So many gems in this one. Your humor and insight really shine in these videos. Keep sharing details of your earlier trips. Your stories are worth telling.
Been there, done that. ;-) Your story made me smile, because it reminded me of my first trip in 1982. My first bike was a racing bike, equipped with a carrier and panniers. Like you I didn't have much money, so I had a cheap, heavy tent and sleeping bag. I took a boat from the Netherlands to Norway and cycled there. When I reached the mountains, I found out, like you, that my gears were not suitable for that terrain. So I had to walk quite a bit. After a week a spoke broke, I repaired it. Two days later another spoke broke, I also repaired that. The next day after that again a spoke broke. The interval between breakages got shorter and shorter until I ran out of spare spokes. I had to take a bus to a big town to get it repaired. The next year I bought a real touring bike and better camping equipment. It went much better, I cycled from Oslo to the North Cape.
I have had similar experiences with spokes breaking. I have much better wheels now and rarely have that problem any more. Your experiences mirror mine. Thanks for watching. Ride on!
Oh my gosh...I did my first bike tour in 1981 too. A friend and I took off to ride the circumference of the entire country! We didn't end up going that far, but we made it from Michigan to New Jersey to Florida to Texas, stopping to work three times along the way. We planned it so that we'd be down south in the winter and then proceeded to have record lows in the teens all the way through the panhandle of Florida! It was REALLY cold, but folks along the way saw us riding and became alarmed. Turns out we never spent a single one of those nights camping out in the cold because people gave us money for a hotel one night, paid for a little cabin the next, let us sleep in the spotless heated bathrooms at a campground (the whole place was empty except for us!), etc. All that was completely unsolicited. Folks were just naturally so kind and generous. Ended up in Houston, Texas and my friend went back up to Michigan and I stayed in Texas...for 12 years! Met and married my husband and we just had our 30th anniversary. I also road a section of the Camino de Santiago in Spain which was wonderful (2013). Still have my Miyata 1000 with all the original components. Heavy as heck compared to today's touring bikes, but no bike ever road as smoothly on the road. Thanks for sharing! PS - we carried WAY too much stuff on our first tour as well. Now my kit is under 25 lbs, and that's with the winter sleeping bag and wool long undies!
Some parallels to my life here, sort of. I hiked the PCT in 1977 at the age of 19. One of the first 100 to do so. Nowadays, 4-5,000 attempt every year. 40 years later, I did the AT. This year? The TransAmerica. My first bike tour. I may be a novice, but I have the mental part down. Love your videos. Great inspiration to old coots like myself.
Take home message - you went! After that it's all fun (and learning). Like you, I did a big trip in my teens. In those days you couldn't buy panniers in Canada. So, my friend and I looked in Euro bike magazines, designed panniers and a top rack back and had his Mom sew them. As they were designed around the stuff we actually had, it worked out quite well. I haven't seen a better top rack bag in 40 years. Like you, we did lots wrong - BUT we did lots right and had a life changing trip - yup, I still talk about it. And now, 40 years later? My wife is going to sew a similar bag for my rack when I set out to ride 1500 miles in the UK this summer. Sounds like a lot of miles, but you deal with the mile you're on, and suddenly the miles pile on and you're done. The hardest hill is always the one you're on at the time. I'll have to see what I do wrong this time. Thanks for your post, it brought back a flood of memories on an otherwise dull afternoon. Ahh, the older I get, the better I was. Good for you - pedal on.
Thanks for watching. Cycling gear sure has come a long way in 40 years. My first panniers were from Frostline. They were a "sew together at home kit". It's good that youngsters like us keep riding. Someone else made this comment, but I agree so much, the older I get the more I appreciate each day of bike touring. The hills are physically harder, but I approach them differently now. So they are mentally easier now, which makes them easier... if you know what I mean. My Dad used to say, "If you want to keep moving, you got to keep moving". Enjoy your summer trip. Ride safe. Pedal on!
@@paulsuchecki3985 Thanks for your reply. Although I'm Canadian I have family in Iowa, Washington DC and Arizona. Maybe I'll start from DC and end up in Des Moines some day. It looks like lots of that part of the great rail trail is done. I'm actually on a drinking team in Iowa, but they have a terrible bicycling problem (better than the other way around I guess). England and Scotland this year and maybe France the next year. Then the Great Rail Trail. Thanks for getting the gears going - I mean the ones in my head.
What I like most about Paul, is he does everything HIS way. Too many people get caught up in fashion and fancy things in their gear. We would all be wise to listen to the voice of wisdom and reason presented in this video. Thank you, Paul. I hope to see you out on the road someday!
Well said Paul, plenty of wise information. I too took off young at 21 and spent 3 months riding around New Zealand. Awesome trip. Now at 62, not long back into riding, decided to splash out on a new touring bike. Tomorrow I'm heading out for a 200km practice trip with 3 overnight camps. Most of the trip will be on bike tracks and quiet dirt roads, so won't have to deal with traffic. That is a bonus.
I went! Best comment on the entire video! Truer words have never been spoken. When I was 17, I went as well. Six weeks on a bike in Europe! Absolutely life changing. That was a LONG time ago!
Half the battle is just showing up! My buddies were all talk and no show. Yes. Life changing! That's what they missed out on. I'm glad I went. Thanks again!
I rode from Minneapolis to Chicago when I was 22 (decades ago). I can agree with all of your points. Like any endurance sport, the more you do it, the more you hone your craft. The best advice I could give to someone is do it.
I rode from Chicago to Minneapolis. I agree, just get out there and do it. It's not that complicated and you'll figure it out. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!
I started bike touring in Eastern Massachusetts in the early '70s. It was almost all hostel to hostel touring. Like you, I didn't have the right gear. I was riding my mom's hand-me-down Raleigh touring bike with a Reynolds 531 frame with a Sturmy-Archer 3-speed with changeable rear sprockets, and a dynamo front hub. It was really high-tech when it was made in the early '50s. I wore blue jeans, t-shirts and tenny runners. I only had a backpack and a bar bag. Only the rich kids had paniers. Rain gear? An army surplus poncho. But I rode all over with friends and had great trips. Fast forward to now as I'm getting ready to start touring again. My bike weighs 18 pounds, my tent is 2 pounds, my down sleeping quilt is one pound, etc. All up, my bike, and all the gear I'll carry, will weigh about the same as my first bike by itself. How times have changed. And it's a good thing too as I certainly haven't gotten any younger.
Its a good thing we just didn't know any better in those days. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road. Ride on!
