So, if you're not a cyclist, you might find this of limited interest.
On the other hand, a broad mind is a wonderful thing.
The best tips:
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Before you start:
- make sure your gears are right: a triple on the front and a super granny on the back (mine is a 32) gives you capacity for even the biggest hill
- take precautions to avoid on-the-road calamities: in my case, a robust back wheel (a 36 spoke 4-cross build) and a triple Kevlar tyre help a lot
- get a Garmin Edge cycle computer. No questions. Just get it.
- get the detailed maps for the area you are visiting (in my case the American Cycling Association maps for the west coast were priceless)
- get bull horns and a handlebar grip with a 'heel' for comfortable riding - I cannot overstate what a huge difference this made to comfort every day (ask your bike guy - he'll know exactly what to recommend)
- use a handlebar bag (doesn't fit in with a macho image but it is immensely practical: map, phone, nibbles for grazing and lots more)
- balance your front and back panniers carefully (with more weight behind)
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Before you start:
- make sure your gears are right: a triple on the front and a super granny on the back (mine is a 32) gives you capacity for even the biggest hill
- take precautions to avoid on-the-road calamities: in my case, a robust back wheel (a 36 spoke 4-cross build) and a triple Kevlar tyre help a lot
- get a Garmin Edge cycle computer. No questions. Just get it.
- get the detailed maps for the area you are visiting (in my case the American Cycling Association maps for the west coast were priceless)
- get bull horns and a handlebar grip with a 'heel' for comfortable riding - I cannot overstate what a huge difference this made to comfort every day (ask your bike guy - he'll know exactly what to recommend)
- use a handlebar bag (doesn't fit in with a macho image but it is immensely practical: map, phone, nibbles for grazing and lots more)
- balance your front and back panniers carefully (with more weight behind)
On the road:
- be careful reassembling the bike - I got my cables crossed. Not a big deal but its better to have them moving freely.
- get your spokes tuned in the local bike shop (air transport and more can upset even the best maintained bike)
- check into every bike shop you can along the route - even if only to get your tyre pressure checked with a foot pump or compressor (I discovered I was on only 60psi against a 110psi rated tyre - that adds huge effort to your daily efforts not to mention greatly increasing the chances of a puncture. On another occasion I needed an adjustment to the front derailleur that only the bike shop was able to do properly)
- listen to every sound! if you hear something different that's because something has changed (and might turn into a catastrophe - early on in my trip, a changed sound announced a front spoke that had loosened completely. On another occasion, an annoying 'click click' was caused by a front derailleur alignment problem.)
- check the bike from top to toe every few days: loose screws, spokes, brake cables, brake pads, tyre condition - all the usual stuff. Just do it.
- change the display on your Garmin to show: Cadence, Heartrate and Grade. That's all. Look after these and everything looks after itself. Aim for a minimum cadence of 80 rpm - it's hard but it really pays off if you can keep this up.
- get your spokes tuned in the local bike shop (air transport and more can upset even the best maintained bike)
- check into every bike shop you can along the route - even if only to get your tyre pressure checked with a foot pump or compressor (I discovered I was on only 60psi against a 110psi rated tyre - that adds huge effort to your daily efforts not to mention greatly increasing the chances of a puncture. On another occasion I needed an adjustment to the front derailleur that only the bike shop was able to do properly)
- listen to every sound! if you hear something different that's because something has changed (and might turn into a catastrophe - early on in my trip, a changed sound announced a front spoke that had loosened completely. On another occasion, an annoying 'click click' was caused by a front derailleur alignment problem.)
- check the bike from top to toe every few days: loose screws, spokes, brake cables, brake pads, tyre condition - all the usual stuff. Just do it.
- change the display on your Garmin to show: Cadence, Heartrate and Grade. That's all. Look after these and everything looks after itself. Aim for a minimum cadence of 80 rpm - it's hard but it really pays off if you can keep this up.
And the running repairs so far:
- one puncture (in 950 miles)
- derailleur (front and back)
- spoke tension
- burst seams on panniers
- lost strap from pannier
- replaced iPhone headphones (mangled in front wheel)
- replaced bungee (lost)
Not bad, all told.
I may amend this over the rest of the trip - I'm still learning.
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