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WoZack brought up the idea of possibly getting touring bikes. We do enjoy camping and traveling and as we start getting closer to retirement we will have ample opportunity to do both. Probably not looking to do the coast to coast thing but rather a few days or week on the road in different parts of the country. Not yet sure how i feel about it. I’ve always liked just being on my road bike and not weighted down with carrying stuff. Thoughts? 

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7 minutes ago, Zackny said:

WoZack brought up the idea of possibly getting touring bikes. We do enjoy camping and traveling and as we start getting closer to retirement we will have ample opportunity to do both. Probably not looking to do the coast to coast thing but rather a few days or week on the road in different parts of the country. Not yet sure how i feel about it. I’ve always liked just being on my road bike and not weighted down with carrying stuff. Thoughts? 

Not necessary to buy a "touring bike".  My wife's hybrid and my Trek MTB (and newer Diverge) have rear rack mounting points and can run fenders.  Likewise, a simple Bob or Burley can be pulled by the stronger rider.  Add in bags that hang from the frame and you can get the taste of bike touring without first (or ever) buying a touring bike.

I definitely think it's a fun idea.  Even credit card touring - hotel-to-hotel via bike - is funner than simply driving, but you will want a "dense" area so that your mileage on the bike is not so great that you can't also stop at all the neat places you encounter.

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50 minutes ago, Zackny said:

WoZack brought up the idea of possibly getting touring bikes. We do enjoy camping and traveling and as we start getting closer to retirement we will have ample opportunity to do both. Probably not looking to do the coast to coast thing but rather a few days or week on the road in different parts of the country. Not yet sure how i feel about it. I’ve always liked just being on my road bike and not weighted down with carrying stuff. Thoughts? 

With the growth of gravel & adventure cycling I think you have more options now than ever before for bags & carrying systems. The old school racks & panniers aren’t your only option anymore.

As to should you, that’s really your call. But I’m kinda with you, more than an overnighter & I’d be over it...

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1 minute ago, ChrisL said:

As to should you, that’s really your call. But I’m kinda with you, more than an overnighter & I’d be over it...

 

55 minutes ago, Zackny said:

Not yet sure how i feel about it. I’ve always liked just being on my road bike and not weighted down with carrying stuff. Thoughts? 

I think, for both of you, maybe more a bike touring using a hub and spoke system, instead of a point-point-point system.  IOW, pick a cool spot with dense tourist spots within an hour or two riding distance of the hub.  Then, get a hotel there, and each day, ride to one or two of the tourist spots, and return in the afternoon/evening. Out again the next day.  Repeat several times.  No bags or camping, but lots of seeing the local area at 10mph vs 45 or 55mph.

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7 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

 

I think, for both of you, maybe more a bike touring using a hub and spoke system, instead of a point-point-point system.  IOW, pick a cool spot with dense tourist spots within an hour or two riding distance of the hub.  Then, get a hotel there, and each day, ride to one or two of the tourist spots, and return in the afternoon/evening. Out again the next day.  Repeat several times.  No bags or camping, but lots of seeing the local area at 10mph vs 45 or 55mph.

My wife & I  did that a couple of years ago. We rode along the central coast but stayed at a hotel & used it as a base camp & took day rides. We’d then clean up & spend the afternoon/evening in Cambria, Hearst Castle etc.  that was a fun trip.

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2 hours ago, Zackny said:

WoZack brought up the idea of possibly getting touring bikes. We do enjoy camping and traveling and as we start getting closer to retirement we will have ample opportunity to do both. Probably not looking to do the coast to coast thing but rather a few days or week on the road in different parts of the country. Not yet sure how i feel about it. I’ve always liked just being on my road bike and not weighted down with carrying stuff. Thoughts? 

I've own a touring bike and oddly have never toured. It's still a fantasy.

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1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

 

I think, for both of you, maybe more a bike touring using a hub and spoke system, instead of a point-point-point system.  IOW, pick a cool spot with dense tourist spots within an hour or two riding distance of the hub.  Then, get a hotel there, and each day, ride to one or two of the tourist spots, and return in the afternoon/evening. Out again the next day.  Repeat several times.  No bags or camping, but lots of seeing the local area at 10mph vs 45 or 55mph.

