Cycling has many advantages as a form of travel, as it is the fastest way to travel by human power, but slow enough to allow the type of local immersion that is impossible with powered travel. The low cost of cycle travel (usually just food and accommodation) is also attractive.
Multi-continental trips are relatively common, such as from tip to tip of the Americas, but cycling can also be enjoyed in month-, week-, or even weekend-long trips. Some routes, such as the Karakoram Highway, are extremely challenging, but an infinite number of safer and easier routes are also available.
DISTANCE
On level terrain, without a headwind, a cyclist of average fitness on a touring bike can comfortably cover 60-120 km a day, depending on the number and length of stops. Distances of up to 250 km a day are feasible, but anything much beyond 120 km will require considerable physical strain and not allow many stops to enjoy the things on they way. For many, 80-100 km a day will be the optimal distance to aim for, as it will give a sense of achievement and also leave plenty of time to stop for meals and activities.
Be aware that a full load will slow you down. You may average 25 km/h on your unladen bike, but being loaded up with panniers can reduce that to 15 km/h or less.
For a seven day itinerary, aim to cover about 400-500 km. It is a good idea to ease into a longer trip, do short days to start with, and take a break on the third or fourth day, to allow sore buttocks and leg muscles to recover, perhaps stopping in a city or engaging in a different outdoor activity, such as kayaking or swimming.
GEOGRAPHY
Routes with steep hills will reduce your range, in exceptional circumstances to as little as 20 km a day. Watch the altitude lines on your map closely, both for individual gradients and total altitude differences.
Gradients of more than about 5% are difficult to overcome on a laden touring bike. A rule of thumb is that for every 100 metres of altitude you climb, you should add an extra 15 minutes to your journey time.
In hilly or mountainous regions, the easiest routes for cycling are downstream along major rivers, as overall they will be downhill. A long, roundabout route along a river will usually be easier than a short, direct route over a hill or mountain pass. However, it is worth bearing in mind that the most scenic routes often come from hilly terrain. If you are feeling up for a challenge, try some hillier routes. Start small, your legs will get used to it and the views will be worth the effort.
Motor traffic is often worth avoiding as much as possible, for example by planning your cycle trip in less densely populated regions (unless it is in a country that offers exceptionally good cycling facilities, such as The Netherlands or Denmark), by choosing minor roads over trunk roads, and staying away from larger cities unless they offer good cycle paths. Not only can it be dangerous to share the road with large numbers of cars and trucks, it will also reduce the quality of your trip.
MAPS
Ideally you will have maps showing the contours of the region you are visiting, along with tourist attractions, accommodation, campsites and other useful places. However, these maps tend to be quite detailed and only cover small regions, and if you are covering any kind of distance you will find yourself buying rather a lot of them, which can prove rather expensive and heavy.
One good compromise is to buy a road atlas of the country or countries you are planning to visit, tear out the necessary pages and only take those. You'll often find you can get a good 1:100000 map fairly cheaply, but still showing minor roads, campsites and marking out any steep hills.
Another alternative is a GPS with topographic maps loaded, or a PDA (possibly also combined with a GPS) which you can load topographic maps into. Even a scanned atlas map onto a PDA is better than nothing. There are select of GPS devices available with bicycle mountings (see other equipment) below.
THE BICYCLE
Hotly debated among cycle tourists is what makes a good touring bicycle. Much of the choice depends on what style of touring you plan to do. Someone doing a short supported tour in a developed country will have vastly different needs from someone doing a long distance self-supported tour in a developing country. While the former will do very well with a light weight road bike, the later will be better with a dedicated touring bike.
Almost any bicycle can be used for a tour, but some will enable you to travel farther and more comfortably, with fewer mechanical problems.
Here we assume you will be carrying at least a moderate amount of baggage.
Comfort: When spending long hours in the saddle it's important that the bicycle is comfortable for you. Some things that make it more comfortable are tire choice, handlebar choice, and saddle choice. Tires should be smooth, for lower rolling resistance, wider than road (racing) tires, and narrower than most mountain bike tires. Something in the rage of 32 to 40mm if using 700C, or 1.25" to 1.75" if using 26" is ideal. The important thing is with handlebars is for them to offer a variety of hand postions. This can be achieved in a variety of ways. One option is the "drop" bars as found on road racing bicycles, these are normally mounted higher on a touring bike, so put less pressure on the hands, provide the most numerous hand positions. Ideally wider drop bars would be chosen for touring than racing. The other common way to get multiple hand positions is to put bar ends (horn-style handlebar extensions) on "flat bars" (mountain bike style bars). This is cheep and easy, but only provides 2 or three positions. Another, less common, but excellent option are "moustache bars". A good saddle can really help reduce saddle-soreness, and is worth spending a little extra money on. Don't go for the biggest, squishiest gel saddle you can find - often the soft seats can rub a lot more against your delicate parts. It's best to go for the "sculpted" saddles that are designed to support your sit-bones. It's a very personal choice, and hard to know what you'll find comfortable until trying it out, so it's a good idea to find a saddle you're happy with well before you leave.
