Recap of Jeff's Seminar on Minimalist Bike Touring

June 13, 2019 0 Comments

Jeff Valodine, an experienced cross-country touring bicycle rider about to embark on his 12th west to east ride, joined us in the Everyday Cycles Shop on June 5th for a personal look at minimalist bicycle touring. A robust crowd engaged Jeff with thoughtful questions and even very experienced bicycle tourers learned valuable information, especially about how surprisingly little Jeff takes in his panniers on 4100-mile trip!

Topics included:

• What do you want to get out of bicycle touring?
• Fully-loaded, bike packing, credit-card, minimalist, what's the difference?
• A thorough look at Jeff's touring bike, how he packs and what he takes.

Jeff's Notes from the talk:

Philosophy

• Practical—Time Away (touring takes time); Effort (physical + mental); Linear (unidirectional); Disconcerting*
• Locations—choosing the route, starting/ending, choosing nightly stops, days off?, sightseeing?, goals?
• Timing—Southern in winter; Northern in summer, Key West in May—Bar Harbor in July, etc.
• Cause(s)— bucket list? adrenaline junkie? fund raiser? discipleship?
• Needs— (real needs vs felt needs) + physical concerns (Waldorf-Astoria vs minimalism)
• Finances ($—$$$$$)— from bikes and gear to accommodations and electronics to choice of foods…

Logistics

• Flight(s)—BikeFlights for shipping your bike; airline tickets (choose airport wisely)
• Accommodations—Warm Showers, Couch Surfing, churches, strangers, parks, stealth
• Communications— (cell phone, social media, business cards, etc)
• Resources— credit cards (NOT debit), cash, passport, (backed up on cell phone)
• Equipment
• Bike— tour bike* with proper setup* (rack(s)/panniers/trailer), water bottles, lights, tubes, patch kit
• Clothing— jerseys*, shorts*, socks*, shoes*, off-bike clothing, off-bike shoes
• Gear— skull guard, lights, mirror, multitool, sleeping bag/pad, towel, toiletries, creams*
• Personals— meds+Advil, music/books/apps on iPhone, misc electronics, sunglasses, extra eyewear

Rhythm

• Daily Riding— keep your junk packed!, keep moving (avoid wasting time); be efficient, do not hurry!
• Daily Rhythm— break the day into 10, 10-mile rides;
• Resting— take several SHORT rest breaks (breathing, stretching, water) throughout the day
• Eating— water (6-7 gallons/day), coffee, carbs… eat lightly throughout day; eat heavy at night. No veggies…
• Sleeping— you MUST sleep well; brown liquid, ear plugs and Benadryl help
• Stretching— especially: quads, hamstrings, upper and lower back and neck

Miscellaneous

• Recording the Tour— Take 1M pictures & videos; record every significant stop, get names/addresses/email
• Resting while Biking— on-bike stretching; inner/outer quad use; up-pulls;
• Animals— Respect big game!, out sprint dogs, do not litter… ever!
• Barren Areas— carry extra H2O and food; change your mindset to endurance mode*
• Weather— Heat (bike at night*); rain (continue; T-storm (wait);
• When Riding— NO music; NO double-riding*, NO expectations, NO demands, NO long contact with family*
• Valuables— keep your bike with you at night, know the location of your $$/cards/passport at all times
• Respect— farmers, truckers, police/sheriff, firefighters, hosts, baristas… EVERYONE
• Managing Resources— “frugality pays” (i.e. save $$ on regular things; spend $$ on special things)
• Shopping/Security— take turns in convince store (saves on locking); eat by the bikes; bikes in eye contact

Resources and websites:

• warmshowers.org
• couchsurfing.org
• bikeflights.com

Tentative Upcoming Events

• July - Backcounty First Aid and Survival
• August - Back to School
• September - Urban Street Survival
• October - ?
• November - Fat-bike Primer
• December - ?

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