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Long distance touring (north east Canada/US)


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I'm curious if anyone has done any solo bicycle tours (that is, no SAG vehicle). My biggest concern is, of course, food. Not wanting to lug all my food with me (while fruits and veggies could be bought along the way I'd probably bring the basics of rice, oatmeal and couscous with me).

 

I haven't done any tours this year but will likely do either a 700-1000 mile tour next year. Previous tours I did were as an omnivore so food wasn't an issue.

 

So I'm curious as to how others dealt with this and what challenges, if any, they met.

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I havent done it. But one day I would love to be able to tour that long. I think that would be amazing!

 

I've done some extensive tours including:

 

- PEI twice

- Toronto -> Montreal

- Toronto -> Ottawa -> Montreal (through hurricane Katrina)

- around Lake Simcoe

- Moncton, NB -> Halifax, NS (on one gear) and then Halifax, NS to Digby, NS (through a hurricane -- Andrew)

- Cabot Trail, NS (first ever tour).

 

I love it! But have to admit never doing it vegetarian/vegan. Previous tours resulted in losing 10lbs just from the biking, regardless of what I ate.

 

I suspect that I'd be able to do it but will have to drink all my soy milk quickly (from my experience, Canadian stores rarely have smaller portions of soy milk -- it's all in the 2 liter sizes)

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I haven't done any long distance touring but I have a few buddies who have. They basically took as many interstate business routes they could since they tend to be littered with produce stands(don't know about up north though), in between they lived on Cliff bars, PBJ along with baguettes and hummus.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have not done any tours but I plan on riding solo (no sag) from Portland,ME to Portland, OR next May.

 

Do you use a trailer or panniers?

I really do not want to buy another bike so i was considering a pannier.

How about a tent?

What sort of equipment do you take with you?

I am a minimalist and want to take the least amount of stuff possible.

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You don't want another bike

 

As for the riding good luck. I'd love to do that but its gonna have to wait for me. The only time I could do that without ruining my legs for track distances is during the winter and I'm not gonna have the cash.

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I have not done any tours but I plan on riding solo (no sag) from Portland,ME to Portland, OR next May.

 

Do you use a trailer or panniers?

I really do not want to buy another bike so i was considering a pannier.

How about a tent?

What sort of equipment do you take with you?

I am a minimalist and want to take the least amount of stuff possible.

 

Wow. Impressive. How many miles/km per day?

 

I use panniers and a tent. I would get own cooking gear. At min, I'd take oatmeal with me (can always get water somewhere for a quick meal). I also use a CamelBak for water.

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I will be figuring out my route when I get back for Japan. I am leaving for a 3 week business trip tomorrow.

However, I plan on riding the Northern tier.

Probably over 60 miles a day.

Which tent do you have?

 

My big purchases will be a trailer, tent, rain pants and maps from AC.

I don't plan on bringing cookware because i eat raw.

I also want to ride with as little as possible

 

VP, I would love another bike. Thing is I love my litespeed so much I would love to ride him across the US. He just turned 7 years old and has over 42,000 miles on him. He is my sole mate.

 

I hope to meet a whole lot of forum members along the way.

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I see what your saying. Its nice to have that kind of attachment. I'm sure I'd feel the same. I'm hoping to get a Lykseys in the future...probably immediately after I get my next two bikes(my track TT bike and maybe a cyclocross bike).

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Actually its basically what Lightspeed used to be. The owners of Lightspeed(a family business) sold the company a long time ago and have recently started building again on a small scale. They make less than 200 frames a year and basically interview everyone who wants a bike(unless you buy a floor model) to make sure you get exactly what you want.

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I will be figuring out my route when I get back for Japan. I am leaving for a 3 week business trip tomorrow.

However, I plan on riding the Northern tier.

Probably over 60 miles a day.

Which tent do you have?

 

I used to use an ex's tent but I will have to get my own. I have been looking at REI and MEC for a solo tent (bivy sack or small tent) Since you eat raw, you just need to ensur eyou have enough simple, non-perishable stuff on the road (for the times you can't find a grocery store or a fruit/veggie stand). If you can cut through a variety of cities (check for hostels as they can be as cheap as camping but with a roof over your head )

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