I had to laugh... I saw myself in much of what was said! I was in my late 20s in the mid-80s when I did my first trip... I had a long hours, high stress job with upper management that was ethically challenged. I called a friend of mine on his private line at his bicycle shop early on a Saturday morning before he opened. I was in my office... It was mid-December in upstate NY. I told him I was going to do a bicycle trip. To humor me he invited me over to his house on Sunday evening so we could draw up an equipment list. Monday morning I quit and called my friend and asked him if he had ordered the stuff yet. His response was "You're serious!" My response was "Yeah, I quit." Quitting also meant giving up my company car so I walked to a travel agency and bought a one-way ticket to FL three weeks in the future. From there I walked to my friend's bicycle shop, showed him my ticket and said I'm leaving on January 8th (as I recall). For the next three weeks I scrambled to get equipment... all I had was a bike. New tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, stove, cook kit, panniers, bar bag, cycling clothes, cycling shoes, etc. Most all of the gear was Cannondale (they had tents, sleeping bags, panniers, etc. in those days). My aunt agreed to pick me up at Tampa International Airport. I recall her asking me what route I was taking... "I don't know, I'm going north." Then she asked if I had any maps.... "No." I figured out how to pack the bike in the Florida room of her house and joined AAA to get free maps and travelers checks. Stayed there for a week or so visiting and taking day rides and then took off! I ended up riding from Treasure Island, around Tampa Bay down the Tamiani Trail to Miami, out into the Everglades back country, to Key West, and then zig zagged my way north as the weather broke. Hit places like Daytona Beach (during Bike Week!), St. Augustine, FL; Charlotee, NC; Williamsburg, VA; Lancaster, PA; and picked up Rte 209 north. Three months and over 3,100 miles later I ended up riding my last 108 miles in a light snow storm. Yeah... I'm still talking about it! Thirty six years later I'm still at it too... Did a couple 1,500+ mile trips and a couple 400+ mile trips in the past 12 years and if the stars align I'll be doing another 1,000-1,500 mile trip this year. I took my sons on 1,500+ mile trips when they were each aged 15. They were different kids when we finished. They understand perseverance and how you can take something that seems overwhelming and break it down into small pieces. Essentially actualizing the Chinese proverb "A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step.” The similarities in our stories (though I was better equipped coming out of the gate) makes me wonder if there is some contagion we picked up while sleeping on the ground during our first trip. If so, may it spread uninhibited! 😉
Keep on riding, Bro'. We are kindred spirits. And I have described my bike touring obsession to my wife as a disease I caught. LOL! Sometimes life calls and you have to answer. I'm getting ready to quit my job as well. Hope to see you down the road! 😁
YES!! SUSCRIBED!!! right first off don't ever change, everything is perfect, presentation wise, the storytelling, the humour, the setting I love it, thank you for taking the time to edit, upload n stuff, all very interesting and entertaining , well done
Paul, I just can’t watch one of your vlogs without a big, uncontrollable smile on my face. This biology-chemistry-major-turned-67 yo MD just appreciates your understated humor, and unpretentious and straightforward approach to biking. I suspect it applies to your approach to life and love too. You seem like the kind of guy with whom it would be a joy to spend a couple hours around a campfire or a covered picnic table in a rainstorm. You’re a school teacher, yeah? I got my Cycling merit badge in Boy Scouts in the early 70s, had my bike stolen in California in the 80s post-residency, and just got back into biking about 15 years ago. That cycling zygote has transformed into a multi-cellular, bike touring/packing organism. Mitosis is good. Thankfully I have an understanding wife. I did the ACA transcontinental solo in 2020 and I’m completing the border to border GDMBR this summer. I don’t know if you’re into small group touring, but if you’re ever out this way in Oregon, give me a heads up and we’ll lose a little tire tread together. Aside from gravel rails-to-trails, do you ever do any off-road bike packing? Also, I’m looking to do a modified northern tier from Oregon across Central Idaho, Wyoming, the Cowboy Trail in Nebraska, Ragbrai, then up Wisconsin around Lake Michigan, Ontario and the Erie Canal to Maine in a year or so. Any suggestions? Keith BTW, my term for 2, opposing, 18-wheelers trying to cross a narrow, two lane, concrete bridge simultaneously with a softshell biker, is a “nutcracker“. And the nut always loses.
Thanks for watching. Being a school teacher gives me time in the summer to go travelling. I'm hoping that biking is something that I can keep doing into my 70's. Ride on! If you want to keep moving then you gotta keep moving. Sounds like you have a great trip planned. Did you know there is a ferry that goes across Lake Michigan? From Manitowac, WI to Ludington, MI. In case you didn't want to go all the way around, through Chicago. I might be up around Oregon this summer, but you'll probably be out riding. Hope to see you down the road. Thanks again. The "nutcracker". Good one. Sounds painful.
Broke out into a big smile when you said, "carried two pair of blue jeans, five days' worth of food". In 1976 on my first bike tour (Bike Centennial) this NEWBIE started out with an AXE, (boy was that heavy) unwearable clothes, to much food and I wasn't carrying things that I really needed. Enjoy your straight take on things. Thanks.
I suppose when we're young our enthusiasm makes up for our inexperience. LOL! Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!! 😎
Awww these videos are fantastic. This one resonates so much with my first trip around normandy....no shorts, brown trousers, no money I lived off apples water and calvados for 3 weeks there were no local bike routes as such but the locals had a passion for bikes and touring. Tent was about 2 kg and a bulky old sleeping bag. Full of energy and young it was one of the best things I did happy days☺️30 years later I'm hooked on touring/endurance. Keep the videos coming
What fun! I can relate to your story as I made a lot of those same errors in my early forays into biking. The humor you bring to your videos is wonderful and keeps bringing me back for the next chapter in your biking story. Thanks once again for bringing us along on your adventures!
Thanks Bud. Cycling sure has changed over the years, at least for me. Do beginners today still make the same stupid mistakes I did when I was a beginner? I hope not. There are so many more resources available these days. I hope videos like this help the folks that are just starting out. Thanks again, spring is right around the corner!
What a gem! I love how concise but still relatable and fun your videos are. And it doesn't hurt that I have a lot of similar memories from my own first tour! :)
Good stories Paul, made me smile. My buddy and I went off on our first bike tour at age 15 in Junior high. We were part of a backpacking club so we had the camping equipment but also wore everything in our packs on our backs!! Ha Ha! I won't even wear one of those water packs on my back these days!! Can you imagine that today?? Our parents saying, "see you in a week" as we rode off down the road!!
Awesome video PS--brings back memories. When biking was biking, no helmets or lycra costumes. Being of very modest means( some would poor), i saved up my after school part-time job pay to buy a 10 Sears speed. I rode the crap out of that bike. Still riding today, mainly on bike paths--too many cars these days. Keep riding my friend.
Nice, thank you. Yes go ride your bike. I’m heading off on an audacious adventure cycling across Eastern Europe. Vids like yours have informed and inspired me. Ty.
There is nothing like riding a trail you have never been down before, then running into a new person and finding out that you can be of help! I always keep my head on a swivel for a new adventure or someone in need. I have never had a bad ride, just a bad attitude. Thanks Paul, I want to go ride my bike now!
Man I don't know what it is but I really like your videos. I think I like that you are refreshingly honest. Something that is really missing in UA-cam...
3:33 yeah, I was in that club all my life and now with the phone camera I can get what I want, to a small degree now in my mid-60s when all the excitement has slowed down to a trickle-tickle.
Did my first trip in 1981 I was 20-years old. I rode from Silver City, NM (home) to Palomas, Mexico, then turned around and rode solo to Albuquerque. In Albuquerque, I met my Bikecentennial group and we rode to Jasper, Canada along the continental divide. It was amazing!
Paul, these videos are great. We're the same age, although I really didn't start riding until 25, and wasn't too much an athlete in high school my body feels pretty good. Living in Chicago many great rides just out my door. Don't know if I'll ever do a tour but I enjoy watching you talk about it. Very informative. You're video's are the best!
Thanks for watching! I grew up in the NW 'burbs. We used to ride Euclid Ave to where it becomes Lake St. and follow it to Lake Michigan in Wilmette. If the weather was nice, we'd go swimming and then ride home. Riding along the lakeshore is pretty nice. Thanks again. Stay safe. Ride on!!
Came across your videos just recently as I prepare to ride Melbourne to Sydney (second attempt). First time I had to quit after two days from saddle pain, knee pain and wrist pain. Videos like yours are great inspiration for my trip but also have great info from your years of experience. Thanks!
Thanks for watching. One day I want to ride in Australia. I understand about the pains. I just started my touring season. Its rough at the start. Hang in there. Ride on.
