In the early 1990′s, there weren’t nearly as many available touring bike models as there are today. It was during this time that mountain bikes were becoming mainstream and the image of the rough and tough off-road rider was attracting first-time cyclists to the sport/activity in a way that had never occurred before.

At the time, the touring bicycle was at the opposite end of the cycling spectrum and hidden in the shadow of the mountain bike. The touring bike, therefore, was a minority purchase.

For British cyclists in the 1990′s, there were two main touring bikes to choose from:  The Raleigh Randonneur and the Dawes Galaxy. Both were iconic touring bicycles with steel frames and forks, Brooks leather saddles, Continental tires, and paint jobs that would never go out of fashion. But here we are in the 21^st century: The Raleigh Randonneur is no longer and Dawes now sells three different models of the Galaxy touring bike.

The question is… What makes the Dawes Galaxy such a popular seller? How does its design compliment the long-distance cyclist? Does the Galaxy truly live up to its reputation? And most importantly, should you purchase one for yourself?

What Makes The Dawes Galaxy Ideal For Bicycle Touring?

The Dawes Galaxy family, which today includes the Galaxy, Super Galaxy, and Ultra Galaxy, is a range of off-the-peg touring bikes that are ready to use straight off the showroom floor. Manufactured in the far east, but sold mainly in the UK, they come equipped with rear carriers (also known as “racks”), mudguards (“fenders”), bottle cages and are fitted with a group set that, even at the lowest price point, is capable of handling any terrain. After purchasing a Galaxy for yourself, just add a set of panniers and you’re ready to hit the road!

Similar to most touring bike models, Dawes uses steel framesets (frames) on their bicycles; Reynolds 631 butted tubing on the Galaxy and Super Galaxy, and Reynolds 853 butted tubing on the Ultra Galaxy. Steel is a good choice for touring bike models because it gives riders a comfortable yet responsive ride with the bonus that running repairs are a possibility if the worst were to happen and your frame were to crack or break. ‘Butted’ simply means that the frame tubes are thicker at the ends where they are welded together (which makes the weld stronger) and thinner in the middle (which saves weight). If you tap a butted tube with your finger, for example, the sound changes as you move from thick to thin tubing.

Every frameset in the Galaxy range has braze-on mountings for front and rear carriers, mudguards and water bottle cages. These ready-made fixing points offer a secure home for heavily laden carriers and almost anything else you might like to bolt on. All models have two bottle cage fittings, with an option for another below the down tube – a handy place to put the fuel for your cooking stove.

A Tubus carrier is fitted on the rear of each bicycle. These are super high-quality racks normally only seen as an aftermarket purchase, but come included with each Galaxy model.

The Galaxy’s chromoly front fork is ready to accept a front carrier if necessary (but a front rack is not included with each bike). That said, anyone contemplating a self-supported tour would be wise to consider fitting front carriers as they not only they let you carry more gear, but they make the bike more stable, and therefore easier to ride.

Finally, a pair of SKS full-length mudguards help to keep you and the bicycle clean.

The wheels, brakes and drive train on the Dawes Galaxy are also designed with the long haul in mind. After a good quality frame, all bikes benefit from a good pair of wheels. With touring bikes, reliability is the overall aim of the wheel builder as the fatigue that heavy loads and rough roads bring to these components is the touring cyclist’s greatest problem. Even the basic Galaxy has Shimano hubs, stainless steel spokes and double wall alloy rims. In an effort to make the ride more comfortable, and to offer a little insurance to the wheels, the bicycle’s tires are wider than what you find on a traditional road bike, which helps the bike to carry your extra weight and absorb bumps in the road. Finally, all three Galaxy models are equipped with 700×32 Schwalbe Marathon tires. The Schwalbe Marathon is a popular choice among long-distance riders because of their reliability and low wear rate.

The basic Galaxy has a Deore rear derailleur married to a pair of Dura Ace bar end shifters, whilst both the Super Galaxy and the Ultra Galaxy have Tiagra STI gear levers and upgraded front and rear derailleurs. The gear shifters mounted on the bars are great for first time cyclo-tourists because you can still control the bike while changing gear. One of the first surprises that newcomers get is how unwieldy a fully laden bike feels; leaving go of the handlebars is initially a very daunting maneuver.

