My 1st Bike Tour: 5 Things I Did Wrong, 4 Things I Did Right and 3 Things I Could've Done Better
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- Опубліковано 2 сер 2024
- On my 1st bike tour in 1981 I was 17 years old and I rode from my home in the Chicago suburbs to my uncle's house in Minnesota. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I went anyways. I have learned a great deal over the years. Looking back I can identify at least 5 things I did wrong, 4 things I did right and 3 things I could have done better. I learned from other bikers that I met along the way. Over the years my methods have changed a lot. If you're planning your 1st bike tour, check this out and learn from some of my mistakes. Thanks!
Read:
Basic Illustrated Bike Touring and Bike Packing amzn.to/3tJvsrQ
Links to some of my gear:
Arkel Panniers shrsl.com/3cpv0
Trek Bicycles www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
Nashbar www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
REI www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
Showers Pass Rain Jacket www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
Eastern Mountain Sports shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=122878...
CampingMaxx shrsl.com/3cpv8
Nutcase Helmets www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
DJI Mini Mavic 2 Drone click.dji.com/AM-S2JEjSgJqaed...
DJI Pocket 2 Gimbal 4K Camera click.dji.com/ACnREPXCP7MUfwY...
Wald 1066 Handlebars amzn.to/3fLRHVH
RedShift Shock Absorbing Handlebar Stem amzn.to/3IBu3If
Cateye Velo 9 Bike Computer amzn.to/3AhqDag
Terry Liberator Y Men's Bike Saddle amzn.to/3FNp0Cq
High Visibility Vest amzn.to/3rFgIrw
Reflective Safety Triangle amzn.to/32kJN2M
MSR Pocket Rocket Ultralight Camp Stove amzn.to/3AdNB26
Sea to Summit Bowl amzn.to/3AhqDag
Canon M50 Mirrorless Camera amzn.to/3tIEIwy
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Neewer Compact Travel Tripod amzn.to/3qLalTW
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!! 😎
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! 😎
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
You are so laid back ,cool, kind and inspirational.Thanks!!
I appreciate that! Thanks for watching. Ride on!
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!😎✌
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. 😎
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. 😁
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!
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.
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!!
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!
Adventure cycling rocks... you rock.
Go ACA!! Thanks!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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).
Love your channel. Keep them coming.
Thank you! Will do! More to come.
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!!
Thank you Paul. Your videos are always enjoyable!
Glad you like them! 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 am really enjoying these videos Paul! Thanks for your labor of love!
Glad you like them! I hope to keep making more. Thanks again!
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! 😎
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.
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'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!😎
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!
Paul, another great video!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks again!
Thank you! You are an inspiration!
Wow, thank you! 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!
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 a lot for sharing that experience !
Thanks for watching. I appreciate it!
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!!😎
love your vids Paul, i'm off on a bike ride now, thanks for sharing
Thanks! Have fun. 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!!
Thanks for the practical info.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching. Stay safe and ride on!
As always great video.
Thanks again! I appreciate it.
I love this!
Thanks!!
Really enjoy your videos, so much good, practical information presented with personality. Keep it up.
Thanks for watching. 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!!😎
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.
Awesome. Keep sharing stories man
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Ride on!!
Really enjoying your videos!
Awesome, thank you! Glad you like 'em.
Informative and hilarious. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
That’s sooo awesome 😂 Love that
Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!
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!😎
Hello Paul; Your videos are the best. I love bike touring
Awesome! Thanks for watching. Ride on!
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!!
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!
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! 😎
Great video. Great story. Thanks for sharing that.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
You have great videos. Funny and informative
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
😂 funny and informative at the same time ! Thanks for the tips!
Any time! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe out there!😎
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 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.
Priceless.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for another adventure.
Thanks again!
You inspire me. Thank you.Cheers from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Greetings from the USA. 😎
Great story and great storytelling! Thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it!
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!😎
Came across your videos a few days ago and really enjoying them.
Thanks for watching. I appreciate it!
Fantastic!
Many thanks!
I like your style. Happy trails👍🚲🚲
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Ride on!! 😎
How cool dude! I can totally relate
Thanks for watching. I appreciate it!
Great story telling!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.
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!🤣
Thank you excellent presentation
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
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!
I love your humor and overall atitude ❤
Thanks! I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
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.
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!😎✌
So relatable!
Thanks!
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!!
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!
There is always a time for 1'st. Thanks for sharing 🙂
You got that right! Thanks for watching. 😎
Your best video yet.
Thanks!
Hot cocoa and a nap! Hilarious! I'd like to meet you some day, Paul. Your videos are the best.
Thanks, I appreciate it! Hope to see you down the road! 😎
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!!
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!!
Fantastic
Thanks!!
👍 Good stuff!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!😎
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!!
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!! 😎
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
Great tips. 😃
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. 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!!
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