@@paulsuchecki3985 thanks! I just came back from my trip and made it the entire way Melbourne to Sydney. Once on a railtrail I had a dog run from their owner and try to chase me, I had a decent pace already and knew from your videos if I just kept going he’d give up real quick (which was exactly what happened). I learned a lot from the trip and was a lot more prepared this time, helped also by UA-camrs like yourself (I really understand what you mean about setting realistic distances - longer days I had just aren’t as relaxed as the shorter days which were really nice). Appreciate your vids and hopefully before too long I’ll do up a video with my route that might help other people out (even looking now I can see more bits of highway I could have avoided for a more comfortable ride). Hope you can ride Australia one day as there’s a whole lot of country to see
Since retiring Im now in yr 3 of touring and truly loved this video. Fortunately, I escaped a number of your pitfalls. As someone how loves the outdoors, touring is a gift from God. Hope to run into you one day ! Cheers !
In 1981 I also graduated from high school in northern Indiana. Three days later I got on my bike with the goal to ride to Oregon. I made it to western Montana instead. I’ve always wanted to finish the trip but can’t now in my present condition .
You got much farther than I did. Sounds like a great adventure. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I hope you finish the ride one day. E-bike? Stay safe and ride on! (Sorry for the slow response).
Nice man! Already motivated but your videos get me even more hyped. I'm biking from Minneapolis to upstate new york on my first tour! Going to do a test run to Wisconsin first to see exactly what ill need for camping/eating/gear. Then the big kahuna! So freaking pumped man. Maybe I'll see you on a trail some day!
I loved hearing about your first trips. I made all those same mistakes back in the 60’s when I took my first trips. I even took along my guitar. Remember it was the sixties.
Sometimes I feel like I'm still stuck there. I don't understand all of these new gadgets anyways. But I know that if I had all that stuff when I was a kid I would have been just as hooked. What would I do without my cell phone (portable internet)? Thanks for watching!!
Subscribed. I'm 37 and leaving for my first bike tour June 1st. Leaving Gary Indiana headed to Astoria Oregon. Against all advice and after years of planning, I can't wait to get out there man.
All those points are pretty well what I went through in beginning touring 101. The best help and information I got was to ask established long distance touring cyclists and even test ride their bikes, that’s where I noticed frame rigidity, strength, gearing. At the start I tried conventional spandex cycling clothes, now a days I wear more comfortable cycling clothes. Over the years I’ve added more and better equipment to make cycling a tad easier, safer and comfortable but I still struggle on packed weight. There is stuff I don’t take and wish I had, and stuff I take and never use, I can’t seem to find the perfect mix. As for cameras I have several new action cameras that record gps location and other cycling/bio-data but I have a tendency not to turn them on or use them as I get so engrossed in the experience I don’t bother, weird eh! Keep up these videos they bring back memories of past cycling fun.
Hi I really admire your story. It makes me want to go out again. I did cross Canada trip myself in 2013 when I just turned 18. I watched the doc called Ride the Divide and it gave me so much courage. Courage is something that’s invaluable that everyone can benefit from. Awesome man!
Thanks for watching! It's a great day for coco. Spring is just around the corner, it's almost time for me to get off the couch and start riding again. Ride on!
My first tour; Bonshaw, PEI! Super over loaded, 90% good stuff but too many big tools! It was a club led tour with sag support, which I used on our way back to Sackville, NB. My bike was a Peugot Nevada drum braked MTB, nice ride.
' Me two'. 1st ride 1973,Rapid city to Wall Drug Store, Similar stories in Dakotas/Black hills.Spearfish. Mesa Arizona in 80-2012 gave dozen ridea up and out of the Valley of my son. Got photos of me on sim 10 speed while in cut off shorts n back pack in Hinesdale/Hanover Pa & NH visiting sister....
I'm in my 6th decade of life and while my knees and back don't let let me put out the power, they are still functional to take me cycle touring for about a hundred kms at a time for a few days. And repeat after a month or so. And in between, it's about 20 to 50 kms alternate days. My speeds are slow unlike in my youth. Talking of which, I used to do lots of touring on a single speed, British BSA cycle, handed down to me in the 70s, from my grand uncle who had got it in the 60s. Wow what memories! The body ages, but the spirit remains young. I find that when you go fast, you're more focused on the road ensuring you're riding or driving safe. But when you cycle, you're with the elements, taking in the sights, sounds, and everything else. ATB, That travelling guy.
It gets tougher every year, but if you want to keep moving then you have to keep moving, as my Dad would say. The older I get the more I appreciate every day of bike touring. When I was younger maybe I took for granted that I would just be able to keep riding forever. It's still a great way to travel at any age and at any pace. Keep on Travelling Guy!!
@@paulsuchecki3985 Agree. My paternal grandfather used to cycle till the age of 95. Back then, it was the mode of transport and a necessity. Those who could afford, had moved on to motorcycles and scooters, but my grandfather didn't. When asked why, his answer was, "I can get one, but so long as you pedal, you keep yourself healthy. Either you use it, or loose it. All my friends who used automobiles have gotten fat, developed DM or HT in less than six years..." Back then, he probably know what was more important.
I did my first bike tour in 1982. Had fancy new biking shoes for that trip. Bata Bikers that I got from a mail order company. Those shoes were the dope back then. To save weight I used a bivi sack instead of a tent. Had some nights from hell because of that decision. So many good stories in the years that followed. Planning a trip for this coming Summer. Will be 66 years old. Yeah!
LoL 😊 you made me laugh, Paul. That's a good thing. That means you're entertaining and informative. A lot of your advice I already knew, but, there was one thing; the backpack. From now going forward, I'll let my bike carry all the bags for me.
Make the bike carry it, don't impede the motor (you). Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and Ride on!
Reminds me of my first 3 or 4 backpacking trips. Wrong gear, unneeded gear, gear I needed, and blisters. Thank God Young means tough! "Youth is wasted on the Young". Never heard that before buy WOW is that true!!!
I'm a school teacher, I see it every day. I wonder sometimes how they can be so dumb. But then I remember, I was just as dumb at that age. An we didn't listen either. If we only knew then what we know now! LOL!!
Loved the video. So true, cycling can be a challenge. Dealt with all of these scenarios. I find being mentally prepared for those things( just expect it to happen), before they happen is so important. Liked your views on using all your senses to stay safe. Nothing drives me crazier than people who ride with headphones in their ears. They also tend to weave a bit while riding. Nice story.
Heading out shortly for a 3-day bike tour across Shimanami Kaido: 70km from Japan's main island to Shikoku, then a free day, then back. Thanks Paul, your videos are good motivation for a fellow 50-something :-)
I have not yet gone on a tour, so some of the information you offered I have not needed yet. My experience comes from decades of commuting. I cannot agree more with the information you presented about backpacks. I used to commute wearing a backpack which could get pretty heavy depending on which job I worked. My lower back eventually let me know that backpacks and bicycles don’t go well together. When I purchased racks and started putting my belongings on the bike rather than on me, my back pain went away. I only ride with a lightweight backpack when I use one now. Backpacks are more convenient in that you don’t have to unload your bike when you arrive at work, but my back says it’s worth it.
