Bike Touring Tips

Came across a nice article and saved it. They had good suggestions for what’s called bikepacking — touring with light luggage, medium-length trips. I’m not translating one-to-one; sometimes I add comments in parentheses. The source link is at the bottom for anyone who wants the original.

1. Oven bags protect against water better than trash bags or zipper bags inside your panniers, and they’re lighter. (I find zipper bags more practical though — especially the quality ones are watertight.)

2. Wet wipes are very useful on tours. (You can clean the bike, your clothes, your shoes. If you can’t shower, you can wipe under your armpits, your sides.)

3. Spare spokes can be taped to the chainstay or seat tube. Remember to mark which wheel and which side they belong to.

4. Photocopy your passport, driver’s licence and ID, laminate them in PVC and put them on the seat tube or top tube. If your bike is stolen and the serial number is erased, this can help identify it. If your passport is lost, you’ll have less international bureaucracy. (You can also do this off-tour. There may be issues if the ID is found, but you can put a document inside the seat tube laminated in PVC saying the bike belongs to you, and report it to police in case of theft — helps with bike identification.)

5. In an area where cyclists are common, a spare inner tube a few inches smaller than yours can be enough to limp to a real shop. (You can also tie a knot in the punctured section of your tube and use it. Worst case, stuff the tire with straw or whatever so the walls don’t fold and slowly proceed to the nearest bike shop.)

6. A locking pliers like this saves you from carrying many different tools. Since it locks onto the nut, you can apply more force than with a regular wrench. (Even just the wrench+pliers function alone saves space.)

7. Powder your spare inner tube before installing — it prevents pinch flats. (Sometimes the tube gets pinched between rim and tire and bursts; this is the easiest prevention.)

8. Cut the long ends of straps and melt the ends to save a small amount of weight. Not much, but if you have ten straps it adds up to about as much as a titanium kettle. (Small on tour, but consider you’ll be carrying it for kilometres. That’s why they cut toothbrush handles, trim straps, throw away every unnecessary item.)

9. If you’re outside at night and afraid of meeting wildlife, sing while setting up camp. (Didn’t ring true to me.)

10. A 32 mm or smaller, foldable, high-TPI cyclocross tyre takes up about as much space as an apple. Less than carrying a big Marathon. You can swap back to your normal tyre at the next bike shop.

11. If your screws keep loosening from vibration, wrap a piece of string around the head and dip it in superglue before installing. (Works. Or you can heat the screw thoroughly with a lighter and install it that way.)

12. A few zip ties can substitute for a rear rack or handlebar bag mounting bracket for at least 1000 km. One of the most useful repair kits there is. (Zip ties really are one of the most useful things. Every cyclist should have a few in their saddle bag.)

13. Petroleum jelly mixed with cotton makes a great fire starter. (We don’t really see petroleum jelly here; what we call “réchaud fuel” (gel fuel) works well.)

14. To start a fire, take a piece of bark and split one end into thin slivers.

15. Build your first aid kit around the problems you’re likely to actually encounter.

16. These kinds of pants exist. They said they’re very useful against insects and wind, and very light. Useful as a long-pants alternative especially in summer.

17. A windbreaker also helps against bugs. Nylon makes it hard for them to bite through.

18. Merino wool won’t turn your body odour into bad smell. The fibres are antibacterial. You can just rinse it in water to get rid of salt and let it dry. I also wear wool cycling shorts and socks.

19. Pharmacies sell earplugs. A whole pack is about the size of a lipstick. Useful when camping near traffic.

20. Source your screws from any hardware shop. Pick stainless steel to avoid corrosion. Small hardware shops often have more selection than big box stores.

21. Place your sleeping bag on grass, sand, or pine needles for extra comfort. For extra winter insulation, put foam on top of branches. Picking the camp site well also helps insulation. (You can also use bubble wrap as a mat — easy to get at supermarkets, lightweight, easy to carry, throw it away when it gets bad and grab a new one.)

