How to organize your first bike trip yourself

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Bike trips help you get away from the noise of the dusty city, see many interesting places and try your hand. A life hacker will tell you how to get ready for a beginner and go on a bike trip.

How to prepare for a bike trip

1. Plan a route and time

When organizing a bike trip on your own, you will have to start by planning a route thread. You can use ready-made routes posted on the Web, or choose the direction of interest and determine what exactly you want to see.

You can combine both planning methods: take several ready-made routes, combine them and stretch the thread towards the object of interest.

After you have decided on the route and marked the necessary points on Google Maps or Yandex. Maps, use the ruler and measure the length of the path.

Online maps often do not take into account the features of the relief, so you can safely add 20% to the final length.

The more mountainous or hilly the terrain, the longer the actual distance will be.

After building the route, you need to break it down by day. Beginners shouldn't lay more than 60 kilometers a day. On the day of arrival and departure, plan no more than 40 kilometers. The figure will seem fantastic, but in fact it is achievable, because on the hike you will not be distracted by pedestrians, dogs, children, cars and endless curbs.

2. Collect all the necessary things

If you are going on a hike for the first time, then most likely you will be surprised at how many things you need to buy and take with you. In fact, everything is simple: the most expensive, provided that you already have a bicycle, is a tent, a sleeping bag and equipment for making a fire. Ask your friends, acquaintances and relatives for these things. You may be in luck.

On your trip you will need:

Personal belongings

• Documents and money in a waterproof bag. If you plan to travel abroad, then pay attention to the expiration date of the passport: it must exceed 3 months, otherwise you will be denied a visa. Cycling is considered a dangerous sport by some insurance companies, so make sure before the trip that your insurance covers all injuries. For travel in Russia, take a medical policy.
• A mobile phone that can determine geolocation and a charger.
• Cup, spoon, fork, plate.
• Sunglasses. They perfectly save from the sun and annoying flies, which strive to fly into the eyes at speed.

clothing

• Personal hygiene items and linen change. Pay special attention to microfiber towels - they take up a minimum of space, dry quickly and instantly absorb water. They will serve you well in the fitness room after your hike.
• Thermal underwear and warm socks. No matter how hot it is in summer, you are not immune from rainy days and cold nights.
• Comfortable clothes. Pants should be tight or regular. If riding in wide trousers, be sure to secure the right leg with reflector or any other tape so that it does not accidentally fall into the chain.
• Rainwear.
• Shoes with a solid sole and a large tread so that the foot does not slip on the pedals.
• Extra shoes in case of rain.
• Decent clothing if visiting cultural sites is planned.
• Swimsuit.

Bicycle and accessories

• A helmet is a must.
• Cycle backpack "pants" - a special backpack for the trunk of a bicycle. Better to take it than a regular backpack. You can also grab a raincoat.
• Cycling shorts with a special insert are an optional item designed to protect the most precious things from chafing.
• A bike computer - it's always nice to know how much you've driven in a day.
• A bicycle cover if you have to travel to the starting point by transport. Many companies require passengers to pack their dirty luggage. For example, this rule applies to the transport of a bicycle on the subway, train, plane and on some intercity and international buses.

Personal camping equipment

• Sleeping bag.
• Compression waterproof bag. In it, the sleeping bag will take up a minimum of space and will definitely not get wet.
• Foam.

Equipment for all participants in the hike

• First aid kit. It should contain bandages, a set for stopping bleeding, pain relievers, drugs necessary for food poisoning, and a warming sports ointment.
• Mosquito and tick repellents.
• Sun protection spray.
• Meals for all participants. If you travel to places remote from civilization, you will have to stock up on food for the entire journey. If you drive past residential areas where there are definitely shops, then do not overload with unnecessary things, but buy what you need while traveling.
• Wet wipes.
• Garbage bags.
• Tent.
• Bowler and ladle.
• Gas burner with gas cylinder. She will help out in places where making fires is difficult or forbidden.
• Matches.
• Chain saw and ax.

Bicycle service equipment

• WD-40 or any analogs of lubricating sprays.
• Cable lock.
• Pump.
• Bicycle repair kit: multitool, spare spokes and tubes for a bicycle, a kit for gluing cameras.

3. Get your bike ready

The pleasure of the ride can be ruined by a broken bike. Contact a workshop to have it checked before you hike, even if you are absolutely sure the bike is in good working order. It is human nature to get used to inconveniences.

Replacing the brake pads or adjusting the gear selector will take a couple of minutes, but you will feel the difference right after leaving the workshop. In the event of serious technical problems, you will get rid of the search for an urgent solution on the road.

Practice at home and learn how to change the camera yourself, tighten the brake cables and adjust the height of the bike seat.

4. Get in shape before traveling

Do several 10–20 km practice runs near your home or in the suburbs. If you are able to cover 20 kilometers in a city, then there will be no problems in cycling for 40-60 kilometers a day.

Ideally, you should ride regularly for a month before starting the hike, or at least a few weeks. During this time, you will get back in shape and get used to your bike.

If you have knee injuries, add elastic bandages or special knee pads to fix the knee joint to your personal first aid kit.

5. Install apps that make the traveler's life easier

The OsmAnd application or other analogs of navigators based on the Open Street Map principle are faithful helpers in cycling. You will always see where you are and how much distance is left to the next point.

In the application, you can mark all points of interest and share the route with other participants. This will help you to always have at least one phone with a navigator, and in case of illness or injury of one of the participants, the group will be able to continue along the route, and some of the travelers will return with the victim.

The free version of OsmAnd allows you to download up to seven maps.

You can use other navigators as well, even Google Maps will come in handy. In some cases, they surpass OsmAnd in accuracy. OsmAnd, on the other hand, correctly shows roads and objects in places near settlements, but can lie in less crowded areas.

It is better to install several navigators in advance and test them in the vicinity of your home. This will help you get used to the application and choose the one that suits you best. On a hike, it is good to have several applications with downloaded maps in order to navigate in a situation when there is a road on the map, but in fact it is not.

What to do if there is no time and desire to organize a trip

If you do not want to risk and spend time organizing an independent trip, then you can use the services of specialized firms. All you need to do is know how to ride a bike and pay all expenses. Often you don't even need to have a bicycle: you will be given all the equipment you need.

The company takes care of route planning, catering, booking rooms in hostels or cottages in campsites. An escort car rides with the group, which carries the participants' personal belongings and can pick up those who are tired along the way.

You enjoy cycling in interesting places and are completely relieved of organizational issues.

There is also a place for adventure in such a hike, but they are usually planned.

In addition to advantages, there are also disadvantages: you need to pay money for the organization, you are rigidly tied to the group and specific departure dates, you cannot stop on the way or turn off the route at your discretion.

This way of travel is suitable for beginners, doubters and those who do not have ardent bike lovers among their friends.

Both the experienced tourist and the beginner will find something of their own in the hike. For some, cycling is a chance to give all the best, impressive mileage on a bike computer and speed, for others it is an opportunity to see places without haste and a heavy backpack behind your shoulders, where you cannot reach on foot, but you will slip by by car and will not notice.

A special joy is to live on the road for several days or even a week, and then return to civilization and for the first time be surprised by the hot water from the tap, a comfortable kitchen with a stove and a well-thought-out infrastructure of the city.