Awesome video as always Paul! Naps are good! Especially once one hits their 40's (and beyond) lol. P.S. Got a Fatbike! Giant Yukon...no touring but lots of fun in the snow. Cheers my friend 🍻🇺🇸🇨🇦
My first bike camping trip was when I was fourteen years old. I biked from Saint Paul MN to the town of Welch MN. There was a campground there where I had camped many times with my Dad. I had a Schwinn Continental with a set of canvass saddle bags and canvass tent. The distance was about fifty miles with a few big hills along the way but the worst head winds for a large part of it. I stayed at the campground for a week or so until I ran out of money. I called my dad a begged a ride back home. I kind of wish that I hadn't done that. He was kind of pissed off at me as I recall. Yeah, fourteen is kind of young but my folks knew I had a good sense of things. I did the same trip with a couple of my best friends a few years later and got a ride back home from their parents. My friends and I had dreams of biking out west after Highschool but it came to nothing. I didn't do any more bike touring until 1980 when I met up with an adventurous lady who wanted to try bike touring. She didn't know anything about it and I had but limited experience. We set out on a trip from a state park in southern MN, called Great River Bluffs, state park and rode from La Cresent MN, across the Mississippi to La Cross WI and camped out in a town park in Coon Valley WI. We spent about a week biking and camping in the Kickapoo river valley area. eventually connecting with the Sparta Elroy bike trail and back to La Cross and to our car in MN. We went on to several other adventures. Biking door county in WI. Quit our jobs and biked down from Jasper in Alberta Canada to Glacier national park. Out to the west coast and all the way down to LA After three months in Hawaii camping out on three of the islands we went back home and split up. She is still my very best and dear friend but has a life and family of her own. I've stayed with bike touring pretty much. I ridden in four week segments all the way across the US. I find true happiness out on the road, living in the now. I've now retired from thirty six years as a concrete truck driver and am looking forward to more time out on the open road. I hope I run into you somewhere out there. Good stories.
First video I've seen of yours, & you gained a new sub, what an awesome, inspiring video for us planning our first excursion. I'm also from Chicago, but been in Reno since 2006
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Riding across Nevada and Utah was like a different world. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Good advice and very good you made that trip. I barely got out to the suburbs on my too old SS Rudge before I was 19. But your bike with that crazy jacked up handlebar, I wouldn't ride around the block. WTF. I do love my similar steel swept comfort bars. My second tour I passed by 2 young guys breaking all your rules. LOL. They both had a flip flop SS wheel, small front racks above the wheel, a toptube frame bag and huge back packs. I waved from my 120 lb Rohloff14 custom bike with NO camping stuff and wearing golf clothes and steeltoe shoes. LOL. I carried ALL my regular suitcase trip ensemble on both tours. First one was to Vietnam and China, I turned 61. My front hub is a SA XL-FDD dyno drum brake. NOTHING is better, it now has 28,000 miles. Everyday I started with 3 bottles of water and 2 OJ.
Thanks for watching. Those HB's are definitely jacked up. I don't care for the look either. I think they look weird, but they allow me to ride so I don't complain too much. I've seen some crazy rigs out there too. Keep on pedalin! Stay safe. Thanks again!
Well versed. I recognise much here. My own early experience leading to great touring was made so much easier by riding with a touring club on 'day rides' which naturally led to a tour
continued - the mix of people in West Kent Cyclists Touring Club, was idyllic, their experience and willing help to new riders has been magnificent. I would do it all again, and sooner.
I've just bought a bike for touring and gathering the gear I like your upright position and wonder why more people aren't like that. I'm hoping to change my handlebars so I can be more upright. However, on my road bike I love my 'tri bars' where you can really lean forward on your arms. So that's what I'm going to try to get. Tri bars and some sore to upright handlebards so I can sit right up!
I also like riding in an upright position. It feels more comfortable with less weight on my hands and I can see the scenery better. I'm not a racer however. An upright position is probably less efficient and less aerodynamic. But the trade off works for me. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!
Good video! I live in Montana next to the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and from what I’ve heard about Cook county, living there is more an “adventure” than a bike tour, even in a place with grizzly bears. Thanks for your channel.
Thanks for watching. I'd rather be in Montana. But for a city kid like me, the wilderness can be dangerous. But nothing like the south side. Stay safe out there and ride on! 😎
So many gems in this one. Your humor and insight really shine in these videos. Keep sharing details of your earlier trips. Your stories are worth telling.
Thanks so much! I appreciate it, Nathan. Ride on Buddy!
Been there, done that. ;-) Your story made me smile, because it reminded me of my first trip in 1982. My first bike was a racing bike, equipped with a carrier and panniers. Like you I didn't have much money, so I had a cheap, heavy tent and sleeping bag. I took a boat from the Netherlands to Norway and cycled there. When I reached the mountains, I found out, like you, that my gears were not suitable for that terrain. So I had to walk quite a bit. After a week a spoke broke, I repaired it. Two days later another spoke broke, I also repaired that. The next day after that again a spoke broke. The interval between breakages got shorter and shorter until I ran out of spare spokes. I had to take a bus to a big town to get it repaired. The next year I bought a real touring bike and better camping equipment. It went much better, I cycled from Oslo to the North Cape.
I have had similar experiences with spokes breaking. I have much better wheels now and rarely have that problem any more. Your experiences mirror mine. Thanks for watching. Ride on!
Oh my gosh...I did my first bike tour in 1981 too. A friend and I took off to ride the circumference of the entire country! We didn't end up going that far, but we made it from Michigan to New Jersey to Florida to Texas, stopping to work three times along the way. We planned it so that we'd be down south in the winter and then proceeded to have record lows in the teens all the way through the panhandle of Florida! It was REALLY cold, but folks along the way saw us riding and became alarmed. Turns out we never spent a single one of those nights camping out in the cold because people gave us money for a hotel one night, paid for a little cabin the next, let us sleep in the spotless heated bathrooms at a campground (the whole place was empty except for us!), etc. All that was completely unsolicited. Folks were just naturally so kind and generous. Ended up in Houston, Texas and my friend went back up to Michigan and I stayed in Texas...for 12 years! Met and married my husband and we just had our 30th anniversary.
I also road a section of the Camino de Santiago in Spain which was wonderful (2013). Still have my Miyata 1000 with all the original components. Heavy as heck compared to today's touring bikes, but no bike ever road as smoothly on the road. Thanks for sharing!
PS - we carried WAY too much stuff on our first tour as well. Now my kit is under 25 lbs, and that's with the winter sleeping bag and wool long undies!
Thanks for watching. Sounds like a great trip. Ride on!
Some parallels to my life here, sort of. I hiked the PCT in 1977 at the age of 19. One of the first 100 to do so. Nowadays, 4-5,000 attempt every year. 40 years later, I did the AT. This year? The TransAmerica. My first bike tour. I may be a novice, but I have the mental part down. Love your videos. Great inspiration to old coots like myself.
A seasoned backpacker like yourself should have no trouble on the TransAm. You got this! Just watch out for saddle sores. Ride on!
Take home message - you went! After that it's all fun (and learning). Like you, I did a big trip in my teens. In those days you couldn't buy panniers in Canada. So, my friend and I looked in Euro bike magazines, designed panniers and a top rack back and had his Mom sew them. As they were designed around the stuff we actually had, it worked out quite well. I haven't seen a better top rack bag in 40 years. Like you, we did lots wrong - BUT we did lots right and had a life changing trip - yup, I still talk about it. And now, 40 years later? My wife is going to sew a similar bag for my rack when I set out to ride 1500 miles in the UK this summer. Sounds like a lot of miles, but you deal with the mile you're on, and suddenly the miles pile on and you're done. The hardest hill is always the one you're on at the time. I'll have to see what I do wrong this time. Thanks for your post, it brought back a flood of memories on an otherwise dull afternoon. Ahh, the older I get, the better I was. Good for you - pedal on.
Thanks for watching. Cycling gear sure has come a long way in 40 years. My first panniers were from Frostline. They were a "sew together at home kit". It's good that youngsters like us keep riding. Someone else made this comment, but I agree so much, the older I get the more I appreciate each day of bike touring. The hills are physically harder, but I approach them differently now. So they are mentally easier now, which makes them easier... if you know what I mean. My Dad used to say, "If you want to keep moving, you got to keep moving". Enjoy your summer trip. Ride safe. Pedal on!