All three Galaxy models have Shimano cantilever brakes and wide ratio chain sets. Cantilever brakes derived from mountain bikes are the ideal choice for a heavy bike, and naturally a wide range of gear ratios are welcome too. The Shimano chain sets used on the Galaxy and Super Galaxy have ratios of 48/36/26 and the nine speeds rear cog is 11-32, giving a low gear of 21.5”, which should get you up any gradient. The Ultra Galaxy has an upgraded Sugino chain set with slightly higher ratios.

Does The Galaxy Really Come Tour Ready?

While any bike can usually fulfill a number of roles, the Galaxy has the potential to take on most tasks. Okay, it isn’t brilliant as a mountain bike, but as a commuting bike it excels; comfortable, weatherproof, it can carry all your shopping or clothes or laptop, and its not that slow either.

The Galaxy touring bikes do come ready to ride. You won’t have to buy pedals, a rear rack, bottle cages or mudguards. But keep in mind that there are three different models in the range and that the higher up in the range you go, the better these extra add-ons become. The Ultra Galaxy, for example, has the highest quality frame and the best components/equipment.

In order for the Galaxy to truly be tour ready you will need to buy panniers and a handlebar bag or a trailer. A set of lights would be a smart addition as well.

How Can You Purchase A Dawes Galaxy?

Apart from the USA, where there is a brand of the same name, Dawes has distributors in most countries. If there isn’t one where you live, FreeFlow Bikes in Glasgow is the company’s main exporter.

Dawes also has a number of specialist touring bike dealers throughout Great Britain who are able to help you. There is nothing like actually sitting on the bike to see how it fits, but if you know what size bike you normally ride that will be a help. Most professional shops will ask a whole bunch of questions to ensure that you buy the right size bike if you can’t be there in person.

Do You Recommend The Dawes Galaxy?

Yes. The Dawes Galaxy, Super Galaxy and Ultra Galaxy are dependable bicycles that can be used for commuting, touring and more. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, I’d rate the Galaxy line a solid 8. I own two Galaxy bikes myself, my son has one, and I would buy another in the future if I had to.

Arthur Lamy is a tour guide in Jersey, in the British Channel Islands, who specializes in cycling and walking tours. Among the people he has shown around the cycle-friendly island is five-time Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault. He also writes articles, books and cycling/walking guides, in addition to writing a cycling blog for the local newspaper. For 30 years he ran a well-known local bike store.

If you already own a bicycle (a road or mountain bicycle perhaps), but you are unsure as to whether or not that bicycle is capable of handling the demands of the specific type of bicycle touring you wish to conduct, please leave a comment below describing your situation.

In your comment, please tell me:

• What type of bicycle you currently have (Make, model, year and condition).
• What type of bicycle tour you are planning to conduct (There are 5 major types of bicycle tours. See this article for more information).
• Where in the world you are planning to go on your bicycle tour.
• How much gear you plan to carry on your travels.
• Whether or not you plan to camp or cook your own food while you are on tour.
• And what type of road conditions you will be covering on your bike tour (For example: paved roads, gravel fire roads, rocky single-track trails, etc.)

After leaving your comment below, I will reply at my earliest possible convenience with an opinion as to whether or not the bicycle you currently have can be used on your upcoming bicycle tour or whether you need to purchase a touring-specific bicycle that is better designed for the type of bicycle tour that you have in mind.

For additional assistance, please see: The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles

Instead of writing up an answer to each of Danny’s questions and simply sending them back to him via email, I’ve decided (with Danny’s permission of course) to publish both Danny’s questions and my answers in this article. My hope by doing this is that you also might be asking yourself some of the same questions that Danny is asking… and that my answers might help you as well as you go about the process of planning and preparing for your upcoming bicycle touring adventure.

So, without further ado… here are Danny’s questions and my answers:

1. Basically, I have not biked at all much since I was 10 years old and now have to start all over again I got to used to driving all over the place. The problem I have is basically I am out of shape- whenever I peddle on my bike as hard as I can in the highest gears I get tired after going only about four or five miles and everyone else on the path zips right past me. For example, I went in a circle one time on my new bike about 30 miles round trip. The final 7 miles of the path were on an asphalt trail that was not completely flat- it must have went up at a very slight incline. And it took me an hour and five minutes just to go the final seven miles, I constantly had to stop and rest my legs were too tired to pedal. I could not go more than 9 mph at the very fastest and I must have averaged only about 7 mph. So how do I train my legs so I can cycle faster at a speed for a longer period of time without getting exhausted so quickly? My goal is to go at an average speed of 12-15 mph for several hours at a time, so I can travel about 100 miles per day, sleep, and then continue on the next day. But how do I make it so I can keep pedaling at a good 13 or 14 mph without slowing down after the first 20 minutes?

