Going Touring

[Torslanda]

Might sound daft but I've never been touring. What do I take? The first one to suggest a bike gets snotted . . . 

Practical advice required. Obviously panniers.
There's a tent involved so it's front & rear racks.

Having a Carradice account I'm keen to use their products so tell me why I should or shouldn't. I'd like Carradura and have dry liners already.

So far I've settled on taking the GF 229 as it's my best fitting and comfiest bike. The rear rack is a Topeak DX and I have a dedicated rack pack so do I need a bar bag? On order is a set of lowriders and a short platform rack which fits to the canti bosses and the fork crown. It's not very big so I'm using that for carrying my sleeping bag and/or mat.

What stove? What fuel? The stove that comes with me to Long Itch is enormous and would occupy a pannier on its own. Other, silly stuff like can one spend a week in cycling shoes or do you need room for a pair of canvas shoes? 

There's going to be a 1001 numb & numpty questions, thanks in advance . . .

[Ningishzidda]

For heating water, soup and spaghetti, take a stainless steel mug and a lightweight blowtorch.
Buy panniers that can hold a metal biscuit tin, packed with essential items and clothing, including the mug and blowtorch.
Empty the biccie tin and stand it on edge. Position the mug on the top of the tin and place the blowtorch so the flame hits the mug.

[mark]

Gas cartridge/canister stoves are nice and compact, simple to use and lightweight. The cartridges come in several sizes, so you can pick which size to bring, depending on how long a tour you're doing. MSR, JetBoil, Snow Peak and some Coleman stoves all use the same cartridge style, so you can use any of those cartridges with any of those stoves. Bleuet stoves have their own cartridge style, and seem to be more widely available in some countries than the aforementioned brands. On the debit side, most gas cartridge/canister stoves have crappy wind screens (if they have windscreens at all), and tend to tip over easily, especially if you fit a small cartridge. They also perform poorly in cold weather, and performance drops off as the canister empties.

Alcohol stoves (like the Trangia) are extremely simple to use, and the fuel is available in any hardware stove (and any supermarket in France, Italy and possibly some other countries). The various Trangia cookouts offer decent wind protection, good stability, and are reasonably lightweight. Alcohol burns at a relatively low temperature, so the stoves are better suited for warm weather use, like bicycle touring.

Multi-fuel stoves(MSR, Optimus, etc.) that run on Coleman fuel, petrol/gasoline, paraffin/kerosene and possibly a few other substances are great for long trips, large groups and cold weather. The stoves are expensive, though, and Coleman fuel is hideously expensive in the UK (at least I thought it was). Paraffin is smelly and requires a primer fuel to pre-heat the stove; petrol will eventually clog the stove. These stoves have to be pressurized with a built in pump and pre-heated before they will cook properly. Operator error or worn gaskets can result in some spectacular pyrotechnical displays.

You can spend a week in any kind of shoes, but I like to bring a pair of light sandals or similar lightweight footwear. If nothing else, it saves wear and tear on the cleats. Mountain biking shoes are much better for touring than road shoes, just because you can walk on the recessed cleats more easily.

A bar bag is handy for snacks, maps/GPS, phone, camera, and whatever else you might want to grab without getting off the bike. If you don't use GPS or a phone to navigate, a map case on the bar bag will keep your map (or written turn by turn directions) right where you need it. A shoulder strap and some sort of quick release attachment for the bar bag makes it really easy to carry high value stuff (passport, credit cards, phone, camera) with you when you get off the bike for any reason. Ortlieb bar bags and map cases tick all these boxes very nicely, and are extremely waterproof as well.

[Polar Bear]

A tent ...   

Two sporks.  One ti for cooking, one of any material for eating.   I prefer the Light My Fire versions.

Trangia 27 for simplicity and less faff.   Plenty big enough for one, your touring buddies all use them, you'll be happy to eat straight out of the pan, and, fuel is cheap and readily available in every supermarche and most small shops in France.

Have two large water bottles for on site and on bike water needs. 

Lightweight 2 - 3 season sleeping bag and base layers.   Easier to regulate sleeping temperatures and less bulk than a down bag. 

