Ever itched to mount your bike and pedal into the wide blue yonder for a few days – but not sure where to start? Pat is about to try his first self-sufficient tour – test his endurance and test his gear.
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Some searching questions about cycle touring – Ever itched to mount your bike and pedal into the wide blue yonder for a few days – but not sure where to start? Pat is about to try his first self-sufficient tour – test his endurance and test his gear.
Mention “adventure sports” and listeners instantly think of adrenalin rushes and death-defying action by the second. Cycle touring is my favourite action sport of choice. Cycle touring? adventure sport? I hear the cynics scoffing already. Too right! Admittedly the prospect of instant death is a tad more remote (unless it is misadventure by semitrailer) but there is ample adventure.
When riding on rutted and washed out trails, it is pretty common to come across a step where the trail just drops away. Negotiating this type of trail obstacle is often not as scary as it may look. With the correct technique and a little confidence you may well surprise yourself out on the trail. Start small to build technique and confidence, then work your way up. Simply riding off gutters in your local neighbourhood may be a good place to start. As with anything like this it is a case of practice, practice and practice some more.
A former commuting cyclist mounts his bike again and plans his first tour. Ever itched to mount your bike and pedal into the wide blue yonder for a few days – but not sure where to start? Pat is about to try his first self-sufficient tour – test his endurance and test his gear.
It began with a sleep-in on Saturday morning, having stayed up late Friday night pouring over my inventory list. Towards the wee hours I got brutal about what was “essential” and what was “optional” – let me just say that it was a line call that got a spare pair of underwear into the “essential” list. Fortunately some of the other decisions made themselves. I originally thought of going light, with only a daypack and handlebar bag of tools, but that seemed to make things a bit too harsh (no hot food, no thermarest, limited food/water). I soon came to the following setup:
Mountain biking in cold weather has always been a challenge. The problem is that you’ll start out cold then warm up and break a sweat, making yourself wet. Then, when you travel downhill, the combination of wet skin and windchill will be quite chilling.
The gears in mountain bikes just keep getting more and more intricate. The bikes of today have as many as 27 gear ratios. A mountain bike will use a combination of three different sized sprockets in front and nine in the back to produce gear ratios.
It can be a bit frustrating as well as time consuming when you buy a mountain bike. Below, you’ll find some tips and things to be aware of before you lay down the cash and buy a mountain bike.
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