This is a two-part answer. The first part of the answer has to simply do with getting in shape and cycling with proper form. The getting in shape part takes some time, but it is relatively easy. Ride your bike as much as you possibly can… and you will get in better shape and riding your bike will become considerably easier. As for riding with proper form, there are probably a number of good books on this subject, but what I recommend you do is that you find someone in your area who knows a lot about cycling and ask him or her for assistance. When it comes to form, you can read about it all you want, but having someone there in person to help you make changes on your bike is the best way to improve.

The second part of my answer has to do with your expectation of consistently cycling 13 to 14 mph and traveling up to 100 miles per day. The problem with this expectation is that, for most people at least, it is entirely unrealistic. Under ideal weather conditions and on totally flat ground, 13 to 14 miles per hour is a realistic goal. But when you account for hills, traffic, wind, rain, navigation, etc… going 13 to 14 miles per hour isn’t always possible.

The same can be said for your plans of cycling 100 miles day after day. Most people who go on a long-distance bicycle tour travel about 50 to 60 miles in a single day, so right off the bat you are trying to double what most people tend to do. 100 miles is a long ways to travel on a bicycle and to cover that distance for several days on end takes an extreme amount of physical and mental power. If you are currently struggling to ride less than 30 miles on your bike, setting a goal to ride 100 miles day after day is just not realistic.

Like I recommend to all of my readers here at Bicycle Touring Pro, you’ve got to work your way up to those longer distances before you even begin thinking about them. Start out by cycling about 20 miles per day. Then 30. Then 40… and 50… and 60. Then, once you are comfortable with going at least 60 miles per day, then you can start thinking about tackling a 100 mile or longer course. And even after tackling that 100 mile day, you might think twice about doing another 100 mile ride the very next day. Your body is likely to be tired, sore, and in need of rest.

The problem with wanting to keep a consistent pace (13 – 14 mph) and traveling a certain distance each day (100 miles per day) is that for most people, this just simply is not realistic. And if you get it in your head that you have to be keeping that pace and covering those kinds of distances day after day… and you start out on day one and aren’t instantly keeping pace, your mind starts to think negatively and you give up on yourself and the rest of your bike tour.

I’ve seen this happen to dozens and dozens of people. They spend months planning their bicycle tour, they buy all this expensive equipment, but they get out there on day one with a bunch of unrealistic expectations, they find that riding their bicycle with a full load of gear is a whole lot hearder than they expected, they drop behind schedule, they begin thinking about all the miles they’ve got in front of them, and they give up right then and there.

Don’t be one of those people! Start slow. Don’t expect too much from yourself. And enjoy the ride rather than worrying about how fast you are going, how many miles you are covering, or when you are going to get to your final destination.

2. I am having a hard time picking out exactly the right bike. I know there are several brands that are most popular like Trek, Schwinn, Cannondale, Fuji, and Specialized. Right now, I have a TREK FX 7.2. But they told me at a large TREK store in the city of Highland Park, Illinois that the FX model of bikes is not recommended for long road trips- it is more for just going as fast as you can for a short time period as a form of exercise like jogging. So what would be the ideal model and brand of bike for going on longer distance, adventure types of trips for a week at a time? Is TREK a good brand or are there better brands you’d recommend? Another big problem is this: I cannot spend more than six or seven hundred dollars at the very most on a bike. So if I sell to someone the FX I got right now for a better road bike- a lot of the TREK road bikes cost like 2 or 3 thosand dollars its ridiculous. However, TREK also makes models like the 720 or the 7,200 that are only 350-500 dollars. Are the 720 and 7200 good models as well for long distance trips? If not, do you know of any model I can get as a road bike that is under 700 dollars? I am not spending 3000 dollars on a bicycle thats just ridiculous. I just need a bike that has good gear shifts, is one where I can hook up saddle bags and panears with clothing on them, and one that can take me about 90 to 100 miles per day for seven or eight days at a time.