@@paulsuchecki3985 Thanks for your reply. Although I'm Canadian I have family in Iowa, Washington DC and Arizona. Maybe I'll start from DC and end up in Des Moines some day. It looks like lots of that part of the great rail trail is done. I'm actually on a drinking team in Iowa, but they have a terrible bicycling problem (better than the other way around I guess). England and Scotland this year and maybe France the next year. Then the Great Rail Trail. Thanks for getting the gears going - I mean the ones in my head.
What I like most about Paul, is he does everything HIS way. Too many people get caught up in fashion and fancy things in their gear. We would all be wise to listen to the voice of wisdom and reason presented in this video. Thank you, Paul. I hope to see you out on the road someday!
Thanks Bryan. I hope to see you down the road too, Bro'. Ride on!
Well said Paul, plenty of wise information. I too took off young at 21 and spent 3 months riding around New Zealand. Awesome trip. Now at 62, not long back into riding, decided to splash out on a new touring bike. Tomorrow I'm heading out for a 200km practice trip with 3 overnight camps. Most of the trip will be on bike tracks and quiet dirt roads, so won't have to deal with traffic. That is a bonus.
Thanks for watching. Sounds like a great trip. Stay safe out there and Ride on!
Adventure cycling rocks... you rock.
Go ACA!! Thanks!
I went!
Best comment on the entire video! Truer words have never been spoken. When I was 17, I went as well. Six weeks on a bike in Europe! Absolutely life changing. That was a LONG time ago!
Half the battle is just showing up! My buddies were all talk and no show. Yes. Life changing! That's what they missed out on. I'm glad I went. Thanks again!
I rode from Minneapolis to Chicago when I was 22 (decades ago). I can agree with all of your points. Like any endurance sport, the more you do it, the more you hone your craft. The best advice I could give to someone is do it.
I rode from Chicago to Minneapolis. I agree, just get out there and do it. It's not that complicated and you'll figure it out. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!
I love your attitude brother!!! Adventure starts outside your front door!!!! Ride on, brothers!!! Love from Russia. South Urals and Bashkortostan!!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Greetings from the USA! Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on! 😎
I started bike touring in Eastern Massachusetts in the early '70s. It was almost all hostel to hostel touring. Like you, I didn't have the right gear. I was riding my mom's hand-me-down Raleigh touring bike with a Reynolds 531 frame with a Sturmy-Archer 3-speed with changeable rear sprockets, and a dynamo front hub. It was really high-tech when it was made in the early '50s. I wore blue jeans, t-shirts and tenny runners. I only had a backpack and a bar bag. Only the rich kids had paniers. Rain gear? An army surplus poncho. But I rode all over with friends and had great trips. Fast forward to now as I'm getting ready to start touring again. My bike weighs 18 pounds, my tent is 2 pounds, my down sleeping quilt is one pound, etc. All up, my bike, and all the gear I'll carry, will weigh about the same as my first bike by itself. How times have changed. And it's a good thing too as I certainly haven't gotten any younger.
Its a good thing we just didn't know any better in those days. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road. Ride on!
I had to laugh... I saw myself in much of what was said!
I was in my late 20s in the mid-80s when I did my first trip... I had a long hours, high stress job with upper management that was ethically challenged. I called a friend of mine on his private line at his bicycle shop early on a Saturday morning before he opened. I was in my office... It was mid-December in upstate NY. I told him I was going to do a bicycle trip. To humor me he invited me over to his house on Sunday evening so we could draw up an equipment list. Monday morning I quit and called my friend and asked him if he had ordered the stuff yet. His response was "You're serious!" My response was "Yeah, I quit." Quitting also meant giving up my company car so I walked to a travel agency and bought a one-way ticket to FL three weeks in the future. From there I walked to my friend's bicycle shop, showed him my ticket and said I'm leaving on January 8th (as I recall). For the next three weeks I scrambled to get equipment... all I had was a bike. New tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, stove, cook kit, panniers, bar bag, cycling clothes, cycling shoes, etc. Most all of the gear was Cannondale (they had tents, sleeping bags, panniers, etc. in those days).
My aunt agreed to pick me up at Tampa International Airport. I recall her asking me what route I was taking... "I don't know, I'm going north." Then she asked if I had any maps.... "No." I figured out how to pack the bike in the Florida room of her house and joined AAA to get free maps and travelers checks. Stayed there for a week or so visiting and taking day rides and then took off!
I ended up riding from Treasure Island, around Tampa Bay down the Tamiani Trail to Miami, out into the Everglades back country, to Key West, and then zig zagged my way north as the weather broke. Hit places like Daytona Beach (during Bike Week!), St. Augustine, FL; Charlotee, NC; Williamsburg, VA; Lancaster, PA; and picked up Rte 209 north. Three months and over 3,100 miles later I ended up riding my last 108 miles in a light snow storm.
Yeah... I'm still talking about it! Thirty six years later I'm still at it too... Did a couple 1,500+ mile trips and a couple 400+ mile trips in the past 12 years and if the stars align I'll be doing another 1,000-1,500 mile trip this year. I took my sons on 1,500+ mile trips when they were each aged 15. They were different kids when we finished. They understand perseverance and how you can take something that seems overwhelming and break it down into small pieces. Essentially actualizing the Chinese proverb "A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step.”
The similarities in our stories (though I was better equipped coming out of the gate) makes me wonder if there is some contagion we picked up while sleeping on the ground during our first trip. If so, may it spread uninhibited! 😉
Keep on riding, Bro'. We are kindred spirits. And I have described my bike touring obsession to my wife as a disease I caught. LOL! Sometimes life calls and you have to answer. I'm getting ready to quit my job as well. Hope to see you down the road! 😁
great story!
You're awesome, thanks for sharing. Would love to hear more stories from your adventures!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it! I'm out touring right now. When I get home I have some editing to do. May be a few weeks. Thanks again. 😎
YES!! SUSCRIBED!!! right first off don't ever change, everything is perfect, presentation wise, the storytelling, the humour, the setting
I love it, thank you for taking the time to edit, upload n stuff, all very interesting and entertaining
, well done
Welcome aboard! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it!😎✌
Paul, I just can’t watch one of your vlogs without a big, uncontrollable smile on my face. This biology-chemistry-major-turned-67 yo MD just appreciates your understated humor, and unpretentious and straightforward approach to biking. I suspect it applies to your approach to life and love too. You seem like the kind of guy with whom it would be a joy to spend a couple hours around a campfire or a covered picnic table in a rainstorm. You’re a school teacher, yeah?
I got my Cycling merit badge in Boy Scouts in the early 70s, had my bike stolen in California in the 80s post-residency, and just got back into biking about 15 years ago. That cycling zygote has transformed into a multi-cellular, bike touring/packing organism. Mitosis is good. Thankfully I have an understanding wife. I did the ACA transcontinental solo in 2020 and I’m completing the border to border GDMBR this summer. I don’t know if you’re into small group touring, but if you’re ever out this way in Oregon, give me a heads up and we’ll lose a little tire tread together. Aside from gravel rails-to-trails, do you ever do any off-road bike packing? Also, I’m looking to do a modified northern tier from Oregon across Central Idaho, Wyoming, the Cowboy Trail in Nebraska, Ragbrai, then up Wisconsin around Lake Michigan, Ontario and the Erie Canal to Maine in a year or so. Any suggestions? Keith
BTW, my term for 2, opposing, 18-wheelers trying to cross a narrow, two lane, concrete bridge simultaneously with a softshell biker, is a “nutcracker“. And the nut always loses.
