Edinburgh Bicycle: Touring for Beginners

If you're planning on going on your first cycle tour - well done! I'm sure you will find it an enjoyable, sociable, and healthy experience. In order to get the most from the tour, however, you will need some equipment that was not supplied as standard on your bike. Below is listed the main items you should consider for touring, and why.

Contents:

Fitting a rack, and buying panniers, can completely alter your perception of carrying loads on your bicycle. A lot of cyclists tend to carry loads in a rucsac round town, but for longer distances this will leave you sweaty backed and uncomfortable. Discover the comfort of carrying loads on the bike and you'll be loath to return to wearing a rucsac.

The further the distance you ride, the stronger the case for rack and panniers becomes, not least because it also distributes the weight much lower down than a rucsac would. At all costs avoid carrying a rucsac when you tour, unless you're the kind of person who stops to put extra rocks in their bags at the foot of large climbs.

Racks:

When buying a rack look for one that is welded together (no nuts and bolts to shake loose). Racks with triangulated rear sections such as those made by Blackburn tend to be strongest. Also note how the rack fits to the bike, to avoid fouling your brakes. Tell the shop assistant what type and size of bike you have, to ensure a good fit. Knowing what type of brakes you have will also help.

Panniers:

Conventional fabric panniers tend to have multiple pockets of different shapes and sizes, allowing you to easily separate your maps from your smelly socks from your Vaseline (for using under your shorts, naturally). However, in heavy rain these panniers do eventually saturate. This problem can be partially alleviated by placing your stuff within a plastic bag inside the pannier.

100% waterproof panniers are excellent, they will keep your equipment bone dry. Vaude and Ortlieb have a good system of attachment to the rack and Ortlieb bags have many additional straps to enable you to attach items like a waterproof jacket (for easy reach). You can also buy a rucsac conversion kit for Karrimor and Ortlieb bags, useful if you plan to combine a walking and cycling holiday.

Finally, it should be borne in mind that pannier prices vary enormously. Basic fabric panniers can be yours for less than £35, while the best waterproof items can be more than £90. You need to decide how much use you are likely to get out of your panniers, and also the weather conditions you will be using them in, and spend accordingly.

We would recommend you distribute the weight of your touring kit between the front and the rear of your bike as shown. If possible use medium size panniers on the rear and front. You will also find that front panniers positioned with their centre of gravity over the wheel axle using lowriders will reduce front wheel wobble. However, if you only intend to use one set of panniers (like most first-timers), buy a rear set.

Mount the rear panniers as far forward as possible but allowing clearance for your heels when pedaling. If you have a handlebar bag, keep it for light items that require access: camera, wallet, energy bars, etc.

While many people will get along fine with just a pair of panniers on the back of their bikes, it is worth considering the convenience and security that an additional handlebar bag can offer. Handlebar bags clip onto a bracket mounted in the centre of the bars. The better ones use quick-release brackets for easy removal and refitting. The size of these bags varies from around 4 litres to 8 litres (enough for a big guide book, camera, wallet, and them some).

These bags usually have a map pocket on the top that allows people like me, who have the sense of direction of a flea, to keep the map in sight at all times. Inside the bag you can keep all valuables and your guide book. What is so good about this arrangement, apart from having the essentials so readily to hand, is that when stopped in a town or village you can easily remove the bag and be secure that your passports, cash, etc. are safe even if your bikes get nicked. A final benefit of handlebar bags, is that they cancel out the tendency of a loaded bike to wheelie when negotiating steep hills.

Along with your rack and panniers, appropriate tyres are your most important touring kit. If you own a mountain bike, replace your off-road tyres with intermediate tyres, such as Continental's Town & Country. These tyres have a smooth central section for low rolling resistance on-road (see below). Also look for tyres that pump up to relatively high pressure (around 60psi). This will also reduce your rolling resistance, and eliminate the wasted energy of your bike bouncing about on soft tyres. Harder tyres also pick up less debris off the road and hence suffer less from punctures.

Typical on road tyre tread

Typical off road tyre tread

If going touring on a conventional bike (i.e. one with drop handlebars and narrow 27" wheels) watch out you're not setting off on racing tyres which tend to have pressures of 90psi or higher. If your tyre pressure is too high you will have a very uncomfortable ride, and you will feel every bump and small stone in the road.