As for what kind of touring bicycle you need in order to carry all your equipment and transport you several hundred miles across the country, yes, I can recommend a number of excellent touring bicycles for you – See Here. However, none of these bicycles sell for $600 – $700 when they are brand new. Most touring bicycles start at around $1,100 and go up from there.

The Trek 520, for example, which is an excellent little touring bike, sells for a little over $1,300 when it is brand new ( and that’s without tax factored in).

The cheapest touring bike I know of is the GT Peace Tour, which sells for about $850 off the shop floor. The Surly Long Haul Trucker and the Fuji Touring are also good, cheap choices.

If you only have $600 – $700 at your disposal, you are probably going to have to find a used touring bicycle… or you’re going to have to negotiate a major deal with one of your local bike shops. It may take some time to find a bike for that price, but it can be done.

3. My next question is about navigating and traveling on a bicycle. Like I said before, I am not looking for a super thin racing bike where people just go as fast as they can for exercising or racing. I plan on using a bike for long distance trips where I can explore a variety of national parks, state parks, forest preserves, and other protected areas. Now I know that each county- (mine is Cook County, Illinois) has a whole network of cycling trails and paths to go on. But the problem is the last time I tried to ride my bike from a Chicago suburb north to the Wisconsin borderline, I only got about 14 miles and then I could not find what happened to the trail. Sometimes you know a trail that is for biking will break up in a town or city and then you have to go down a city street to find it again. So then I only got about half way to Wisconsin and had to turn back. When your cycling like that, how do you figure out ahead of time where the trail is located exactly throughout its entire path so you don’t end up screwing up where your going? I mean the last thing I need is to go on a long distance trip from Chicago to Wisconsin and then wander off the path halfway. Are there any websites or people I can call that you know of that are responsible for maintaining bike trails? That way I can map it out ahead of time. Also, how do you find the maps for where your going on a path? I was trying to stay North last time and ended up veering west without even realizing it.

Again, I have to say that when you go on these long distance bike tours, you can’t have unrealistic expectations about keeping a certain pace or never losing your way. Especially in the cities! When you cycle in the countryside, it is easy sometimes to just put your head down and crank out the miles. But in the cities there is often times a huge amount of navigation work that needs to be done… and your distance per hour is certain to slow.

As for how to navigate the bicycle paths in your area, this is going to depend on where you live and how well the bike paths are maintained. For you there in Illinois, this website has a number of maps that you can purchase, which give you detailed information on the various routes that run throughout the state of Illinois. Many other states and countries have similar websites and maps if you simply take the time to seek them out.

Having a map with you (and knowing how to use it) is going to be a huge help when navigating your way across long distances on your bicycle. But don’t get upset if you take a wrong turn and go the wrong way. It happens to everyone – even me! When it happens, just recognize your mistake, turn around, and get yourself back on track. Also, don’t be afraid to ask strangers for assistance. Most people are usually more than happy to help you find your way – especially if they know the area well.

4. I want to keep track of the miles I travel on this bike- so are there like these bike calculators you can buy for doing that? I don’t want a fancy Garmin GPS for my bike I just need something that tells me the miles I have gone and the speed I am going at. What would be the right product for that that is cheap?

This is easy. The cheaper alternative to the fancy electronic GPS device, that many bicyclists are now carrying, is the “bicycle computer“. These small devices cost about $20 – $100 USD and they measure the rate at which your wheels are spinning, which tells the computer exactly how fast you are going and how many miles you have covered. If you don’t want to get a GPS device and all you want is something that can measure how far you have gone and how fast you are going, then this is it! But be warned, staring at these things all day and focusing too much on the numbers can be emotionally draining – especially if your expectations are too high. Be sure to read my article on why you might consider cycling without one of these devices.

5. How do I sell the TREK bike I got right now? How do I ship it and what website do I go to to post the bid for it online?

I would try selling your current bicycle in your local area first. Try placing an ad on Craigslist.org (I’ve bought and sold bicycles from that website multiple times). If that doesn’t work, you may want to place an ad in your local newspaper, or simply take the bicycle to one of your local bike shops and ask them if they can sell your bike for you. If you take it to a bike shop, they’ll be able to tell you how much the bike can reasonably sell for (it might not be worth as much as you think) and they’ll take a commission (a percentage of the final sale price) if and when they do sell the bike. I wouldn’t try selling the bike online until you have done all these other things first.