Exped Synmat 7 for comfortable nights.

A stuffsack to fill with clothes etc. for a pillow or an Exped pillow.   I use the latter.

Multi activity shoes, bike specific or not.   We tour using toeclip and straps and wear versions of Merrell Gore footwear.   Some people also take sandals for off the bike wear but that's just more pannier filler imo.   If you tan well you could of course get those quirky spd sandals.

A barbag for your valuables.

Don't bring too many clothes.   Big mistake made by many a novice.

[woollypigs]

A nose, so you have something to follow

Go touring, pack what you think you need, figure out that you have taken too much or forgotten something, go touring again, repeat.

Best way to learn is to do it

[Polar Bear]

Three changes of cycling kit, one on, one for washing / washed and drying, one for Justin.   

[eck]

Hey, Mr Torslanda, hope you don't mind if I have the occasional peek over your shoulder at the replies to your post?

I'm in pretty much the same boat (IYSWIM), in that I am going touring for a week with a friend this summer: she has toured before, but B&B not camping. I've done a fair bit of audaxing, not not Proper Touring™. 

So far, the only planning we have done is decide when we are going (July), roughly where (Speyside, Moray coast, starting from Aviemore) and we thought it would be awfully sensible to have a local trial run for a day or two a couple of months beforehand. (And yes, we do have bikes.)

Quite exciting really.

[trekker12]

A one (possibly two) night trial run as suggested by eck is a good idea. We've only just started venturing into the world of touring cycling and started by trialling our existing camping kit on a weekend jaunt to Southwold last May before a longer trip round Norfolk in the summer. From that we learnt pretty much what we did and didn't need for the longer trip.

Include a comfy lightweight chair for sitting down at the campsite.

[Efrogwr]

As you have an account with Carradice, I see no reason for not using their bags.

A handlebar bag is a good idea, because you can keep valuables in it, it's easy to get at and you can take it off the bar quickly when you leave the bike parked.

[Vince]

PB has it.
For a weekend, I can get away with two panniers and a bar bar.
The proper Trangia fuel bottle is worth the money. If you decide you don't like cooking with meths, you can upgrade the T27 with a gas burner.
A lot of the rest of it comes with experience of the kit you are using.
Don't expect to do anything like your normal mileage. It''s much more of a relax and enjoy the journey activity. If your first attempt doesn't go well, don't leave it thirty years before trying it again like I did.

[ACyclingRooster]

Hi to you all out there. Now I have never been touring but I have done some pretty long runs in a day - when I was much much younger.
As of yet - I haven't seen any mention of Jim-Jams 
Has anyone ever considered Cycling Slippers - they are for those that would normally be susceptible to Sleep Walking ?

[Pancho]

I'd parked the memory in some minimal access area of the brain but this thread reminds me that I have cycle-toured when I was 15 or so. No idea what I took though. But as I was skint I suspect it was terribly untechnical and inappropriate. Rucsac and army surplus knapsacks bodged with octopus clips to the rack, I suspect.

However, I'm planning on cycling to the Long Itch gathering. As it'll take me two days riding to get there, I think this counts as touring.

Unlike everyone else, I'm hoping to take a camp bed. Which is why I'm using a trailer. Not sure if I'll take cooking equipment. Maybe just sandwiches and money for hot stuff.

[Ningishzidda]

I cycle toured in my schoolyears on a 5 speed 'sports' bike with a back rack. I had a plastic box on the rack, to which I attached panniers made from faux leather borrowed from the Rover Company seat manufacturing department. One pannier contained the biscuit tin. A small tent was in the other.
My sister had a front rack on her paperround bike, and I persuaded her to lend it to me. It had a spring loaded loop which held a Sainsbury's carrier bag full of spare clothing.

Oh the cheapo way of doing it. 

[bumper]

If you fancy an overnighter as a trial run, give me a shout John. All on roads, mostly country lanes, no mega hills. The route heads through Cheshire, Shropshire and just clips the Welsh border.

I've got a nice steady route from my house to a small campsite with a pub in spitting distance. You can drive to me and dump the car on my driveway

[mrcharly-YHT]

'j' cloths, several of. They do duty for washing up and as a T-towel, can also be used as a washcloth (obviously not the same one). Easily replaced along the way.

