster, Pennsylvania during a beautiful sunset. -blasting through a cool rails to trails system between York and Baltimore -the worst/best day ever, when it took two hours to fix a series of flats on my girlfriend's supposedly puncture-proof tires while in a very bad neighborhood in New Orleans, getting caught in a downpour and nearly getting struck by lightning, then wrecking really hard and having to wait out said downpour in an abandoned house while shivering and bleeding. -being very excited to swim in a river after a long day of riding in the scorching Louisiana heat, only to find out that the river was full of alligators. -having a pickup truck pass us while honking, then swerving to the side of the road and screeching to a halt a few hundred yards ahead of us. Thinking that I'm about to get into a fight with someone pissed off about us hogging an otherwise empty road, then discovering it was a really friendly, drunk as poo poo guy who felt compelled to give us two ice-cold bottles of water out of his cooler. -riding along the Great Allegheny Passage during near-peak fall color -breaking my rack and coming up with a fix that entailed tire levers, zip ties, duct tape and bungee cords. It held up for the remaining 80 miles between me and a replacement rack. MacGyver would have been proud. -staying in a cool hostel that used to be a combined furniture store, tool shop and morgue. Befriending the innkeepers and getting a private tour of the "haunted" rooms. -passing the miles by thinking about the food I'd be eating when we stopped that day. Never thought one could think about pizza in a way typically reserved for sexual fantasies, but here we are. Some photos from my last tour:    Can we talk about bikepacking here too? I'm a mountain biker, and I've got some plans for some trips in and around the George Washington National Forest in spring and early summer.
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Feb 7, 2016 07:27
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suboptimal posted:
I motion that we can and should. I've only been bikepacking twice and both times it totally kicked my rear end. First time my tires/tire pressure wasn't ideal and I had 4 flats in 2 days, second time it just took a lot out of me and I got really sick afterwards. That said, I feel like I've learned a lot about the process and would love to give it another shot. This site http://www.oregonbikepacking.com/ has been a good source of inspiration for me.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:04
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Maxwells Demon posted:I motion that we can and should. I grew up in Oregon, spent a lot of time near Bend as a kid and doing a Deschutes ride is way up on my bucket list! What kind of bike are you bikepacking on? I'm considering turning my Ice Cream Truck (26" wheel size fat bike) into my "adventure/expedition bike," and I've quickly learned that tire pressure is king on that kind of bike. Fortunately, all of my other mountain bikes could accommodate my gear, but I love my ICT's can-do vibe.
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Feb 16, 2016 06:30
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I picked up the pieces for my touring bike at a bicycle junkyard. The frame was a 1982 Trek 520 and it had some Campy stuff attached to it. Had the wheels built, then bought the rack and saddle and I was good to go. Everything together, including labor was probably $500. It's a fun bike and looks cool and worn-in, but I'm buying a Long Haul Trucker next time.
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Feb 20, 2016 19:16
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suboptimal posted:I grew up in Oregon, spent a lot of time near Bend as a kid and doing a Deschutes ride is way up on my bucket list! I was on a Surly Long Haul Trucker with 35mm wide "bulletproof" tires, store-bought panniers front and back. I found that this setup is great for roads and things mostly resembling roads, but on super lovely forest service roads or singletrack it certainly was left wanting. My friend was on a Surly Troll with some semi-custom gear solution and kicked my rear end up and down on anything that wasn't pure road or twilight hours. She's way more fit than me and has 6 months more experience than I do with bikepacking while I've been mostly doing pansy-rear end road touring. The one big thing I've taken from all bike touring is that everyone has their own setup and since they all have great attitudes and the willingness to pedal, it all works out in the end. So if you are enjoying your Ice Cream Truck, I would do the incremental improvements you know you want and not worry too much about envying anyone else's setup unless you're willing to drop 3 grand on some grand scheme.
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Feb 23, 2016 09:40
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Fozzle posted:one of those experiences where at the time you're thinking "I'm an idiot this is terrible" but you're glad you did it afterwards. That basically sums up bike touring. Collectively the experience is always fun and rewarding, but sprinkled throughout are moments where I'm like "why did I decide to do this instead of staying home and eating peanut butter from the jar"
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May 6, 2016 01:08
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