Thanks for watching. Being a school teacher gives me time in the summer to go travelling. I'm hoping that biking is something that I can keep doing into my 70's. Ride on! If you want to keep moving then you gotta keep moving. Sounds like you have a great trip planned. Did you know there is a ferry that goes across Lake Michigan? From Manitowac, WI to Ludington, MI. In case you didn't want to go all the way around, through Chicago. I might be up around Oregon this summer, but you'll probably be out riding. Hope to see you down the road. Thanks again.
The "nutcracker". Good one. Sounds painful.
Broke out into a big smile when you said, "carried two pair of blue jeans, five days' worth of food". In 1976 on my first bike tour (Bike Centennial) this NEWBIE started out with an AXE, (boy was that heavy) unwearable clothes, to much food and I wasn't carrying things that I really needed. Enjoy your straight take on things. Thanks.
I suppose when we're young our enthusiasm makes up for our inexperience. LOL! Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!! 😎
Awww these videos are fantastic. This one resonates so much with my first trip around normandy....no shorts, brown trousers, no money I lived off apples water and calvados for 3 weeks there were no local bike routes as such but the locals had a passion for bikes and touring. Tent was about 2 kg and a bulky old sleeping bag. Full of energy and young it was one of the best things I did happy days☺️30 years later I'm hooked on touring/endurance. Keep the videos coming
Sounds like a great adventure!! We like the same things. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
What fun! I can relate to your story as I made a lot of those same errors in my early forays into biking. The humor you bring to your videos is wonderful and keeps bringing me back for the next chapter in your biking story. Thanks once again for bringing us along on your adventures!
Thanks Bud. Cycling sure has changed over the years, at least for me. Do beginners today still make the same stupid mistakes I did when I was a beginner? I hope not. There are so many more resources available these days. I hope videos like this help the folks that are just starting out. Thanks again, spring is right around the corner!
You are so laid back ,cool, kind and inspirational.Thanks!!
I appreciate that! Thanks for watching. Ride on!
What a gem! I love how concise but still relatable and fun your videos are. And it doesn't hurt that I have a lot of similar memories from my own first tour! :)
Love that! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
That was Great!! From one old guy biker to another, thanks for sharing with us!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it! Stay safe and Ride on!!
Good stories Paul, made me smile. My buddy and I went off on our first bike tour at age 15 in Junior high. We were part of a backpacking club so we had the camping equipment but also wore everything in our packs on our backs!! Ha Ha! I won't even wear one of those water packs on my back these days!! Can you imagine that today?? Our parents saying, "see you in a week" as we rode off down the road!!
My first bike tour was life changing. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
I have watched this a few times in the last year and enjoy it each time. Thanks.
Sorry about the slow response. Been out biking. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!
Love your channel. Keep them coming.
Thank you! Will do! More to come.
Great video, I am amazed to see that even though traveling has never been so cheap and easy, you stuck to the bicycle. Kudos and tailwinds to you...
Cycling is more fun and I get more exercise. Thanks for watching!
Awesome video PS--brings back memories. When biking was biking, no helmets or lycra costumes. Being of very modest means( some would poor), i saved up my after school part-time job pay to buy a 10 Sears speed. I rode the crap out of that bike. Still riding today, mainly on bike paths--too many cars these days. Keep riding my friend.
Well said! Keep it simple and ride. Thanks for watching.
Man i just feel happy watching this , i don't know why , i never plan to do bike ing but seeing you tell me the story' makes me happy
Thanks for watching! I appreciate it. I'm glad you like it.
I'm going on my first bike tour! I'm 33 and my first tour will be cross country!
These videos are so helpful!
Stay safe out there. Hope to see you down the road!! Ride on!😎
Nice, thank you. Yes go ride your bike. I’m heading off on an audacious adventure cycling across Eastern Europe. Vids like yours have informed and inspired me. Ty.
Have a great trip! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!
Thanks for sharing. Even as an experienced tour rider. I enjoy your stories and yes, I too shared many of the same lessons and help along the way.
Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it.. Hope to see you on the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Getting Tuned my bike for the first tour, just Toronto to Niagara Falls.I love watching your videos❤
Sounds great! Have fun. Thanks for watching. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
There is nothing like riding a trail you have never been down before, then running into a new person and finding out that you can be of help! I always keep my head on a swivel for a new adventure or someone in need. I have never had a bad ride, just a bad attitude. Thanks Paul, I want to go ride my bike now!
Couldn't agree more! Thanks again. Ride on!
Love the delivery of these videos, so amusing, great humour. Thanks touring dude from a touring dude in England.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching. Keep on pedaling!!😎
Man I don't know what it is but I really like your videos. I think I like that you are refreshingly honest. Something that is really missing in UA-cam...
Thanks for watching. I appreciate the cool comment! 😎
I am really enjoying these videos Paul! Thanks for your labor of love!
Glad you like them! I hope to keep making more. Thanks again!
3:33 yeah, I was in that club all my life and now with the phone camera I can get what I want, to a small degree now in my mid-60s when all the excitement has slowed down to a trickle-tickle.
At first, I didn't care about recording my rides. Now, making the videos is half the fun.
Did my first trip in 1981 I was 20-years old. I rode from Silver City, NM (home) to Palomas, Mexico, then turned around and rode solo to Albuquerque. In Albuquerque, I met my Bikecentennial group and we rode to Jasper, Canada along the continental divide. It was amazing!
Thanks for watching. Sounds like a great ride. Keep on pedaling!
Paul, these videos are great. We're the same age, although I really didn't start riding until 25, and wasn't too much an athlete in high school my body feels pretty good. Living in Chicago many great rides just out my door. Don't know if I'll ever do a tour but I enjoy watching you talk about it. Very informative. You're video's are the best!
Thanks for watching! I grew up in the NW 'burbs. We used to ride Euclid Ave to where it becomes Lake St. and follow it to Lake Michigan in Wilmette. If the weather was nice, we'd go swimming and then ride home. Riding along the lakeshore is pretty nice. Thanks again. Stay safe. Ride on!!
You inspire me. Thank you.Cheers from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Greetings from the USA. 😎
This is great. I rode Adventure Cycling California to Florida and you are "on target" with everything. You remind me of me.
Thanks for watching! Glad you like it.
Came across your videos just recently as I prepare to ride Melbourne to Sydney (second attempt). First time I had to quit after two days from saddle pain, knee pain and wrist pain.
Videos like yours are great inspiration for my trip but also have great info from your years of experience. Thanks!
Thanks for watching. One day I want to ride in Australia. I understand about the pains. I just started my touring season. Its rough at the start. Hang in there. Ride on.
@@paulsuchecki3985 thanks! I just came back from my trip and made it the entire way Melbourne to Sydney. Once on a railtrail I had a dog run from their owner and try to chase me, I had a decent pace already and knew from your videos if I just kept going he’d give up real quick (which was exactly what happened). I learned a lot from the trip and was a lot more prepared this time, helped also by UA-camrs like yourself (I really understand what you mean about setting realistic distances - longer days I had just aren’t as relaxed as the shorter days which were really nice).
Appreciate your vids and hopefully before too long I’ll do up a video with my route that might help other people out (even looking now I can see more bits of highway I could have avoided for a more comfortable ride). Hope you can ride Australia one day as there’s a whole lot of country to see
I'm 65 and my hot coco is on the stove. "Really" LOL I enjoyed listening to your story.