Loo roll in a ziplock. Never depend on campsites having loo roll and there may be times when you get caught short  and need to fertilise a copse of trees.

meths stoves for simplicity but don't expect to cook cordon bleu food since they only have one heat setting. Treat yourself to a pub meal now and then.

Clothes are bulky so reduce quantity to a minimum and hand wash stuff whenever possible.

[Vince]

Matches!

I have various stuffs in with my Trangia - a small bottle of detergent, half a pan wipe, matches, sachets of salt, pepper, tea bags etc.
Also the collapsible coffee filter - I'm not roughing it!

[P Walsh]

Touring is a bespoke activity, different for everyone. In the end you do it the way you want to. My suggestions are just what I do, not a list of rules.

You will need enough baggage for your stuff, but the exact nature of the baggage is up to you. I've used a bar bag on tour, and I've gone without one. Either way is fine. On balance, if you don't need one I'd say don't bother because it is more expense and limits your options for front lights.

If you use 4 panniers (as I do) the rear ones carry the heavy stuff and the front ones carry light items. Get the left and right weights about the same. Always pack specific items in the same bag so that you know the weight distribution is good and you know where to find items. If you are not confident about the waterproofness of the panniers use plastic liners.

Stoves: have a look at the small, lightweight stoves in the outdoor / camping shops, but make sure the fuel (and its container) is available in the country you are visiting. I avoid a lot of cooking so keep the stove minimal, mainly boiling water to make coffee.

Shoes: have on bike shoes and off bike shoes. I use very light trainers (cheap) for the latter. Not much heavier than flip-flops and compress flat for easy storage in the front panniers. Avoid canvass /  cotton. You want quick drying stuff that won't go manky.

Clothes: select on the basis of weight and how quickly they will dry. Thin trousers from outdoor shops weigh bugger all. Usual on-bike clothing for the actual cycling.

Don't get a tent that is too small. Don't get a mat that is too thin.

Make sure you have what you need to replace a rear wheel driveside spoke if you break one. (NBT2, spare spokes, spoke key, bit of practice, and make sure the cassette lockring is not too tight before you set off).

Know how to deal with minor technical issues and embrace them as part of the experience.

[trekker12]

If you decide you don't like cooking with meths, you can upgrade the T27 with a gas burner.

We've done this, a lot less messy than fuel and controllable temperature. The gas canisters are a bit bulky but between the two of us we fit them in somewhere.

One day I'll get a fuel bottle if we really go out into the wilderness but UK campsites usually have a small shop so if we run out it's not a disaster.

[marcusjb]

A nose, so you have something to follow

Go touring, pack what you think you need, figure out that you have taken too much or forgotten something, go touring again, repeat.

Best way to learn is to do it

^ that

It's really easy to get carried away with the thought of "I need X to do Y" (I am more than guilty of it), whereas it really probably doesn't need X to do Y, and lacking X might make you uncomfortable for a night or two, but it won't kill you and, if you are not uncomfortable, you probably didn't need X anyway, so you've saved some money and you didn't have to haul X up that fecking big hill.

Basically, do it, accept that you'll make mistakes and learn along the way, a bit of suffering never hurt anyone and it's better to be out there doing it rather than sat at home obsessing about whether you've got the right stuff etc. to do it.

[Pancho]

What tools/spares do the panel recommend for, say, 5 day touring in the UK?

I currently carry (in utility/commuting roles):

- 1 x spare inner + repair kit + tyre levers.
- Multitool with allen keys, disc brake things, screwdrivers, etc.
- Pump
- Spare batteries for lights fore and aft.

Should I consider upscaling this? Someone upthread mentioned spare spokes and checking the cassette lockring isn't too tight. This suggests I should be thinking of adding chainwhip and cassette tool-thing as well. What else? Chain tool and spare chain?

[LEE]

I have a Trangia stove with meths burner and also the Gas adapter.
It's quite an investment but, with the non-stick bowls, I'm covered for most trips.
Gas is super convenient and quick to boil water but using meths is a more relaxing way of cooking (and the bottles make you look super hadcore).


