Bicycle Touring

Forget flying cars and hover crafts - long distance bicycle touring is the transportation wave of the future (not that it's by any means new, it's just the most stable, the most beautiful). Touring by bike is a combination of so many of life's greatest things: road trips, sightseeing, pedaling a bicycle, meeting new people, the great outdoors, sun, rain, lightning, and greasy diners. In general, bicycle touring is one of the most solid ways to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the bicycle.

Perhaps nowhere is the old addage about the real enjoyment being in the journey and not the destination as true as it is in the long distance bicycle tour. With that in mind, taking a look at the basic gear for touring is important: pedaling hundreds – if not thousands – of miles will definitely be more enjoyable with some solid and fundamental gear.

First off, although it's definitely not a requirement, a bicycle built and designed for touring is a nice option. Here's a website with some good information and what appears to be a solid ranking of some of the most popular touring-specific machines out there.

Whether or not you go with a specific touring bike, hauling around gear is obviously a necessary concern. There seems to be two primary schools of thought in bicycle touring: the school of the panniers, and the school of the trailer. Here's a brief pros and cons list of each (this list is extremely cursory -- it demands further research by each individual rider):

1. Panniers

Pros:

- bicycle is a self-contained unit, i.e. no extra units like a trailer

- there is always additional space on racks to strap-down additional gear (old inner tubes work best as tie-downs!)

- more options for organizing gear according to needs

- relatively cheaper than trailers

Cons:

- balancing weight is a constant issue

- sometimes feet may clip panniers while pedaling

- slight risk of damaging spokes/wheels

- difficult to stand bike up or set down when not riding

2. Trailers

Pros:

- leaves bike itself unhindered

- easy to pack/store large things

- storage is all in one place

- relative ease to connect/disconnect trailer (and all gear) from bike

Cons:

- additional machine with parts = more risk of break-downs needing parts and repairs

- expensive

- squirrelly steering in poor conditions

- makes entire touring rig too big and cumbersome

Regardless of anything that comes about through all this talk of gear and logistics, the most important thing is always to go pedal and enjoy the ride!