One bright sunny Sunday in June of last year in Denmark I was taking a break at a rest stop on the side of a quiet road when a couple of Danes rode up on their bicycles. Neither was what I would call a serious rider and one was a bloody mess — his right arm and right leg had a series of abrasions –
– what cyclists call “road rash.”
The fellow had clipped the rear wheel of his buddy’s bike and gone down in a heap a couple of minutes before they met me. I offered the injured Dane the use of my first-aid kit, but he had another idea.
“I need a beer,” he said.
“Sorry, can’t help you with that,” I told him.
Not a problem. He was packing — which may or may not have had something to do with his crash. He grabbed a cooler — full of beer — off the back of his bike. He popped open a cold one, tossed a can to his buddy and offered me one, which I declined –it was the middle of the day and I had a long way to go.
As he drank his beer, he kept talking about my “heavy bike” — which wasn’t that heavy — but which leads us to discuss what to ride when you’re on a bicycle tour.
A lot of people ride touring bicycles, usually made of steel, designed and built to carry a heavy load with a comfortable ride. Some touring bikes have a long wheelbase, both for comfort and to avoid pedal-to-pannier (luggage) issues. Touring bikes usually have multiple mounting points for racks (front and back), fenders and water bottle cages. The wheels are heavy-duty, the tires wider than ones you would find on a road bike. Touring bicycles usually have a wide-ratio of gears — usually one, a “granny” gear, is specifically designed for climbing steep hills with a heavy load. The gearing on a touring bike usually has a triple-chain ring, whereas some road bikes have just two chain rings. This is the preferred type of bike to ride on tour.
Some people tour on recumbent bicycles (where the rider sits with his legs in front, and the handlebars are above or below the seat). And others ride tandems (bicycles built for two).
And then there are people like me, who can’t afford to own more than one bike — thus the touring bike is not an option –and tour with their road bikes. This is generally discouraged, but some road bikes, such as mine, are capable of doing the job as long as you know the limitations of the bike.
I’ve done four tours with road bikes — the first was with a $100 steel beast I bought in 1973 — and I had no problems with it during five months on the road. I toured for four months on another road bike in 1979. The bike I’m taking with me today is the one I rode on my previous two tours in 2008 and 2010– a road bike built for comfort but with the capability of carrying a load. I’ve read about another fellow who has toured in Europe using the same bike I ride.
I travel as light as I can. Panniers on a rear rack with my camping gear positioned on top of the rack. I have a handlebar bag — so I have quick and easy access to my camera. Simply put, I don’t ask the bike to carry a load it’s not designed to carry.
My bike has a triple-chain ring, so I have plenty of gearing options. The seat is designed for comfort. The pedals I use are designed for touring. I’ve ridden with stock and custom-built wheels — this trip I’m using wheels built for touring. My tires are designed for touring — they’re wider, have puncture protection, good grip, light weight and low rolling resistance.
In other words, my road bike — which I have slightly modified and adapted for touring — works for me.
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