Strength: Overall the bicycle should be stronger than a bike not designed to carry loads for long distances. When carrying 10-20kg it's worth having a bike that's a few kg heavier and much stronger. One important part of this is the choice of wheels. Wheels with 36 or 32 spokes are stronger, as are double walled wheels. Light weight wheels popular with sports cyclists are to be avoided.
Carrying Capacity: The most basic part of being able to carry lots of stuff on your bike is simply being able to bolt a rack (or two) on. It's important to have bolt holes near the rear axle to for the rack, and it's nice to have them near the saddle too. Ability to use a front rack is also good. They allow you to balance the weight out more evenly over both wheels, and the bicycle handles better as a result. Ability to bolt on watter bottle cages, is also very good. A longer wheel base will make the bicycle more stable when loaded, and provide a more comfortable ride when loaded up. Of course having a bike that's strong enough to handle the weight is also important.
Serviceability:Nothing lasts forever. Check, or have a professional check, your bike before you leave. When choseing a bike (or adapting a bike) look for parts that are as mechanically simple as possible, as they will be more reliable and easier to service when eventually something wears out. It's important that it is reasonably straight forward to get replacement parts. Many modern bicycles have vary complex shifters that are not possible to service, changing to bar-end shifters is a good choice for bars that will fit them (drop or moustache) as they are very robust and can be serviced. Old (80's or 90's) mountain bike "thumbie" shifters are a good choice if using flat bars, but are hard to come by, and are only compatable with the number of gears they were designed to be used with at the time. Avoid proprietary parts entirely (like the Cannondale "Headshock") as they can only be serviced by authorized dealers. Other details depend where you are travelling, but as a rule of thumb don't use the latest technology, stick to tried and true systems. In many developing contries the 26" wheel size (aka ISO 559) is more common than the 700C size (ISO 622). (But other sizes that are now discontinued in most of the developed world may be even more common ) It's probably safest to stick with 26" if possible. Be aware that the naming conventions for tire sizes are convoluted and not self evedient. For example there are 6 different incompatible sizes all known as 26" see this list for more info. More gears is not allways better, while it is important to have a good range of gears, especially a very low option, 9 or 10 rear cogsets wear faster, and come out of adjustment more easily than 7 or 8.
Steel is really, really heavy: quality Cro-mo steel is a bit heavier than aluminium, and Hi-Ten steel significantly so, but both more than make up by being more durable, safer to ride if an crash occurs, and often possible so improvise some sort of repair if damaged. Lugged frames may be stronger than welded because of the additional material at the joints. Titanium is the strongest, and lightest, most weather resistant, but impossible to repair (without very very specialized equipment) and out of most peoples budgets.
Dedicated touring bikes, like the Surly Long Haul Trucker, Trek 520, Thorn Sherpa, or similar, are ideal; but not the only option.
Many older (90's) mountain bikes fit the characteristics of a good touring bike, with some modifications made, most importantly removing suspension forks if present, putting slick tires on, and adding bar ends (or putting drop bars on).
OTHER EQUIPMENT
An odometer, or cycle computer, is essential for long tours when you need to gauge distance travelled against maps and road signs, preferably calibrated in local units (miles in the United States and United Kingdom, kilometers everywhere else). A simple GPS may be preferable, as it displays more accurate information and does not require a mechanical trigger on the wheel, and has other benefits as detailed below.
Even if you're a very light packer, you'll want a set of panniers to put your gear in. Backpacks raise your centre of gravity, cause you to sweat more or eveno over heat, and will fatigue your back. A rack with bags mounted on either side of your rear wheel is a much better alternative, with a pair for the front if you have more stuff. Front bags aren't only if you can't fit everthing in the back, they spread the load out over both wheels better and make the bicycle handle better as a result. Another option is to carry your luggage in a separate trailer.