I use front & rear panniers and find my bike handles much better for it.


I think a bar bag is essential.

Put a coloured zip tie around the handle of one front and one rear pannier and force yourself to use the same panniers for the same things every day.
Example - Your clothes go in the front pannier with the Zip tie & your cooking stuff goes in the front pannier without the Zip tie.  Small things like that make life so much easier.

My tent goes in a dry-bag on the rack, between the panniers.  If it's been raining then I'll just put (dry) inner in there and the outer can go underneath, rolled up.

Self-inflating sleep mat of course.  Never be tempted by closed cell foam.  I went for a big and thick version (Alpkit) because nothing is worse than lying awake wishing you hadn't skimped on a sleep mat.

I use plastic picnic plates, they cost peanuts.

- Sharp (small) cooking knife with blade cover (about £3 from supermarkets, usually high viz colours)
- A tent with a porch for your (wet) gear makes life easier.

I have a Vango Spirit and I can just throw everything in the porch.


CROCS sandals.  Yes I know they aren't trendy but they don't weigh anything and they are super comfy, waterproof..etc. Lash them to the outside of a pannier.


A lightweight Tarp.

Look under the tent dry-bag on the rack and you'll see a 6x4 tarp


That's the best £2 I ever spent. 

Get them from here UK TARPS.  They weigh nothing, fold up to nothing but make life easier (ground sheet on wet grass, an extra roof with a bit of para-cord).
Here are some Faccombes relaxing on the tarps in France.


3 or 4 luggage straps, the ones with a spring-loaded buckle/clamp about 3cm wide. You can pile stuff on the rack an cinch it all up with them.

Oh yes, a Toe-strap.  Put it around your front brake lever and tighten it up. 
Look closely..


There's actually not that much in my panniers and I'm sure I could cram it into two rear ones.  However, my bar bag and left-side front pannier contain everything I need for a ferry crossing so I know to just grab those two.  Distributed load makes the bike handle like it's on rails, lovely.

[Biggsy]

A special wire or fibre "emergency" spoke saves the need for the cassette tool and chainwhip.  It may come with its own special spoke key.  Carry an ordinary spoke key as well for truing buckled wheels.

+
A boot to repair tyres: Park TB-2 or scrap piece of tyre casing.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Matches!

I have various stuffs in with my Trangia - a small bottle of detergent, half a pan wipe, matches, sachets of salt, pepper, tea bags etc.
Also the collapsible coffee filter - I'm not roughing it!

Two boxes of matches, for the one you'll leave at home. And a lighter, just to be sure. As you're a smoker(?), double that!

[Deano]

Cooking - teeny gas stove + cheap aluminium pans (I'm still using a set I got at Wilko about ten years ago). Something like this is perfectly decent, and good enough for tea, coffee, pasta, rice, noodles, i.e.your typical campsite cooking.

Rear panniers, front panniers and a front rack? That seems a bit OTT to me, unless you're planning something epic. Remember, you have to cart all that shit about. You could leave off the front rack and have space for a light at the fork crown. An old trick is to cram everything you're taking into the ginormo-panniers at the rear, then redistribute it across the front and rear. 

Don't go nuts on clothes - multi-use clothes are great, neat enough that you can get away with them on the night, but comfy enough on the bike. I try to keep a dry change of clothes (t-shirt, socks, undies, something-like Craghoppers) somewhere on the bike. Merino is good, it tends not to stink too badly after a couple of uses. There are loads of suggestions for lightweight off-the-bike shoes in this thread

Tools - well, you can get by with a simple toolkit as long as you're confident it's generally sound. You'll be fine with that, tors (I hope!) - set it up well beforehand, test it a couple of times, and unless you're out in the boonies you should be able to limp it to a handy bike shop if anything catastrophic does happen. A roll of gaffer tape around a handy spanner or something is useful to have.

I wouldn't fret too much about stuff, unless your bike requires a really specific 7/18" Greeling-Spallaker to prevent it falling apart. Mostly you can get by with a tent, a mat and bike. And a camera, of course, but one cyclist's necessity is another's luxury

[perpetual dan]

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