Glad you enjoyed it. The story and the coco. 😁
Since retiring Im now in yr 3 of touring and truly loved this video. Fortunately, I escaped a number of your pitfalls. As someone how loves the outdoors, touring is a gift from God. Hope to run into you one day ! Cheers !
Well said! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great talk, right on target ! It’s about getting out there and peddling and you still have the hunger 🚴♀️🚴♀️🚴♀️
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!😎✌
In 1981 I also graduated from high school in northern Indiana. Three days later I got on my bike with the goal to ride to Oregon. I made it to western Montana instead. I’ve always wanted to finish the trip but can’t now in my present condition .
You got much farther than I did. Sounds like a great adventure. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I hope you finish the ride one day. E-bike? Stay safe and ride on! (Sorry for the slow response).
Nice man! Already motivated but your videos get me even more hyped. I'm biking from Minneapolis to upstate new york on my first tour! Going to do a test run to Wisconsin first to see exactly what ill need for camping/eating/gear. Then the big kahuna! So freaking pumped man. Maybe I'll see you on a trail some day!
Thanks for watching. Sounds like a great trip. Stay safe and I hope to see you down the road! 😎
I loved hearing about your first trips. I made all those same mistakes back in the 60’s when I took my first trips. I even took along my guitar. Remember it was the sixties.
Things were simpler then. Fewer choice, we just went and made the most of it. Thanks.
I hope you didn't play it while you were riding.
I wasn’t that good of a player. Fifty years later and I’m still not that good of a player.
Wow! This brought back memories. Thanks amigo.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!😎
Ahhh the 80's.....Just hop on the bike and ride, no cell phones or anything to distract your mind. Just the scenery to take up all your time.......
Sometimes I feel like I'm still stuck there. I don't understand all of these new gadgets anyways. But I know that if I had all that stuff when I was a kid I would have been just as hooked. What would I do without my cell phone (portable internet)? Thanks for watching!!
Thanks you for passing down the knowledge 🙌🏽‼️ getting ready to hit the souther tier next month
Sorry about the slow response. Been out biking. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Sounds like a great plan. Stay safe and ride on!😎
Subscribed. I'm 37 and leaving for my first bike tour June 1st. Leaving Gary Indiana headed to Astoria Oregon. Against all advice and after years of planning, I can't wait to get out there man.
Welcome aboard! Thanks for the support. Have an adventure. Stay safe. Hope to see you down the road!
Great video. My first bike "tour" was in 1989 I was 25. I biked the C & O canal trail. I was hurting the first day, lol We biked 60+ miles that day.
Sounds like a great 1st bike tour! I love the C&O. Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Priceless.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it.
You make a good presenter, Mr. Suchecki. Greetings from the U.K, and thanks for this engaging upload.
Thank you Mr. Freeman. I really appreciate it! Greetings from the USA 🇺🇸. Ride on!
Great story and great storytelling! Thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it!
Paul thank you for sharing the great story. Going to invite a good fishing buddy on a long one. Take care. Keith
Thanks for watching. Have a great trip ansd stay safe.
Thanks for this Paul. I'm about your age and planning my first bike tour for this fall. Lots of good insight here.
Thanks for watching. Stay safe and Ride on!
Thank you Paul. Your videos are always enjoyable!
Glad you like them! Thanks for watching.
All those points are pretty well what I went through in beginning touring 101. The best help and information I got was to ask established long distance touring cyclists and even test ride their bikes, that’s where I noticed frame rigidity, strength, gearing. At the start I tried conventional spandex cycling clothes, now a days I wear more comfortable cycling clothes. Over the years I’ve added more and better equipment to make cycling a tad easier, safer and comfortable but I still struggle on packed weight.
There is stuff I don’t take and wish I had, and stuff I take and never use, I can’t seem to find the perfect mix.
As for cameras I have several new action cameras that record gps location and other cycling/bio-data but I have a tendency not to turn them on or use them as I get so engrossed in the experience I don’t bother, weird eh!
Keep up these videos they bring back memories of past cycling fun.
Thanks for watching. Sounds great. Stay safe and ride on!
Hi I really admire your story. It makes me want to go out again.
I did cross Canada trip myself in 2013 when I just turned 18.
I watched the doc called Ride the Divide and it gave me so much courage. Courage is something that’s invaluable that everyone can benefit from.
Awesome man!
Thanks for watching. Courage makes all the difference. Ride on!! 😎
Another great video! Love the storytelling! I hope you had the coco!
Thanks for watching! It's a great day for coco. Spring is just around the corner, it's almost time for me to get off the couch and start riding again. Ride on!
My first tour; Bonshaw, PEI! Super over loaded, 90% good stuff but too many big tools! It was a club led tour with sag support, which I used on our way back to Sackville, NB. My bike was a Peugot Nevada drum braked MTB, nice ride.
We live and learn... and somehow get through it! Thanks for watching!
' Me two'. 1st ride 1973,Rapid city to Wall Drug Store, Similar stories in Dakotas/Black hills.Spearfish. Mesa Arizona in 80-2012 gave dozen ridea up and out of the Valley of my son. Got photos of me on sim 10 speed while in cut off shorts n back pack in Hinesdale/Hanover Pa & NH visiting sister....
We went with what we had. Keep pedaling!
I'm in my 6th decade of life and while my knees and back don't let let me put out the power, they are still functional to take me cycle touring for about a hundred kms at a time for a few days. And repeat after a month or so. And in between, it's about 20 to 50 kms alternate days. My speeds are slow unlike in my youth. Talking of which, I used to do lots of touring on a single speed, British BSA cycle, handed down to me in the 70s, from my grand uncle who had got it in the 60s.
Wow what memories! The body ages, but the spirit remains young. I find that when you go fast, you're more focused on the road ensuring you're riding or driving safe. But when you cycle, you're with the elements, taking in the sights, sounds, and everything else.
ATB,
That travelling guy.
It gets tougher every year, but if you want to keep moving then you have to keep moving, as my Dad would say. The older I get the more I appreciate every day of bike touring. When I was younger maybe I took for granted that I would just be able to keep riding forever. It's still a great way to travel at any age and at any pace. Keep on Travelling Guy!!
@@paulsuchecki3985 Agree. My paternal grandfather used to cycle till the age of 95. Back then, it was the mode of transport and a necessity. Those who could afford, had moved on to motorcycles and scooters, but my grandfather didn't. When asked why, his answer was, "I can get one, but so long as you pedal, you keep yourself healthy. Either you use it, or loose it. All my friends who used automobiles have gotten fat, developed DM or HT in less than six years..." Back then, he probably know what was more important.
Wow, sounds a lot like my first tour in 1975. Sure wish I still had a photo to see if my memory was correct.
I wish I had a photo of my first tour too. But I didn't have a camera. It would probably make me laugh.
What a great reminiscence! Thanks for sharing! I'm 62 and (still) planning for my first self-supported trip :-(
Thanks for watching! Stay safe out there. Ride on! 😎
I did my first bike tour in 1982. Had fancy new biking shoes for that trip. Bata Bikers that I got from a mail order company. Those shoes were the dope back then. To save weight I used a bivi sack instead of a tent. Had some nights from hell because of that decision. So many good stories in the years that followed. Planning a trip for this coming Summer. Will be 66 years old. Yeah!
Sounds great! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
LoL 😊 you made me laugh, Paul. That's a good thing. That means you're entertaining and informative. A lot of your advice I already knew, but, there was one thing; the backpack. From now going forward, I'll let my bike carry all the bags for me.
Make the bike carry it, don't impede the motor (you). Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and Ride on!
Thanks for another adventure.
Thanks again!
Reminds me of my first 3 or 4 backpacking trips. Wrong gear, unneeded gear, gear I needed, and blisters. Thank God Young means tough!
