Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 7:05 pm Post subject: Planning a long range bicycle trip
Hi all,
I've been regularly training on my used mountain bike for the last 4 months. At this point, I can do 35 miles on the bike every other day. My longest single day record has been 48 miles, or 1.5 times around the Island of Manhattan.
I have a week long vacation coming up next week. I'm thinking of doing a solo bike trip from the heart of downtown Manhattan to the eastern tip of Long Island. To my understanding, it's roughly 140 miles one way. So the round trip(which circumscribes long island) will be close to 300 miles.
Joined: Jun 30, 2005 Posts: 668 Location: northern California
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 7:26 pm Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
Great idea! Are you going to camp out, or hotel it? Hard to imagine camping in that "country". You ought to be able to do 50 to 75 miles per day comfortably, w/o heavy camping gear. So, 2 days over, 2 days back, a day or so to hang out/explore. If you're fully loaded, 3 days each way should do it. _________________ "I believe that a wise Vermonter lives more by lack of expense rather than from income."--some Dartmouth professor from across the river
Joined: May 27, 2008 Posts: 36 Location: Irish in Idaho
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 8:21 pm Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
.....much easier on a road bike, unless you really are going on rough terrain (pot holes) and rough paths and trails. Maybe get smoother, thinner tires.
I'm very out of date on long bike trips, but did some as a teenager, cycled from Paris to Rome with a group... taking around 12 days. Our equipment was carried in a van. We prepared by cycling 30 - 60 mile trips at weekends from 6 months beforehand. We would start very early (6 -7 am) in the morning and get as much ground covered, then break for lunch and a long siesta in the heat of the day.....then refreshed to finish the day's journey. We camped mostly and slept soundly on all sorts of ground.
great idea Xerces...all the best
Last edited by taizy8 on Mon Jun 02, 2008 8:24 pm; edited 1 time in total
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 8:23 pm Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
If you're doing near fifty in a day you're ready. Go for it!
The century is a big deal to the cyclist, it marks a milestone of sorts doesn't it.
I did a century and a bit (110 miles) in about 8 hours of riding on a MTB with slicks and camping gear back in my thirties.
Being crazy, I decided to join someone's 24 hr team when I arrived at the race course. I raced the next day and was a little on the slow side.
I originally rode to the course for moral support for a friend who was racing 24 hrs solo. Initially I had absolutely no intention to race, but the guys I camped with were short a body.
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 9:17 pm Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
I'm thinking of stopping along the little townships across Long Island. I was browsing over the island terrain on google earth, and it's rather diverse. Basically, riding eastwards, I would be going from
dense urban => sparse urban => suburban => private estates => farmlands => state park land.
The Eastern tip of the island at Montauk is basically a state park with some farms and a few fisheries. I think I may camp out for a night in Montauk. But other than that, I'll have to find an inn or motel to sleep in.
Any suggestions for equipment?
I'm bringing my GPS embedded 3G smart-phone with me. That should help with directions, distance tracking, and connectivity with civilization. Besides that I was just going to bring along 20 energy bars, 2 liters of water, a spare set of undies, a bike repair kit, and my hunting knife. All of the above added together weighs roughly 5 lbs.
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 10:28 pm Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
Are you thinking of doing more of a credit card tour where you just buy your meals and get a motel room each night?
You might want to take something like a thin raincoat. Other than that I can't think of anything since you seem to want to travel very light.
TF
Edit: Go ahead and buy a mid size pannier for your bike and take some casual shorts for walking around and an extra shirt and some extra socks for sure.
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 10:52 pm Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
TreeFarmer wrote:
Are you thinking of doing more of a credit card tour where you just buy your meals and get a motel room each night?
You might want to take something like a thin raincoat. Other than that I can't think of anything since you seem to want to travel very light.
TF
Edit: Go ahead and buy a mid size pannier for your bike and take some casual shorts for walking around and an extra shirt and some extra socks for sure.
Pretty much, except not so heavy on the meals I would hope. Aside from a compact first aid kit, I'm not really sure what else to bring along. This is going to be the longest muscle powered journey that I've ever undertaken. The rear carrier plate on my bike can only hold 30lbs of supplies and 10lbs will be taken up by the Kryptonite lock. So I was thinking of loading up another 15lbs with electronics/tools/medical kit and compact food sources like energy bars and beef jerky. The remaining 5lbs of payload, I'm planning to save for anything I pick up along the way.