This is kind of what we do now. 

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I've done a bit of everything, bikepacking with frame and seat bags, rack and panniers, trailer, and get a airbnb and base out of there. Each has it's pros and cons.

Last summer we stayed in Kelowna and took road and mountain bikes. It was nice to do some of each. Having a shower and place to cook was awesome. It was a great trip. Would have been even better if I had remembered to pack bike shorts.

If you like your road bike a trailer is a cool idea. Haul it to a place to camp, drop it, and ride unecumbered until it's time to go home.

If you want an excuse to buy a new bike, get a touring bike of some sort. The options are amazing now.

I have a trip mapped out to circle the Olympic Peninsula and stay in NP Inns. The pandemic killed that idea, maybe next year.

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I’ve toured with a mountain bike, a road bike, and a touring bike. They all will work but there is a reason they call them touring bikes. I’ve also gone solo, with a small group of friends, and as part of a large organized tour with thousands of riders. There are certain advantages and disadvantages to each of them. My wife complained too much when I went on my own so I started doing organized tours. Rides like The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure have a lot of options on how far you ride each day, meals, camping/lodging, and they have sag support in case you have a mechanical you can’t handle or get sick or injured. 

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1 minute ago, Longjohn said:

I’ve toured with a mountain bike, a road bike, and a touring bike. They all will work but there is a reason they call them touring bikes. I’ve also gone solo, with a small group of friends, and as part of a large organized tour with thousands of riders. There are certain advantages and disadvantages to each of them. My wife complained too much when I went on my own so I started doing organized tours. Rides like The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure have a lot of options on how far you ride each day, meals, camping/lodging, and they have sag support in case you have a mechanical you can’t handle or get sick or injured. 

The Cape Breton ride we did a couple years ago was fun. They carried all your gear to the next stop and also picked up hour groceries at a location along the way. That Allowed us to just ride each day. I did find that i tended to just ride the days miles without stopping much. 

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Just now, Zackny said:

The Cape Breton ride we did a couple years ago was fun. They carried all your gear to the next stop and also picked up hour groceries at a location along the way. That Allowed us to just ride each day. I did find that i tended to just ride the days miles without stopping much. 

That GOBA ride I was talking about hauled all your stuff for you. Some people carried their own gear because they were practicing for a self supported tour. Actually not a bad idea because you could change your mind and let them haul it at any time or you could haul part of it just to get a feel for it. GOBA doesn’t include meals but they make sure there are rest stops and lunch stops provided for purchase hosted by civic organizations. At the campsites they have breakfasts and dinners you can purchase or you can eat where ever you want. A lot of people will go in to the host town and eat at a restaurant or pup of their choice.

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We've done a certain of bike touring with our panniers over the years. Over 1,000 km. in Maritime provinces...you would be amazed how much mileage adds up going to camp site or hotel, grocery store/restaurant...  I lost 7 lbs. over almost 4 wks. That was around 23 yrs. ago.

800+ km. from Toronto on Thousand Island Parkway up to Cornwall, Ontario.

In Quebec, between Montreal and Quebec City...as much he could figure on Velo Quebec routes.

Cycling between Toronto and Niagara on the Lake ...it is a 100 km. trip 1 way. We did it in 1 day..in humid summer.

Various multi-day trips. in British Columbia 2-5 days.  Cycling also from Vancouver to Seattle over 2 day period.  We took the train back.  Other trips, round trip from Vancouver to Anacortes Island...that's how we do know the international border crossings...

I've had 4 panniers for longer trips. 2 for others. If you already bike with groceries at home for a distance...I don't mean 5 km. either.. then touring is the next step.

You must prepare yourself....for rain.  I  have cycled for 4 hrs. straight on several of these trips in rain. (VAncouver to Marysville... it rained for 2 hrs. and we were soaked reaching Holiday Inn....yes, it is a story to tell).