22. Fleece earns its weight. Doubles as a pillow.

23. To pop a blister: heat a needle tip with fire, prick the blister, dab neosporin, cover. Don’t peel the skin off unless you want infection.

24. A curved needle makes sewing a torn tyre sidewall much easier. Saves you from riding without a tyre after the tear.

25. If your Achilles tendon or knees hurt, do stretches frequently. Take a local yoga class to learn a few moves for your problem areas. Do them at every break. (Most parks here have outdoor fitness equipment.)

26. Don’t ride focused on your next meal or rest stop. Remind yourself to take a break and stretch from time to time.

27. Hide spare cables inside your handlebars. When you remove the bar-ends, they’ll be there when you need them.

28. Don’t use panniers. Frame bags have a better capacity-to-weight ratio and are easier to ride with. You also don’t have to balance load and don’t need to repair racks.

29. You can use a banknote to back a slashed tyre.

30. An old used bar tape protects the chainstay better than a neoprene protector, with less weight.

31. PET bottles inside frame bags don’t fall on rough roads, are lighter than other bottles, and stay cold longer. Wrapped in a T-shirt they stay cold most of the day. To repair a punctured bottle, use tent repair tape.

32. Pizza covers your tour food needs — lots of calories, protein, salt, vegetables. Available almost everywhere and cheap.

33. Peanut butter is calorie-dense and fits in your bottle cage.

34. Tennis ball cans also fit in your bottle cage. You can carry protein bars, a windbreaker, a spare tyre, etc.

35. Stickers make your bike look less cool and reduce theft risk while also protecting the frame from scratches.

36. Cover exposed velcro with old velcro so it doesn’t damage your stuff over time.

37. Don’t carry camp shoes.

38. Don’t carry a camp chair.

39. Don’t carry a clothesline.

40. Don’t carry a ground cloth.

41. Don’t carry a magnesium fire starter.

42. Don’t carry a mini tripod. Stack rocks instead.

43. Don’t carry a bowl, cup, glass, pan, plate. A combined spoon-fork utensil and a kettle will get the job done.

44. Don’t carry a stuff sack.

45. Don’t carry any spare anything other than a tyre.

46. Don’t carry the fear of not having something with you. Everything is available almost everywhere. If it isn’t, you probably don’t need it.

47. Before the tour, and again in the middle of it, get a good mechanic to true your wheels — or learn to true them yourself. You don’t need to carry extra spokes; a well-trued wheel won’t give you trouble. If it does, it probably isn’t a problem a spoke alone can fix. (Spokes — there’s a good comment about this. Hit a pothole, a spoke breaks, the wheel’s true can suddenly go. If you have one on hand and can replace + true, you’re fine. But keep riding on a bent aluminium rim and it can fold somewhere — at which point there’s no repair.)

48. Safety glasses are cheaper than sunglasses and protect against flying stones and dust.

49. T-shirts are lighter than cycling jerseys.

50. Any numbness in any part of your body should be read as a warning that your saddle height, saddle angle, bar height, or stem length needs to change. Numbness can lead to serious problems.

51. A light-coloured, transparent dry-bag becomes a lantern when you put your bike light inside it.

52. Aerobars give you multiple hand positions versus a standard dropbar or flat bar. They’re an advantage on open windy stretches.

53. Front and rear wheels wear at different rates. But swapping them mid-tour isn’t useful, because front-wheel traction matters much more than rear-wheel traction. Instead, fit a more durable, harder rear tyre and a softer front, so both wear at the same rate.

54. On long climbs, push yourself back on the saddle a few centimetres to work different leg muscles.

55. Throughout the day, stand up every 10 minutes to relieve circulation in your legs and back.

56. Change your habits. If your happiness doesn’t depend on coffee, hot food, sleep, warmth, being dry, being alone, being with others, going fast, knowing where you are — you open yourself to adventure. “Type-two fun” is the knowledge that a bad experience is a good story and makes you stronger.

