Tag: lightweight touring

Lightweight touring might be hard to define. Everybody is different and has different desires when bike touring.

Categories
Tours and Rides

Alaska’s Lost Coast

Lost Coast Trailer from Eric Parsons on Vimeo.

In 2008 Dylan Kentch and Eric Parsons rode and carried and rafted with their singlespeed bicycles across 300 miles of wild Alaska coastline from Yakutat to Cordova. If one were to look at this on a map and/or Google Earth they might not think it possible. But these guys did it and lived to tell the story. What’s most impressive to me is that they never complain about the difficult conditions, they had fun, and they were sad when it was over. Epic.
Their blog is called Bike The Lost Coast
In 2010 some homies from Bozeman, Mt. did it too. Their blog is Biking the Lost Coast
Eric’s company is Revelate Designs LLC
He makes frame bags for expedition touring and for bikes which are rack challenged.

Image of bike camping with Revelate Designs bags
Bike Camping or Bikepacking

 

Revelate Designs LLC frame fit bags
Revelate Designs LLC frame bags

Looking at these photos and reading the ride reports gets me to thinking about different ways to set up the bike, and it gets me thinking about an off road adventure touring bike. Of course, being a Surly groupie, the Troll or Karate Monkey come to mind. I’m sure Sky King will be happy to know I have a new obsession! Anybody else use these bags and have stories to tell of their expeditions?

Categories
Planning Resources

Bike Touring, Keeping It Simple

Carry what you need and no more.

Like any good hermit, the Bike Hermit is constantly attempting to simplify.  And why go on a bike tour if not, at least in part, to enjoy being unencumbered by unnecessary external superficialities, and by too much gear?
The Italian impressionist Carlotti said“Beauty is a summation of the parts working together in such a way that nothing is needed to be added, taken away or altered”.
Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe adopted the motto “Less is more” to describe his aesthetic tactic of arranging the numerous necessary components of a building to create an impression of extreme simplicity.

When traveling on the bike the kit can be pared down to the basics required for survival and comfort. And if it is possible to travel for two weeks with a certain amount of bike touring gear then, unless traveling in a more remote region, the cyclo tourist should be able to exist in relative comfort for longer periods carrying the same provisions.

The bike hermit offers this outline of what can be taken on a two week or longer self-supported bike tour. While not an exhaustive, or even a very detailed list, it includes the core considerations for the bicycle traveler and can be modified by the individual according to their desire. Overall weight should not be a driving force behind the decision making process in what to take, but at the same time carrying more than is needed is senseless. The given weights include the weight of the luggage/bags/panniers if indicated.

Hennessy Hammock Super Shelter and rain pants in dry-bag                                  1lb   10.4 oz

Hennessy Hammock Ultralight Backpacker                                                                    2lb     6.8 oz

Front left pannier: Stove/ cook kit                                                                                      3lb       .8 oz

Front right pannier: toiletries, camp towels, sun screen, etc.                                    3 lb       .4 oz

Front handlebar bag: food, fuel canister, spare tube, patch kit, cell phone            7lb  11.8  oz

Spare tire                                                                                                                            12.4 oz

Small leather handlebar bag: pepper spray, knife, multi-tool, headlamp               1lb    5.6 oz

18 Liter Saddlebag: Clothes, chain lube, spare parts.                                                     9lb    5.8 oz

Sleeping bag                                                                                                                            3lb    2.8 oz

3, 24 oz water bottles- full                                                                                                      4lb     12 oz

Total weight comes to a little over 37 pounds. No need to go crazy about this stuff. Relax, be happy.

Categories
Bike Touring Tips

Bike Touring and Clothing

What are the basic essential articles of clothing needed for a successful bike tour? Obviously it depends on the season and local climate. My last three trips have been in late winter in the southern and southwestern US. Still, it can get cold…down to 25 degrees in Marathon Texas last year. And rain and even snow are always possibilities. So I carry what I consider to be the bare necessities for comfort without going overboard and bringing too much.

Clothing for a Bike Tour

At the top I have long johns and a long sleeve polypropylene t-shirt. The long johns and sometimes the long sleeve t for sleeping on the cold night. I have a Woolistic brand wool trainer, a rain jacket, this happens to be a Bellwether, a long sleeve cotton t-shirt and some Endura Humvee pants made out of nylon.

On the floor, wool leg and arm warmers and a pair of knee warmers, a Club Ride jersey and a Surly wool jersey, riding shorts (yes, I prefer bibs), flip flops, for the inevitable gross showers and for hanging out, socks, (I carry 2 or 3 pairs of undershorts too), a wool cap and gloves. When I’m riding I, of course, wear my helmet and bike shoes.

Every two or three days I can hit a laundromat and wash everything. In a pinch I can wash the basics in the shower at night and hang them to dry. Even though my trips of late have been shorter than 3 weeks, I don’t think I would need to carry much more even if I were going for 3 months.