First few trips on a hybrid bike.  Then later on a folding bike.  He rides a touring bike...also done trips on folding bike.

We did some small trips in Europe with our bags. ie. 90 km. from southern Germany to Switzerland and took train back in 1 day.  You see, in North america, our train system is so inadequate.

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11 minutes ago, BuffJim said:

Lots of opportunities in NY State. 

Erie Canal Bike Tour is awesome. I think it is still 60% unpaved trail and 40% road. I think it’s 440 miles in eight days so an easy pace. 
The Ride Across New York is all road quite a few more miles per day. I haven’t done that one yet. 
Lots of good places to do your own touring.

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35 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

Erie Canal Bike Tour is awesome. I think it is still 60% unpaved trail and 40% road. I think it’s 440 miles in eight days so an easy pace. 
The Ride Across New York is all road quite a few more miles per day. I haven’t done that one yet. 
Lots of good places to do your own touring.

I was planning on doing this self-contained this summer... 

As far as the original question.... I do a lot of local touring.  I have camped all over central Ohio and I love it.  I can load up my bike and head out for a single night or a few nights.  I'm getting older and sleeping on the ground isn't as much fun as it used to be. I am starting to look for a camper I can set up a base camp somewhere and spend the weekend cycling.

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3 minutes ago, Forum Administrator said:

I'm getting older and sleeping on the ground isn't as much fun as it used to be

The usual sleeping pad that they sell for back packing and bike packing isn’t quite enough for me. I take an air mattress when self contained and when they’re hauling my stuff I take an air bed.

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2 minutes ago, petitepedal said:

The Great Adventure was my first bike touring experience..I want to do more..but I am not keen on doing it solo.

If it is a safety thing, I understand and I am not trying to change your mind.

One of my favorite things about touring is being alone.  It's a time to really get to know myself.  I rode a bit in West Virginia this past summer and I was completely out of touch with anyone because of the observatory and their rules about radio signals. It was one of the most peaceful and amazing experiences I have had.

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20 minutes ago, petitepedal said:

The Great Adventure was my first bike touring experience..I want to do more..but I am not keen on doing it solo.

We might be able to organize another forum adventure. I don’t know if I’ll be available or not. My wife has been on hospice for nine months and the doctor that puts you on hospice care has to believe you have less than six months to live to get you in the program. Maybe my wife can go with us on the next adventure?

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A year or two before I met the future WoBG I tried touring with a friend.  I lasted 2 trips.... 

The first trip was just to be sure we carry all the stuff we needed to camp.  And to be sure we didn't forget something, or needed something. If I recall, a weekend trip with 1 (or 2) overnight camps along the trail.   This was practice for the real trip cycling Cape Hatteras.

What I learned...   even from just 2 trips.

I was a much stronger rider...   I just couldn't 'ride',  it would not be cool to drop your new riding buddy.  

Cape Hatteras was experiencing a heat wave. (maybe low 90s)  Riding with a loaded bike in the 90s wasn't my idea of fun.  We changed our plans.   We drove north to Washington DC found a hotel and used that as our home base for riding to many different things to see in DC.  So weather can make or break a trip. 

If WoBG ever suggested a riding trip, I'd use our tandem. We'd use a hotel and ride to different places to visit and leave our stuff in the hotel room.

 

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8 hours ago, Longjohn said:

We might be able to organize another forum adventure. I don’t know if I’ll be available or not. My wife has been on hospice for nine months and the doctor that puts you on hospice care has to believe you have less than six months to live to get you in the program. Maybe my wife can go with us on the next adventure?

Erie canal?  Maybe @Airehead and Einstein can lead us.

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12 hours ago, Digital_photog said:

Erie canal?  Maybe @Airehead and Einstein can lead us.

I thought about offering my services for the Ohio to Erie Trail, but my wife did not want a bunch of people camping in our yard, using our showers and stuff.  Strangers scare her more than they should.

If services are still limited next July, I will probably do that trip again.

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