My bike is geared up with LED fore and back lights for night riding. I have 2 bottle holders, so the vehicle has a 2 liter water capacity. In my weekend trips, I have found that for every 20 miles, I generally consume 1 energy bar and 1 liter of water. So this setup(20 bars) should be enough for a 300 mile trip.
I'm going to be visiting many towns and villages during this trip and jotting down the experiences(and expenses) of long distance travel without fossil fuels. I'm planning to use the smart phone to upload a continuous stream of photos, blog posts, and Twitter GPS updates detailing the journey. _________________ http://backtowilderness.blogspot.com http://grown-up-permaculture.com
Fingerless gloves with padded palms - comfortable and they protect your hands a little in a fall.
It's nice if the panniers can be quickly removed from the bike and carried with you. Locking the bike does not protect your "stuff."
A couple of dozen "moist towlettes" are nice to have for everything from claning hands after putting a chain back on to wiping off a sticky forehead and neck just before you turn in. They are light and don't take up much space.
I don't know abount your weather but if there is any chance it could get cold a knit cap can be worn under a helmet and your ears and sinusus will thank you. Very light and small.
I drink electrolyte drinks (low calorie verions) on my long rides rather than just plain water.
It soulds like a great trip!
SolarDave _________________ Posted from a Solar/Pedal Powered Computer
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 3:32 am Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
If your mountain bike tires have pure offroad tread pattern then think about going to combination style tread pattern or pure pavement pattern if you are riding mainly on paved roads.
A Leatherman or similar multitool.
Some tools to maintenance your bike and change inner tubes. Strong stainless-steel spoon. Some oil for chain. Spare inner tubes (at least 2 of them, even if your bike tires have kevlar woven in it). When used a spare tube replace it as soon as possible. Some strong duct-tape and montage wire.
Some cash.
Extra sets of underwear and socks. Spare shoes. Light sweater, jeans or equivalent long pants and raincoat. Small towel. Roll of toilet paper.
Good sunglasses. Cap. Gloves!
Some sunblock if you have tendency to get sunburns.
Flashlight.
Cellphone+charger.
Candy bars/chocolate and beef jerky for fast food. Do not forget to add some fiber-containing food to your diet while on trip. One of your bottles fill with mineral water, the other with some sports drink.
Small first-aid kit for curing bruises and like. Basic sewing kit (needle + thread)
For camping outside a good sleeping bag, towel, compact solid fuel burner, some fuel and small pot fot it, tea/coffee, sugar and some quicknoodles and bread. Matches/cigarette lighter (be extremely careful while making fire, forest fire is not a good thing to start, learn how to not start it).
Think about hygiene.
When you are capable of riding 50 miles a day, you are ready enough for this trip.
Take a look at this list of rides to give you some ideas; you might want to do one of these as a 'shakedown cruise'.
And yes, a road bike will give much more distance, though make sure you are comfortable in that position for hours a day. If you are camping, consider renting a touring bike. NY bike rental places
Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 4279 Location: Southwest WI
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 8:17 am Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
Make sure your seat is comfortable.
I'd do it on a roadbike. The weight savings alone will allow you to carry a few more items. Unless you have a carbon fiber mountain bike with slicks?
Ditch the mtn tires.
Sounds like fun. _________________ "Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
-President Bush 11/07/07
Joined: Jun 30, 2005 Posts: 668 Location: northern California
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:13 am Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
frankthetank wrote:
Make sure your seat is comfortable.
I'd do it on a roadbike. The weight savings alone will allow you to carry a few more items. Unless you have a carbon fiber mountain bike with slicks?
Ditch the mtn tires.