57. Add a bit of lemon juice to your bottles. Lemon juice is antibacterial, keeps the bottles clean, masks plastic-bottle smell or metallic taste. Also prevents scurvy. One lemon will do for four days of water.

58. Stay alert. An injury extends your tour longer than any short cut shortens it. Train yourself to take short power-naps before the tour.

59. Make the zips on your rain jacket, clothes, frame bag, and other items longer. That way you can open them with gloves on.

60. To save time, brush your teeth on the bike. Spray the toothpaste out as if someone said something interesting while your mouth was full. This stops animals from eating the toothpaste and getting sick. You also don’t need to rinse — your mouth returns to normal in a few minutes. You can also spit on car windshields, because cars are coffins. Just kidding — don’t do the last one.

61. If you learn to sew, small tears won’t grow with time.

62. Pet shops give away sturdy, measured cups for measuring food. Grab one and use it for measuring oats, ramen, coffee, etc.

63. In hot weather, wool T-shirts are better than rain jackets. The most breathable rain jacket will heat you up and make you sweat within minutes. Wool stays dry.

64. Wear your wet clothes inside your sleeping bag at night. Body heat will evaporate the moisture. Not sure about down, but it works on synthetics.

65. Black clothes beat white in hot weather because sweat evaporates faster. Don’t believe me, Google it.

66. Smile and wave at vehicles that disrespect you. Waving and smiling defuse conflicts before they start.

67. Use nail polish for touch-up paint. Also protects steel frames from corrosion. You can always find a colour matching your frame, and it lasts.

68. Put reflectors on your vest and bags rather than the bike. That way you can remove reflective items and camp stealthily.

69. Hobby/craft shops sell compartmented plastic boxes. Useful for carrying fire starters, small tape rolls, earphones, etc.

70. A bit of local honey from the area you’re touring will acclimate your immune system to local pollens and reduce allergies. Honey is also nature’s energy gel.

71. Every time it rains, or every week in winter, remove your seatpost and apply a fresh layer of grease. Aluminium and steel can weld themselves together over time.

72. Wear gloves even if you don’t need them. Your hands hit the ground first whenever you fall.

73. Eat before you’re hungry.

74. Drink before you’re thirsty.

75. You can refill your travel toothpaste tube with regular toothpaste.

76. Lithium batteries are lighter, last longer, and work better with electronics like GPS and cameras. Less waste too.

77. If there’s an item you really love, don’t take it on tour. T-shirts get holes, bags tear, bikes get scratched. Buy used online for cheap and treat everything as disposable.

78. Screenshotting directions on your phone uses less battery and works in cell-service-dead areas.

79. Eat salty food to replace lost electrolytes and make sure you get enough protein each meal.

80. Learn about wildlife. Learn what to do if a brown bear charges, how to hang your food, how to take a photo of the snake that bit you (so the hospital knows which antivenom). It saves lives. The more you know about each animal’s behaviour, the less likely you’ll find yourself in bad situations.

81. Saddle sores happen to everyone eventually. Keep your butt clean by frequent wash-and-dry. If you have saddle sores, cut a donut-shaped pad from leather to relieve the area. Apply neosporin and it’ll be gone in 1-2 days. Don’t neglect them or you’ll end up with infection by tour end.

82. Use zip ties to keep saddle bags from sliding.

83. If you’re stealth-camping and a car is approaching, freeze in place. Drivers focus on movement; staying still makes you invisible.

84. If chased by dogs, keep moving at a steady but slow pace and shout NO firmly and suddenly. Most dog owners use that command. If they get close, pour water from your bottle on them. (You can also stop and put your bike between you and the dogs. Dogs will give up at the edge of their territory.)

85. Don’t fear people, but don’t tell strangers exactly where you’re going or where you’ll camp. Trust your instincts and other cyclists. People you meet can also lead you to amazing adventures.

86. When parked, lacing a piece of velcro between your wheel and frame prevents the bike from falling or sliding. Also makes it harder for someone to grab and run.

Source: http://bikepacker.com/bikepacking-lifehacks/