"Youth is wasted on the Young". Never heard that before buy WOW is that true!!!
I'm a school teacher, I see it every day. I wonder sometimes how they can be so dumb. But then I remember, I was just as dumb at that age. An we didn't listen either. If we only knew then what we know now! LOL!!
Thanks a lot for sharing that experience !
Thanks for watching. I appreciate it!
Great reminiscent video just reminds me how powerful bikes are and how many adventures they can take you too
So true! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Loved the video. So true, cycling can be a challenge. Dealt with all of these scenarios. I find being mentally prepared for those things( just expect it to happen), before they happen is so important. Liked your views on using all your senses to stay safe. Nothing drives me crazier than people who ride with headphones in their ears. They also tend to weave a bit while riding. Nice story.
Thanks for watching. I appreciate it! Riding all day with headphones gives me headache.
Great advice from another old guy on a steel bike, thanks!
No problem 👍 Keep on pedaling!!
Heading out shortly for a 3-day bike tour across Shimanami Kaido: 70km from Japan's main island to Shikoku, then a free day, then back. Thanks Paul, your videos are good motivation for a fellow 50-something :-)
Sounds great! Have a great ride!!
😂 funny and informative at the same time ! Thanks for the tips!
Any time! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe out there!😎
I have not yet gone on a tour, so some of the information you offered I have not needed yet. My experience comes from decades of commuting. I cannot agree more with the information you presented about backpacks. I used to commute wearing a backpack which could get pretty heavy depending on which job I worked. My lower back eventually let me know that backpacks and bicycles don’t go well together. When I purchased racks and started putting my belongings on the bike rather than on me, my back pain went away. I only ride with a lightweight backpack when I use one now. Backpacks are more convenient in that you don’t have to unload your bike when you arrive at work, but my back says it’s worth it.
Thanks for watching. Sounds great. Ride on!
My first real cycle tour was in PEI with a tempestuous partner... but the next was in Europe solo. Both trips were good. Thanks for the videos.
Thanks for watching. Ride on!
I graduated in 1981 also! Keep up the videos. You have a great presentation style.
Second to none, the class of '81. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
#1 thing I did right - I went. Great statement!
That's right! Half of life is just showing up. Ride on!!
Awesome video as always Paul! Naps are good! Especially once one hits their 40's (and beyond) lol. P.S. Got a Fatbike! Giant Yukon...no touring but lots of fun in the snow. Cheers my friend 🍻🇺🇸🇨🇦
Hey, watch the old guy wisecracks, or I'll wack you with my cane! LOL!! (when I get one). Have fun in the snow. Thanks again. Ride on!🤣
Great video and advice! Even for a motorcyclist like me! "Just go do it!"
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!
There is always a time for 1'st. Thanks for sharing 🙂
You got that right! Thanks for watching. 😎
My first bike camping trip was when I was fourteen years old. I biked from Saint Paul MN to the town of Welch MN. There was a campground there where I had camped many times with my Dad. I had a Schwinn Continental with a set of canvass saddle bags and canvass tent. The distance was about fifty miles with a few big hills along the way but the worst head winds for a large part of it. I stayed at the campground for a week or so until I ran out of money. I called my dad a begged a ride back home. I kind of wish that I hadn't done that. He was kind of pissed off at me as I recall. Yeah, fourteen is kind of young but my folks knew I had a good sense of things. I did the same trip with a couple of my best friends a few years later and got a ride back home from their parents. My friends and I had dreams of biking out west after Highschool but it came to nothing. I didn't do any more bike touring until 1980 when I met up with an adventurous lady who wanted to try bike touring. She didn't know anything about it and I had but limited experience. We set out on a trip from a state park in southern MN, called Great River Bluffs, state park and rode from La Cresent MN, across the Mississippi to La Cross WI and camped out in a town park in Coon Valley WI. We spent about a week biking and camping in the Kickapoo river valley area. eventually connecting with the Sparta Elroy bike trail and back to La Cross and to our car in MN. We went on to several other adventures. Biking door county in WI. Quit our jobs and biked down from Jasper in Alberta Canada to Glacier national park. Out to the west coast and all the way down to LA After three months in Hawaii camping out on three of the islands we went back home and split up. She is still my very best and dear friend but has a life and family of her own. I've stayed with bike touring pretty much. I ridden in four week segments all the way across the US. I find true happiness out on the road, living in the now. I've now retired from thirty six years as a concrete truck driver and am looking forward to more time out on the open road. I hope I run into you somewhere out there. Good stories.
Thanks. Sounds like a great trip. Stay safe out there!
First video I've seen of yours, & you gained a new sub, what an awesome, inspiring video for us planning our first excursion.
I'm also from Chicago, but been in Reno since 2006
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Riding across Nevada and Utah was like a different world. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video. Great story. Thanks for sharing that.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
That’s really inspiring. Your tips are very useful. I am planning to do a bike tour in the immediate future !
Have fun! Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road!
Good advice and very good you made that trip. I barely got out to the suburbs on my too old SS Rudge before I was 19. But your bike with that crazy jacked up handlebar, I wouldn't ride around the block. WTF. I do love my similar steel swept comfort bars.
My second tour I passed by 2 young guys breaking all your rules. LOL. They both had a flip flop SS wheel, small front racks above the wheel, a toptube frame bag and huge back packs. I waved from my 120 lb Rohloff14 custom bike with NO camping stuff and wearing golf clothes and steeltoe shoes. LOL.
I carried ALL my regular suitcase trip ensemble on both tours. First one was to Vietnam and China, I turned 61. My front hub is a SA XL-FDD dyno drum brake. NOTHING is better, it now has 28,000 miles.
Everyday I started with 3 bottles of water and 2 OJ.
Thanks for watching. Those HB's are definitely jacked up. I don't care for the look either. I think they look weird, but they allow me to ride so I don't complain too much. I've seen some crazy rigs out there too. Keep on pedalin! Stay safe. Thanks again!
Thanks for the practical info.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching. Stay safe and ride on!
Thank you excellent presentation
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Well versed. I recognise much here. My own early experience leading to great touring was made so much easier by riding with a touring club on 'day rides' which naturally led to a tour
continued - the mix of people in West Kent Cyclists Touring Club, was idyllic, their experience and willing help to new riders has been magnificent. I would do it all again, and sooner.
Well said! Sounds great. Ride on!!
I've just bought a bike for touring and gathering the gear I like your upright position and wonder why more people aren't like that. I'm hoping to change my handlebars so I can be more upright. However, on my road bike I love my 'tri bars' where you can really lean forward on your arms. So that's what I'm going to try to get. Tri bars and some sore to upright handlebards so I can sit right up!
I also like riding in an upright position. It feels more comfortable with less weight on my hands and I can see the scenery better. I'm not a racer however. An upright position is probably less efficient and less aerodynamic. But the trade off works for me. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!
Good on you for going solo the first time around!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on! (Sorry for the slow response).
Awesome. Keep sharing stories man
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Ride on!!
Good video! I live in Montana next to the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and from what I’ve heard about Cook county, living there is more an “adventure” than a bike tour, even in a place with grizzly bears. Thanks for your channel.
Thanks for watching. I'd rather be in Montana. But for a city kid like me, the wilderness can be dangerous. But nothing like the south side. Stay safe out there and ride on! 😎
Really enjoy your videos, so much good, practical information presented with personality. Keep it up.
Thanks for watching. Ride on.
Informative and hilarious. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Paul that was great advice .It is hot today in Maine and the traffic is to much .
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and cool out there and ride on!!
LOL, you're great! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching. I appreciate it!