6. What do you do if your riding on a trail in the middle of let’s say a 400 mile bike trip and then it starts to rain on you? Can a bike handle heavy rain? Also- should I keep the bike in the tightest gearshift as long as I can keep pedaling at that gear shift?

If you are out on your bike and it starts to rain, you have two choices. 1) You can continue to ride in it. Your bike should be fine in the rain. Just wipe your bike down as best you can once the rain stops, so as to protect it from rust and corrosion. Or 2) You can pull over and get under some protection of some kind and wait the rain storm out. The choice is up to you!

The second part of this question again has to do with how exactly you are supposed to ride a bicycle. You don’t necessarily want to be in the lowest gear possible all the time. That’s a good way to tire yourself out and blow out your knees prematurely. Like I said earlier, there are probably some good books on this subject, but the best thing for you to do might be to find a good cyclist in your area who can teach you the proper way to ride a bicycle.

7. If I start out on a long distance cycling trip that takes several days to complete- where do you sleep along the way? I mean there are plenty of forest preserves where I live in Glencoe, Illinois but your not allowed to sleep in them overnight. Are there special oases along the trails for bikers that you can sleep out in? How do I find where they are located? Also what about campsites- then how do I pack like a tent or sleeping bag on my bike?

Finding places to sleep each night is, for me at least, one of the most difficult and stressful parts of bicycle touring. In some parts of the world, finding a place to sleep at night is a total breeze. There may be campsites, hostels, and hotels for as far as the eye can see. But in other parts of the world, finding a place to sleep at night (especially a cheap place to sleep) is almost impossible. So it just depends on where you are and how much money you are willing to spend.

If you plan to camp on your bicycle tours and your tour is relatively short (less than a month in length) you can use the Internet to find and plot out all of the campgrounds along your route in advance. Then, once you hit the road, you’ll know exactly where each campground is located and how far you have to pedal that day in order to reach the next campground. See this article on route planning.

Some bicycle maps, like the ones produced by the Adventure Cycling Association for example, also contain detailed information on where exactly you can find lodging of all types along their various routes.

And as for how exactly you should carry your tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat on your bicycle, see these four articles/videos:

• How to pack your bicycle panniers.
• An inside look at packing your panniers.
• How to pack your bicycle for a long-distance bike tour.
• 7 Tips for packing your panniers.

Well Danny, I hope this helps. If not, these topics and a whole lot more are covered inside my book, The Bicycle Traveler’s Blueprint.

Good luck out there… and have fun! If I could give you any additional advice it would be this: Worry less about how fast you are going or how many miles you are covering… and do your best to simply enjoy the ride.

The question is: How much does all this bicycle touring gear really cost?

Well, I never really knew the answer… until I sat down a couple days ago and figured it all out (and the answer might surprise you)!

What I’ve done with this article is written out the basic equipment you might need to purchase for a long-distance bicycle tour. Next to each item listed I’ve recorded an estimated price (in US Dollars) for that particular item and displayed a sample photo of that piece of gear underneath its price.

For example: The first item you are going to need to purchase for your bike trip is a touring bicycle. There are hundreds of touring bicycles to choose from, but for the purpose of this article, I chose one of the most popular and least expensive touring bikes available  (the Surly Long Haul Trucker) and displayed it for you below with it’s average estimated price of $1,095 USD.

Now, as you continue down the list, you will see a number of additional bicycle touring items you will likely need for your travels – everything from racks and panniers, to tents and sleeping bags, to camp stoves and sporks, and everything in between. Each item is displayed with its average estimated price and a photo of one such piece of gear.

While you could certainly go on a bicycle tour without every single one of the items listed on this page, the items displayed here are what your average long-distance bicycle tourist (who plans to camp and cook his or her own food) might be carrying. Additional items, like a camera, underwear, off-the-bike clothing, food, toiletries, and pretty much everything else, has not been included. Only the basics/essentials have been covered.

Finally, at the bottom of this article, the cost of all these items has been totaled up for you. The purpose of which is to give you a good estimate as to how much all of this gear would cost you if you were to purchase it all at its full retail price (minus additional taxes, shipping costs, etc).

