Gearing Up

After reading bicycle touring blogs and web sites I decided to get a Surly Disc Long Haul Trucker.  I ordered it at Gung Ho Bikes in York, Pennsylvania.  While waiting for the bike to arrive I ordered several other items (listed below) for the guys at the bike shop to install for me.  The guys at the shop did a great job piecing together my bike and offered some great advice on bicycle touring.  I would highly recommend Gung Ho Bikes for anyone looking for a good bike shop.

Attached is a list of items and approximate cost for my touring bike set-up.
Of course, there are all kinds of ways to do a bike tour.  You really can get by with a bike, a water bottle, and a credit card (for hotels and restaurants) if you choose to do that.  You can also get by with a lot of used equipment and things you already have at home instead of purchasing them new like I did.  This list is just a way to give those of you interested in bicycle touring an idea of what some of my costs were.

Surly Disc Long Haul Trucker 26" wheels.                        
Schmidt Son 28 Dynahub                                                  
Surly Front and Rear Rack                                                  
Brooks Saddle                                                                    
Shimano Pedals                                                                  
Ortlieb Front and Rear Panniers                                          
The Plug III and tube Expander                                          
Arkel Handlebar Bag                                                          
Fenders                                                                                
Bike Shop Labor                                                                
REI Half Dome 2 Tent + Footprint                                    
Big Agnes Sleeping Bag                                                    
Alps Mountaineering Air Pad                                              
Hi-Viz Shirts                                                                        
Rain Coat and Rain Pants                                                    
Insulated Food Container                                                    
Sleeping Bag Liner                                                              
Travel Pillow                                                                      
Dry Bags                                                                              
Garmin Mount                                                                    
Waterproof Shoe Covers                                                    
Folding Trowel                                                                    
Bike Locks                                                                          
Micro USB Cable                                                              
Alarm Padlock
Locking Skewers
Topeak Road Morph G Pump
Rechargeable Front and Rear Lights                                                                  

Total = $ 3941.28


    

Welcome

WELCOME

Welcome to my bicycle tour blog.  This blog will allow you to follow my travels on an interactive map as well as read about the places I visit and people I meet along the way.  Please feel free to leave comments and I will do my best to respond as soon as possible.

The number one question I got when I told people about this bicycle trip is  - "Why are you doing that?"
Well that turned out to be a hard question to answer because there are many answers - such as:

• It's something I've thought about for a long time.
• It's a challenge.  Partially a physical challenge and partially a mental challenge to just keep going and see the project through. 
• For exercise!!  (I need to get into better shape.)
• To meet new people and see new places.
• Finally, one of the biggest reasons for this bicycle tour is to SLOW DOWN (and, hopefully, smell the roses).  Our lives are so busy with work requirements, family obligations, and the constant bombardment of media.  The media particularly numbs us by constantly subjecting us to one horror story after the next.  The more sensational the story, the more their ratings go up and the more papers they sell.  Even the Weather Channel uses one hyperbole after another just to keep us glued to the TV set, or tablet, or whatever screen we're tethered to.  More than a year ago, after another night of horrible programming and depressing news, my wife and I decided to cancel our TV cable and newspaper subscriptions and I must report that we are both still alive and, I think, better off.

I envisage traveling by bicycle to be similar to turning off the TV and media.  When you are traveling at 10 miles per hour on a bike you see more things, you notice smells and sounds, you get to experience a place more than zipping through in a car.  In a car you get in at point A and plan on arriving at point B, often by the quickest route the GPS can find.   By contrast, most touring bicyclists will tell you that it is the journey that is more important, not the destination.  It's stopping in small towns, eating at a local diner, asking people directions, accepting hospitality, thanking people with a handshake and a smile.  That's really what I'm looking for.  I'll let you know if I find it.