Take specialist cycling maps of the area you plan to cover, and a compass to navigate them. Cycling maps are often also included in cycling travel guides. If cycling maps aren't available, use maps at a scale of 1:50,000, to 1:200,000.
A Wi-Fi-, UMTS- and GPS-equipped PDA will set you back about US$600, but offers several advantages: a) You won't need to take large numbers of maps with you, adding to weight and cost. b) As your position is displayed on the map in real time, you don't need to make frequent stops to look for directions, and you're less likely to cycle the wrong way c) It doubles as an altimeter and odometer d) You don't need to take a heavy paper travel guide e) You can browse the Internet while you're on the move, even in more remote areas, which allows you to book accommodation in advance, book train tickets, look up phone numbers, check the weather forecast, and write your travel blog. PDAs can be attached to the handlebars using special brackets; make sure you encase it in sealed, water-proof plastic cover.
You may want to consider a clipless pedal system, in which a cleat on your shoe locks into the pedal. This will give you better pedalling efficiency, and allow you to use a greater range of the muscles in your legs, thus fatiguing them less. If you choose this, you might also want to take a lightweight pair of flip flops for walking around off the bike, to prevent the cleats from getting worn down.
A lock is essential in most most parts of the world. A small D-lock is preferred by some as it's compact, hard to break, and suitable for locking the bike to a solid object; others prefer cable locks which, although not as strong, allow you to lock up your bike to a wider variety of things, and are lighter.
Bottles for storing water in. You can also get backpacks with a large bladder you can fill with water: these have a tube that sits on your shoulder so that you can sip water easily, or water bags for carrying a backup supply on the rack in arid conditions.
Fenders: If there's even a slight chance of rain, and there's allways a slight chance of rain, these are more than worth their weight.
Lights: Even if you don't plan to ride at night, it's easy enough to get caught out after dark. They are a basic safety item, and the front one doubles as a flashlight (torch).
A kickstand adds weight, but can be handy in places where it's inconvenient to park your bike against an object or the ground.
REPAIR KIT
The choice of tools depends on where you are going, how self sufficient you need to be, and what repairs you are capable of. Don't bother taking anything you don't know how to use, it will just be dead weight.
A Basic kit would include:
a fully featured multitool (allen keys with some other basic tools), pump, patch kit, chain tool (and replacement rivets if using a shimano chain, or masterlink if using a SRAM) and one or more spare inner tubes.
Zap-straps, duct tape (gaffer tape) and locktight are extremely useful and with a little ingenuity can be used to fix all sorts of things.
Some spare bolts could save the day, 5mm is the most useful, it's used on almost all bikes for the racks, and various other things, in a pinch a less important bolt (eg for the water bottle) can be borrowed to replace a more important one (eg for the rack).
An Advanced kit is good if you need (or want) to be more self reliant,
Spare cables (bake, and derailleur).
Spokes, either temporary Kevlar ones, or permanent stainless steel ones, with a hypercracker (or similar) to remove the gear cluster.
V-brake "noodles" and hanger, or cross over cables if using cantilever brakes.
The type of pads needed by your brakes.
a spare derailleur hanger (the part that attaches the derailleur to the frame of the bicycle, on aluminium bicycles they are removable, and designed to bend easily to prevent damage to the frame and/or derailleur. They are very specific to the model of bicycle so finding one on the road would be difficult, even in a developed country.
Leatherman or similar non-bicycle specific miltitool, could be useful, but only in addition to a bicycle specific one. (Using the wrong tool is a great way to round bolts, and generally mess up your bike.)
CLOTHING
There is a variety of cycling-specific clothing that can make your trip much more comfortable and/or safe:
Helmet - required by law in some jurisdictions. They are widely recommended as an important safety precaution. They also offer some protection from the sun.
Jacket - wind- and water-proof layer for protection from precipitation and cooler temperatures.
Cycling shorts - special shorts with padding around the crotch to increase comfort and reduce chafing, also can be warn under looser fitting clothing for more modest people, or when in more modest contries.
Tights - for cooler weather than shorts; more comfortable than pants and less likely to get caught in the chain. Usually come with reflective markings at the ankle.
Gloves - Wearing padded gloves to minimize pressure on the hands during long rides makes a huge difference to your comfort. Use cut-off style for warmer temperatures, full-finger for cooler.
Eye protection - UV protection is better for the long term health of your eyes and makes for a more comfortable ride. Detachable lenses allow you to use the best lens colour for different conditions (such as yellow for cloud cover or clear for nocturnal riding).
