Category: Articles & Essays
-
No Stupid Questions: Should You Ask Permission To Wild Camp In Britain?
A reader writes: Hi Tom, Having cycled LEJOG and stayed at Airbnb and a couple of youth hostels, I’m planning on bikepacking/ wildcamping. Cycling until I’m either too tired to continue or where a convenient place appears. Questions are, do you ever get or attempt to get permission to camp or bivvy, and do you plan where to stop in advance? I’m looking to be free from a schedule. Apart from getting the Caledonian sleeper back south from Inverness. Thanks for the question! It’s never a bad time to discuss wild camping on bike trips. Confidence in where you’re going to… Continue reading →
-
No Stupid Questions: Backpacks, Frame Luggage Or Trailers For Off-Road Bike Tours?
A reader writes: Hey Tom It’s not an upcoming trip, rather it’s a failed bike trip experience that concerns me. Some detail: Hardtail steel frame 29er MTB (Cotic Solaris Max). The route – King Alfred’s Way (UK), in four days. Off road route, easy not technical. Gear – backpack only. Day 1 OK. Day 2 sore bum.Day 3 more sore bum. Day 4 escape trails and ride back to start point on the roads because bum just too painful for more off-road riding. The weight of the backpack did it. I’m used to racing 7 day XC events across Appennines or French Alps with… Continue reading →
-
No Stupid Questions: What’s The Best Winter Bike Helmet For Cycle Touring?
A reader writes: No current manufacturer seems to make a purpose built winter season bicycle helmet. I am looking for one without all the air vents typical of warm weather helmets and with fuller coverage of the head and ears, more like a motorcycle helmet but lighter as bicycle get-offs are typically at lower speeds. Also I’d like it to have a sun visor for the low on the horizon glowing orb and also a windscreen to keep the cold air from making my eyes water so badly I can’t see. Have you seen anything to fit the need here? I… Continue reading →
-
No Stupid Questions: How Best To Pack My Panniers For Cycling Round The World?
A reader writes: I’m keen to streamline my set-up and I’m curious to know what round-the-world pannier set-up you’d recommend… I’m thinking 2 × 12.5l front panniers, 2 × 12.5l rear panniers with an Ortlieb 31l Rack Pack and a 12l frame bag giving me around 93l storage. In addition, my front rack will enable me to carry a small duffel bag if needed. I’m considering possibly getting 20l rear panniers but I feel they’re too bulky and unnecessary. However, for long stretches where water and food might be scarce, they could work out well. I’ll be beginning in March/April ‘24… Continue reading →
-
No Stupid Questions: How Can I Avoid Neck, Shoulder & Wrist Pain On Long Gravel Rides?
A reader writes: My biggest question/concern about my upcoming ride of the Carretera Austral (south to north, beginning in El Chaltén in 2.5 weeks) is: how do I deal with the jarring feeling of riding on packed gravel with my Surly LHT? In other words, without front suspension, what’s the best way to cushion my hands/wrists/arms/shoulders/neck from this chronic shaking/rattling/jostling? Thanks for such a timely question! Seriously – how to avoid wrist, arm and neck pain when cycle touring, particularly on gravel roads, has been a hot topic for me recently. Last summer – in an episode unrelated to cycle… Continue reading →
-
No Stupid Questions: Should I Buy Touring Bike X Or Touring Bike Y?
Roughly ten thousand* people have written to me over the years with some version of the following question: Hi Tom,I’ve been researching touring bikes, and I’ve narrowed my choices down to Bike X and Bike Y. Both look perfect on paper, have great reviews, and fit my budget, but I can’t figure out how to decide between them. Can you help?Cheers,Roughly ten thousand people * this figure may be exaggerated Well hey, everyone, thanks so much for asking! Of all the big, scary dilemmas faced by the newcomer to the intoxicating world of bicycle travel, the question of ‘which bike… Continue reading →
-
No Stupid Questions: Do I Need Special Hydraulic Brake Fluid For Winter Touring?
A reader writes: Thank you for bringing up these timely questions on the subject of winter cycle touring in sub-zero conditions! I myself rode to the Scandinavian Arctic back in the winter of 2011. It turns out that winter can be a source of fun and novelty for adventure cyclists, so it’s great to hear from someone planning a ride like this. Let’s start with the question of whether you need special winter fluid for hydraulic disc brakes on a touring bike (or any other type of bicycle, for that matter). Continue reading →
-
On Finding Freedom In The Space Between Two Atoms
Of all the metaphors that capture the essence of bicycle travel, perhaps freewheeling is the most appropriate. Think about it. When you stop pedalling and freewheel, you have ceased to exert any discernible effort. Yet you continue rolling forward anyway, propelled by your own momentum. Magic! What makes this possible is the wheel – or, more specifically, the assembly consisting of axle shaft and rotational ball bearing. It is here, in the space between two atoms of polished steel, that can be found the transition between human and machine. Wikipedia informs us that bearings of this kind have been recovered… Continue reading →
-
In Which The Kindness Of Strangers Wins Again, And How I Forgot What Camping Really Means
I rose before dawn, ignoring the scent of bacon, and rode out of camp. My goal was to reach Forster before lunch, get my broken spoke replaced, and live happily ever after. I stopped for coffee in Seal Rocks (flat white, no sugar). While waiting for my order among bleary-eyed barefooted surfers, I popped into the store nearby. I’d been told it had “very limited supplies”, so I was surprised to find bananas on the shelf among a range of fresh produce, groceries and souvenirs. (Where I live, a village store with “very limited supplies” means one that only sells certain… Continue reading →
-
Riding The Old Gibber Trail, And How Not To Pack A Bike Touring Toolkit
At some point on the third day, the ride began to acquire its own momentum. The Fernleigh Track tailed off (see my previous post), and Newcastle came and went in a dull morning of hilly coastal headlands strewn with bike paths and promenades. I stopped thrice en route to the Hunter River: once at a dead end at the bottom of a fabulous freewheeling descent (and, it turned out, fabulous first-gear ascent), again to make myself another instant roadside cheese toastie, and a third time at a bike shop for some chain lube. The Queen’s Wharf ferry terminal was perched on… Continue reading →