The Essential Touring Cyclist: A Complete Guide for the Bicycle Traveler, Second Edition by Lovett, Richard;

Short description:

The Essential Series--Your Trusted Guides"One of the best pieces of equipment you can get to prepare for a tour."--Odyssey

"If you like to bicycle and you're prone to wanderlust, proceed with caution before reading The Essential Touring Cyclist . . . you may find yourself suddenly giving two weeks' notice and hitting the road."--Outdoor Traveler

"Just about everything a person needs to know to travel by bike."--Denver Post

Each year thousands of people pedal across the country, and even more choose weekend or weeklong tours near home or abroad. Bike touring is a way to really see and experience the countryside and come home healthier than when you left. The Essential Touring Cyclist, the only fully illustrated manual for bicycle touring, guides you through choosing a bike, equipping and customizing it for touring, and preparing yourself for life on the road. Other features include

• Getting into shape and dealing with aches and pains
• Touring solo or with groups
• Riding skills and endurance techniques
• Tips on clothing, camping, food, and safety

Whether you're heading out for a few hours or a few months, this new edition of The Essential Touring Cyclist gives you everything you need to know about traveling on two wheels.

Long description:

The Essential Series--Your Trusted Guides"One of the best pieces of equipment you can get to prepare for a tour."--Odyssey

"If you like to bicycle and you're prone to wanderlust, proceed with caution before reading The Essential Touring Cyclist . . . you may find yourself suddenly giving two weeks' notice and hitting the road."--Outdoor Traveler

"Just about everything a person needs to know to travel by bike."--Denver Post

Each year thousands of people pedal across the country, and even more choose weekend or weeklong tours near home or abroad. Bike touring is a way to really see and experience the countryside and come home healthier than when you left. The Essential Touring Cyclist, the only fully illustrated manual for bicycle touring, guides you through choosing a bike, equipping and customizing it for touring, and preparing yourself for life on the road. Other features include

• Getting into shape and dealing with aches and pains
• Touring solo or with groups
• Riding skills and endurance techniques
• Tips on clothing, camping, food, and safety

Whether you're heading out for a few hours or a few months, this new edition of The Essential Touring Cyclist gives you everything you need to know about traveling on two wheels.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Cycle Touring 101. Getting Started

1 Choosing and Equipping a Bicycle

Types of Bicyles; Gearing; Wheels, Tires, and Tubes; Saddles; Toe Clips; Other Components; Accessories; Useful Additions; How Much Must I Spend?

2 Equipping Yourself

Helmets; Gloves; Eye Shields; Shoes; Cycling Shorts; Shirts and Jerseys; Jackets and Wind Shells; Rain Gear; Cold-Weather Clothing

3 Making Friends with Your Bike and Staying Friendly

Before You Buy; Stems and Cranks; Adjustments

4 Basic Riding Skills

Pedaling Cadence; Riding in Traffic; Traffic Laws; Wind; Dogs; Railroad Tracks, Cattle Guards, and Rumble Strips

5 Day Tours and Training Rides

Training Basics; Spring Training; Base Training; Training for a Tour; Training through Winter; Stretching and Weight Lifting; Doing Your First Century

Cycle touring 102. Beyond Day Riding

6 Organized Tours

Summer Camp on Wheels

7 Vans and Credit Cards: You Don't Have to Camp or Carry a Lot of Weight

Types of Tours

8 Loaded Touring: You Can Take It All With You

Basic Camp Equipment; Bags; Loading Up; Getting Rid of the Shimmies; Other Packing Tips; Light-Touring Rig; What to Carry

9 Life on the Road

Choosing a Destination; Where to Spend the Night; Route Planning: You Say There's a Big Hill Ahead?; Finding Your Way through Cities and Towns; Showers, Sanitation, and Locks; Food; Water; Group Size

10 Challenges and Adversities: With Proper Preparation, Both Can Be Fun (Almost)

Hills and Mountains; Poor Visibility: Forest and Fog; Deserts; Living--Or at Least Drinking--Off the Land; Bridges, Tunnels, and Freeways; Gravel; Construction Zones; Hitching a Ride; Avoiding Confrontations; Rain; Night Riding

11 Getting There: Planes, Trains, Automobiles, Buses, and Ferries

Making a Choice

Appendix: 65 Great Tours--and More

Index

Acknowledgments