Touring Bicycle – $1,095 USD

Shown here: The Surly Long Haul Trucker

Rear Rack – $40 USD

Shown here: Axiom Journey Tubular Rear Rack

Front Rack – $85 USD

Shown here: Arkel AC Lowrider Front Rack

2 Rear Panniers – $165 USD

Shown here: Ortlieb Back Roller Classic Panniers

2 Front Panniers – $143 USD

Shown here: Ortlieb Front Roller Classic Panniers

2 Water Bottle Cages – $12 USD

Shown here: Planet Bike Stainless Steel Bicycle Waterbottle Cage

2 Insulated Water Bottles – $22 USD

Shown here: Polar Bottle 24 oz Insulated Water Bottle

Front & Rear Fenders – $32 USD

Shown here: Planet Bike Hardcore Road Fenders

Handlebar Bag (+ Map Case) – $40 USD

Shown here: Avenir Excursion QR Handlebar Bag

2 Bungee Cords – $12 USD

Shown here: Nashbar Rack Strap

Tent & Tent Footprint – $ 261 USD

Shown here: MSR Hubba 1-Person Tent

Sleeping Bag – $189 USD

Shown here: REI Radiant Down +20 Sleeping Bag

Sleeping Pad – $80 USD

Shown here: Pacific Outdoor Equipment Peak Oyl Mountain Sleeping Pad

Bicycle Computer – $50 USD

Shown here: Cateye CC-RD300W Strada Wireless Bicycle Computer

Rear Bicycle Light – $15 USD

Shown here: Planet Bike Blinky 7-Led Rear Bicycle Light

Headlamp – $38 USD

Shown here: Petzl E97 PM Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp

Helmet – $89 USD

Shown here: Giro Xen Bicycle Helmet

Mirror – $15 USD

Shown here: CycleAware Reflex Bicycle Mirror

Bike Lock – $20 USD

Shown here: Kryptonite Kryptoflex 1218 Key Cable Bicycle Lock

Camp Stove & Fuel Bottle – $110 USD

Shown here: MSR Whisperlite International Stove

Cook Pot – $70 USD

Shown here: 1.3 Liter Titanium Non-Stick Pot

Knife -$50 USD

Shown here: SOG Specialty Knives & Tools TWI-12 Twitch II

Spork – $9 USD

Shown here: Vargo Titanium Spork

Jersey – $40 USD

Shown here: Fox Racing 2011 Men’s Baseline Short Sleeve Bike Jersey

Bicycle Shorts – $70 USD

Shown here: Fox Ranger Mountain Bike Shorts

2 Pairs of Cycling Socks – $18 USD

Shown here: SmartWool PHD Cycling Ultra Light Mini Socks

SPD Cycling Shoes – $75 USD

Shown here: Shimano SH-MT33L Mountain Bike Shoes

Rain Jacket – $150 USD

Shown here: Showers Pass Touring Jacket

Camp Towel – $13 USD

Shown here: REI MultiTowel Lite Medium Towel

Bicycle Pump – $22 USD

Shown here: Topeak Harpoon S2 Master Blaster Bike Pump

Patch Kit – $3 USD

Shown here: Novara Bicycle Tube Patch Kit

2 Tire Levers -$6 USD

Shown here: SKS Tire Levers

Spare Tube – $6 USD

Shown here: Avenir Premium Tube Presta Valve 700c Tube

Chain Lube – $12 USD

Shown here: White Lightning Chain Lubricant

Multi-Tool -$26 USD

Shown here: Topeak Alien II 26-Function Bicycle Tool

GRAND TOTAL: $3,083 USD

If you were to purchase every single one of the items on this page, your grand total would be right around the $3,000 mark (plus any additional taxes and shipping charges, etc).

For many people reading this now, the cost of all these items might be a bit shocking. For others, you might be thinking “That’s not too bad”. Whatever the case, at least you now have a general idea of how much it might cost to fully-equip yourself for a long-distance bicycle touring adventure.

And remember: You can certainly equip yourself for a whole lot less than this. Finding these items used, on sale, or eliminating them all together will save you a lot of money. Plus, if you so choose, you can select other gear that costs a whole lot more than this! The choice (and the price of your bicycle touring gear) is ultimately up to you!

For those of you who have traveled by bike in the past, how much did it cost you to equip yourself for your bicycle touring adventures? Leave a comment below and let me know!

If you are looking for your first touring bicycle (or even your 2nd or 3rd), there couldn’t be a better resource to help you in your search than The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles. (Especially now that the 2011-2012 edition of the book is finally here!)

The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles is an eBook I released last year around this time… and in the book I speak at great length about how to find your ideal touring bicycle.