The bicycle used to be considered man's greatest invention, as the most energy-efficient form of transportation. It still is, in the form of the 1990 era mountain bike. Full width mountain bike tires give the most versatility for all conditions. They're only a handicap if you're trying to road race. They offer built-in suspension, rim protection against road hazards, plus the ability to leave the pavement at the end of a long day's ride to find a secluded camping spot. Try that on skinny tires. When forced off the pavement by a passing truck, wide tires may save your life by keeping you upright, where skinny tires will knife into soft gravel or mud. As far as weight, that's mainly a consideration when accelerating or in climbing long hills. A good full-duty mountain bike need not weigh much more than a modern road racing machine. That's why I said "1990 era". That means before front and rear shocks became popular. At the speeds you'll be touring at (10 to 15 mph) the friction of wide knobby tread is not an issue. The only other "advantage" a road bike might offer is aerodynamic position. Same argument--at your speeds, not a big deal, except for headwind situations on windy days. If you have a relatively flat handlebar on your mountain bike, you can achieve virtually the same aerodynamics simply by bending your elbows. One more thing: be sure your saddle height is correct. The tendency is to have it too low, but be sure not to get it too high either. You want just a slight bend in your knee at complete leg extension.. Experiment with this until it feels the best. Too low means less power, knee strain. Too high means sore butt, leg cramps, more joint problems. Just a tad lower than optimal provides a margin of safety in an environment where you might need to dismount quickly, like around traffic. _________________ "I believe that a wise Vermonter lives more by lack of expense rather than from income."--some Dartmouth professor from across the river
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:43 pm Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
Many good points here guys, I went to bikely.com and downloaded the exact bike path from Penn Station in midtown to Montauk in Eastern Long island. I'm going to load that spread sheet onto my smart phone and basically construct a google earth mapped path with destinations and checkpoints.
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 2:13 pm Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
I ride my MTB with combination style full width high profile tires. Suspension is superb, no other suspensionon on my bicycle except my own limbs - efficent this way. Never want to switch back to pure offroad tires. Enough grip on any surface (except wet stone), very good on pure sand. Some percents of pedal power saved mean more joy on tarmac and I like it quiet when possible. I ride in mixed city/offroad conditions, therefore upright position and low mass center/low frame is a survival issue.
Roadbikes suck in city enviroment - too fragile and unstable in mixed surface conditions (road quality in my country sucks also).
dunewalker wrote:
frankthetank wrote:
Make sure your seat is comfortable.
I'd do it on a roadbike. The weight savings alone will allow you to carry a few more items. Unless you have a carbon fiber mountain bike with slicks?
Ditch the mtn tires.
The bicycle used to be considered man's greatest invention, as the most energy-efficient form of transportation. It still is, in the form of the 1990 era mountain bike. Full width mountain bike tires give the most versatility for all conditions. They're only a handicap if you're trying to road race. They offer built-in suspension, rim protection against road hazards, plus the ability to leave the pavement at the end of a long day's ride to find a secluded camping spot. Try that on skinny tires. When forced off the pavement by a passing truck, wide tires may save your life by keeping you upright, where skinny tires will knife into soft gravel or mud. As far as weight, that's mainly a consideration when accelerating or in climbing long hills. A good full-duty mountain bike need not weigh much more than a modern road racing machine. That's why I said "1990 era". That means before front and rear shocks became popular. At the speeds you'll be touring at (10 to 15 mph) the friction of wide knobby tread is not an issue. The only other "advantage" a road bike might offer is aerodynamic position. Same argument--at your speeds, not a big deal, except for headwind situations on windy days. If you have a relatively flat handlebar on your mountain bike, you can achieve virtually the same aerodynamics simply by bending your elbows. One more thing: be sure your saddle height is correct. The tendency is to have it too low, but be sure not to get it too high either. You want just a slight bend in your knee at complete leg extension.. Experiment with this until it feels the best. Too low means less power, knee strain. Too high means sore butt, leg cramps, more joint problems. Just a tad lower than optimal provides a margin of safety in an environment where you might need to dismount quickly, like around traffic.
Joined: Jun 02, 2006 Posts: 62 Location: ...over yonder..
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:11 pm Post subject: Re: Planning a long range bicycle trip
Quality thread I do say.
Any bike trip, no matter the length is a great thing for sure these days.
I'm sure the length of Long Island will be quite an interesting ride. I would be wary of traffic for sure, always a bikers worst nightmare. I had a three inch or so blow by from an RV as I was touring through the Adirondacks last year, surely a scary moment.
As far as essentials go, a helmet, preferably a mountain bike or bmx style one that allows you place various decals upon. It would be a slick spot for a peak oil sticker or some other such slogan of awareness raising. That or you could do as i do and put the skull of a large bovine animal between thy handle bars and proceed to make all the Harley riders jelous (see avatar)
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