Personally, I have always found brakes useful, especially after once being beaten by my father for wearing out the soles of my trendy white plimsols on the local roads, instead of using my Raleigh Chopper's seriously underpowered, single pivot 'brakes'. However, in those days I found feet a useful addition the the bike's own brakes, particularly as the brake blocks appeared to be made out of solid wood.

Seriously, though, your brakes are under much higher load when you have a loaded bike than they would otherwise be. Make sure your cables are not frayed and that your pads are well adjusted (yes I know this job is a pain, but we have some information on this in our FAQ), and have plenty of useful life left in them. The rear brakes on some bikes may object to rear panniers, so ensure that everything works OK (some rear brake routings interfere with the rack's mounting struts, eg. older Cannondales with their Force 40+ rollers) . Although I have not had the opportunity to tour with them yet, I would imagine that the power provided by Shimano's new V Brakes would be a great boon to road safety for tourers.

Small gears are required for first-time tourers. Bicycles purpose-designed for touring are likely to have a wide range of gears, as are more expensive mountain bikes. However, cheaper mountain bikes are likely to have a bottom gear which proves too high for touring with a load. If your bottom gear is larger than 28 inches or so, you should either change your inner chainring (if it is removable) or get a new chainset if it is not. On hilly terrain you need all the help you can get, and a low bottom gear makes a big difference. If you are confused about gearing, please give us a call or email us, as we know this can be a confusing issue.

As far as big gears are concerned, in my experience you unfortunately do not regain on the downhills the extra effort you have to put into the uphills when your bike is loaded. Despite the intuitive belief that extra weight will make you go faster, the old adage that a feather falls as fast as a stone holds true. So don't bother buying an 11 tooth rear sprocket unless you intend to detour to the Alps for an attempt on the bicycle speed record.

Saddle:

If you don't know your saddle intimately before you go touring, you certainly will after an 8 hour stint on it. For this reason, make sure you are comfortable on it before you go. Everyone's rear end is different so what I might find comfortable you may not. A tip: never buy a new saddle the day before a long tour.

Boils and blisters may sound amusing when it's someone from Viz or Oor Wullie that is afflicted with them, but they aren't a lot of laughs when you're on a week's cycling trip. Women should look to specific female-shaped saddles, such as those by Georgena Terry.

If you fancy a real leather saddle, these need broken in, and it can take a few hundred miles to do so. Some people soften them up with 'neatsfoot oil'. It has been my experience if you're not careful that the oil softens them up too much resulting in a saggy saddle. My suggestion would be to suffer through the pain barrier, keep your saddle out of the rain, keep it clean it with Brooks Proofide, and apart from the odd tightening up of the leather, your saddle will feel like an armchair, and it will out last you.

Shorts:

It could be argued that a cyclist's bottom is the most important part of their anatomy. It certainly feels that way when things are amiss in that region. These problems can be largely alleviated by wearing good cycling shorts, as described below:-

A) Cycling shorts are cut with a high wast the idea is to prevent the short falling down your back, leading to "builder's cleft".

B) Some shorts have leg grippers. These prevent the short riding up your leg, and bunching at the top of the leg where the it bends at the hip.

C) Shorts are often quoted as having a number of panels eg. '6 panel short'. This refers to the number of strips of material the short is made from. The panels are cut to form round your bottom and thighs, preventing chafing. Generally the larger the number of panels the more comfortable and better fit the short, as each panel is less contorted to fit your shape.

Real Chamois padding - the racer's first choice, it is comfortable, but for touring it's a bit of a pain; it takes ages to dry if you have to wash it, or if you are unfortunate to get caught in the rain, you also have to treat it with chamois cream after washing to soften it up again.
Synthetic padding - the tourist choice's. Look for a synthetic chamois over a thin foam padding. Also check the cut, make sure it is generous enough to cover your posterior. Mens and Womens padding is cut different, for obvious reasons. (But women should make sure that the manufacturer hasn't cut costs by just using a mens padding.)

Some baggy cycling shorts only have a towel lining or very skimpy padding. These are acceptable for journeys say up to thirty miles, but if you want to be more adventurous and still want the baggy type of short, try wearing padded short liners underneath. Liners are also great for wearing under longs if conditions are too cold, or if you just want comfort while commuting under your everyday trousers or jeans.