The book has become so popular over the last year that it is now the highest-selling resource on the BicycleTouringPro.com website. In fact, there is hardly a day that goes by when The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles does not help someone find their ideal touring bike.

The book has become so popular because:

• Buying a touring bicycle can be a daunting process – especially for beginners. It’s difficult to know what to look for, what aspects of a touring bicycle are the most important, and what touring bikes are best suited for the different types of bicycle tours.

• The book contains pages of how-to information designed to teach you about the basic features found in most touring bicycles, what frame materials are best for touring bike models, how to save hundreds of dollars off the purchase price of your new bike, and a whole lot more.

• And because the book contains a list of more than 200 different touring bike models made in numerous countries all over the world – with prices ranging from as little as $450 USD to as much as $6,000 USD and beyond!

The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles has truly become a small phenomenon here at Bicycle Touring Pro. But the downside to a book like this is that each year, touring bicycle companies come out with new products, change paint colors, add new components, up their prices, and generally just make a bunch of changes to the bikes they are currently selling. And for this reason, The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles has to be updated at least once a year with all this new information.

So, I’ve spent the last month or so going through the 200+ bicycles featured inside The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles and I’ve updated all of the information on these various touring bike vehicles.

With all of that work now out of the way, I’m happy to announce that the 2011-2012 edition of The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles is finally here!!! But it’s not only been updated with the 2011-2012 touring bike models, it also contains a TOTALLY NEW  resource that I’m sure you’re going to love!!!

The 2011-2012 edition of The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles currently includes:

• A 36-page eBook that teaches you about what makes touring bicycles different from other popular bike models; what to look for in your ideal touring bicycle; and how to select the perfect touring bicycle based off of the type of bicycle touring you plan to conduct.

• An additional 56-page ebook called “A Buyer’s Guide To Bicycle Touring Panniers & Trailers,” designed to take you by the hand and help you find the best bicycle panniers/trailer for your future bicycle tours.

• An hour-long video in which I speak at great length about touring bicycles, panniers and trailers. This video was recorded during a live Internet event that took place shortly after the initial launch of The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles… and in the video I answer a number of different questions having to do with finding your perfect touring bicycle.

• Free lifetime updates! That means that when a new edition of The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles comes out in the future, you’ll get it sent to you via email at no extra cost! You get it for free!!!

And here’s the new part that I know you are going to love!

• The 2011-2012 edition of The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles comes with access to the world’s largest online database of touring bicycles!

This is a totally new feature that has been added to The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles this year. Basically, this online database is a password-protected area of BicycleTouringPro.com where owners of The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles can search through more than 200 different types of touring bicycles, look at photos, ask questions, get feedback, and generally research the perfect touring bike for their specific needs. This database of touring bicycles is online and can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days out of the year. And unlike the previous version of The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles, which was updated only once per year, this new online touring bike database is updated all the time – with new photos, new product descriptions, new bicycle reviews, and a whole lot more.

What makes this new online touring bicycle database so incredible, however, is not only the fact that you can search by price and bicycle type through more than 200 different types of touring bicycles, but the fact that through this new online interface, you can ask questions, leave comments, and even upload photos for the bicycles you are interested in purchasing. If you see a bike you like and you have a question about it, you can now simply type in your question on the page where that bicycle is listed inside the database, and someone (either myself or someone with more experience with that particular bicycle model) will get back to you in a short amount of time with an answer to your question. Plus, you can read through the questions, comments, and bicycle reviews that other people have left about the bikes you are interested in, and make an informed buying decision based on this information.

Buying a touring bicycles really is THE BIGGEST buying decision you have to make when you begin planning a bicycle tour of any length… and it’s true that if you pick the right bicycle for your trip, you’ll be sure to come home with those wonderful bicycle touring memories you’ve been dreaming about. But pick the wrong bicycle and your trip could be over before it’s even had a chance to begin.

That’s what The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles is really all about. It’s about helping you learn what to look for in a quality touring bicycle and then introducing you to the possible touring bike models that are available to you so you can make an informed buying decision.

In summary, the new edition of The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles comes with all of this:

• The book – The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles
• Access to the world’s largest online touring bicycle database
• The bonus eBook – A Buyer’s Guide To Touring Bicycles
• An hour-long bonus video about touring bikes
• And FREE lifetime updates!

To learn more about The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles and everything that is included with this new version of the product, just click here.