Mitts:

Likewise, cycling mitts or gloves are a boon for hand protection and comfort, as well as being great for wiping furrowed brows. As with cycling shorts, those who haven't cycled long distances may not appreciate their benefits until they are in the kind of discomfort that this equipment prevents. So, my advice is to get a pair of well padded mitts - they are not expensive.

The only thing to bear in mind with mitts is that if you are riding in the sun, you will tend to develop bizarre tanned patches on the backs of your hands. Explain these to non-cyclists as marks from an alien abduction from the time you were cycling near Bonnybridge (Scotland's UFO capital).

Pedals:

The final part of the bike/rider interface is at the pedals. Although cycling shoes are by no means essential, they tend to:

have less flex in their soles, leading to better power transfer and greater comfort;
stand up to wear and tear from toeclips and brushing cranks better;
generally have covered or very short laces to prevent potentially-dangerous tangling up with the crank;
finally, cycling shoes usually have removable insoles, which you should take out at the end of the day to reduce their niff somewhat.

Bike computers are always a laugh for finding out how fast/slow you were going when you last crashed. For touring, however, they are invaluable for letting you know just how far you have to go to your destination, especially as rural road signs seem to be so inaccurate and infrequent. The functions of use for touring are really only the basic ones of trip distance and perhaps average speed, so any one will do. However, a further useful function is auto stop, which means that your average speed is not corrupted by breaks at the side of the road.

Carrying a few spares and a couple of handy tools, will see you through the most of the minor breakdowns that can happen. You will never be able to plan or carry enough tools to cover every possible breakdown but this simple guide will see you through most.

Day Trips:

First comes the puncture repair kit and tyre levers. A spare inner tube is always a safe bet, as no-one likes fixing a puncture in the rain - put in the tube and fix the puncture when you get to your destination.

Then depending on how far you are going and for how long, other useful items are: allen keys and 8, 9, and 10 mm spanners - these should do your brakes and gears, make sure you have a spanner for taking off your wheels - if not quick release. A pump - don't forget this essential piece of equipment. We occasionally find stranded victims on the annual St. Andrews cycle ride, at the side of road, they have been so careful packing the kitchen sink they forgot the most basic of items - a pump. Another not so smart thing people do is set off with a pump that doesn't fit the valves on their bike, so check the pump works and fits the valves on your bike.

For Longer Trips:

As well as the above, take a spare brake, and gear cable, spare nuts and bolts to re-fix things like, toe-clips and mudguards that may rattle loose. If travelling to foreign parts check the availability of tyres.

A chain tool is safety insurance for snapping chains. You can dispose of the broken bit, rejoin the chain, to continue with your journey. If you do have to do this, remember a shorter chain may result in losing out in some of your lower gears, so change gears carefully. If you are heading of for a mammoth journey also take a spoke key (if you true wheels) and a few spokes would be a good idea, remember to get the right length of spoke, front and back wheels often have different lengths, even the back wheel can have a different lengths on each side.

And for journeys of over a week some spare oil is a must, especially if your bike will be sitting outside and getting rained on overnight. Remember, you don't need to take a whole bottle - a contact lens holder can carry just the right amount of oil for a short tour.

One last thing on tools. You can get some great multi tools these days which are very small and which do a surprisingly large number of jobs. They are not intended to replace your home tool kit but are excellent for taking on holiday. Check out the Introduction to our tools section of the catalogue for more details.

It doesn't take long to give your bike a quick check over. I haven't gone into great detail here, these are basic checks very easy to learn from DIY books or joining one of the Edinburgh Bicycle Evening Classes. If you are unsure about checking your own bike, please bring it by the shop and we'll give it a thorough check for you. There is no charge for us examining your bike, or for the advice on what may or may not be required. If we are too far away for you, give us a phone or email us we have an extensive library and could be able to send you the approprate book.

Check the brake blocks - For wear and adjustment.
Test your gears - Before you rush off into the blue yonder and find your day is spoiled by a jumping chain.
Examine your hubs, headset and bottom bracket bearings - Make sure they are not too loose.
Check for any loose nuts and bolts.
Check your wheels are true and spin freely.

These simple checks can prevent a lot of misery. Happy touring from all at Edinburgh Bicycle!