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How Much Does It Cost To Gear Up For A Bicycle Tour?

Darren Alff — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 09:53:04 +0000

Bicycle touring can be an extremely inexpensive means of transportation, holiday, fun and more! But purchasing all the gear you need in order to conduct a long-distance bicycle tour can be a major drain on your bank account.

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).

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!

Katy Trail Packing List

Darren Alff — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:57:07 +0000

You don’t have to travel around the world or live on the road for months on end to call yourself a bicycle traveler. Conducting short trips by bike in your local area (or even in your home country) is a great way to get out and experience the joys of bicycle travel.

Yesterday I flew from my home in Park City, Utah (USA) to Kansas City, Missouri. Now that I’m in the great state of Missouri, the plan over the next 10 days is for my friend Josh and I to ride our bikes across the state on the famous Katy Trail.

I’ll be sure to share photos, video and stories from the trip in a future article, but for now, here is the packing list for my 11-day trip to Missouri.

Hopefully this article will help you in preparing your packing lists for shorter trips by bike.

Bike Gear

Bike Friday New World Tourist folding bicycle
Toe clips and pedals
Folding bicycle suitcase
2 water bottle cages
Cable bike lock
Axiom Enforce Air Pro Road bike pump
2 Axiom Typhoon Double DLX waterproof panniers
Pedal wrench
12 rack screws
Multi-tool
Planet Bike 20” fenders
2 water bottles
Rear light
Pant leg protector
2 Bungee Cords
Mirrycle Bellini bicycle bell
2 spare tubes
CycleAware Reflex bicycle mirror
Giro Xen bike helmet

Electronics

Axiom Laptop Case
Sony Vaio Laptop and charger
Wrist Watch
Cell phone and charger
Canon 50D digital camera and lens and filter
2 Canon lithium batteries
Sandisk 16GB Compact Flash memory card
Canon CG-580 battery charger
Lowepro Cirrus TLZ 15 toploading camera case
Canon PowerShot SD 1100 digital camera
2 Sandisk 4GB SD cards
2 Canon NB-4L batteries
Canon CB-2LV battery charger
LowePro Ridge 10 camera case
Flip Mino HD video camera
Digipower mini tripod
Pedco UltraClamp camera mount
USD mini cable
Backpack

Camping & Cooking Gear

Pacific Outdoor Equipment Peak Oyl Elite sleeping pad
MSR Whisperlight Internationale camp stove and fuel bottle
Stainless Steel cook pot
MSR Zoid 2 Tent
Sleeping Bag
Spork
Knife

Clothing & Toiletries

Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 Rain Jacket
2 Pairs of Jeans
Baseball cap
2 Pairs of shorts
Sweat pants
3 T-shirts
Fox Racing jersey
Fox Racing shorts 2 Pairs of black anklet socks
2 Pairs of long socks
Underwear
Nike tennis shoes
Toiletry Kit
Road ID wrist

Paperwork

Wallet
Business cards
2 reading books
Journal
3 Pens

You should note that 1) I only brought a rear rack and two panniers with me because I don’t plan to use front panniers on this particular trip. I won’t need them because I am carrying less clothes and gear than I would typically carry on a longer trip by bike. 2) I am also carrying a whole lot more camera gear than your typical bicycle traveler might carry. I have all this camera gear because I plan to bring you back a ton of great photos from my travels… and I’ll be working while I’m out on the road. So, this gear is necessary for me to continue running this website.

Screwpop 4-in-1 Keychain Tool

Darren Alff — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:43:20 +0000

I don’t actually drink beer. So, when I was sent a Screwpop 4-in-1 keychain tool to review, I knew I would need to find someone knowledgable enough to actually give me some feedback on the item. Luckily, my dad came to visit me recently and, so, I bought him a 6-pack of Utah’s finest “Polygamy Porter” beer and told him to use the Screwpop to access his drink.

“Here Dad,” I said. “I need you to open this bottle of beer using this little tool I was sent.”

My dad then snatched the Screwpop tool out of my hand and quickly went to work on opening his bottle of beer.

How did the Screwpop function as a bottle opener? These are my dad’s exact words: “This thing sucks!”

As a bottle opener, the Screwpop was a near failure. It took my dad several tries to get the bottle open… and a whole lot of grunting in the process. So far, my dad was not impressed.

The Screwpop Tool is an inexpensive 4-in-1 tool that is designed to go on your key-chain and give you easy access to 4 frequently used tools of beer-guzzling handymen. The 4 tools on the Screwpop include:

a Bottle Opener
a 1/4″ Hex. Nut Driver
a #2 Phillips Screwdriver
and a #2 Flathead Screwdriver

As a bottle opener, the Screwpop works, but not very well. As a screwdriver, the tool is actually quite useful. And as an item that you carry on your keychain, the Screwpop is a good size, but the large circular ring is a little too thick and there is a good chance you will lose the reversible driver head at some point in time, as this part of the tool is secured only by a pressure sensitive ball lock.

The Screwpop 4-in-1 Tool sells for $4.95 and is available at www.screwpoptool.com and www.amazon.com.

My Overall Rating: 4 out of 10

Orikaso Fold Flat Tablewear: A Product Review

Darren Alff — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:36:21 +0000

Orikaso flat fold tablewear is one unique product! Likely a play on the word “origami,” which is the art of folding paper into a variety of decorative forms, Orikaso is a product made of flat colored plastic that can be folded into an entire table set – plate, cup and bowl.

It’s a great idea for people who spend large amounts of time in the outdoors. Bowls and cups, especially, are known to take up large amounts of space inside a loaded backpack or set of panniers, so the ability to have these items fold flat while in transport and then pop out during meal time is certainly appealing.

Unfortunately, as extraordinary as this colorful cook-set might appear, it has a number of flaws that, for me at least, rules it out as any kind of viable tableware.

My biggest complaint about the Orikaso flatware set is that even when folded flat, the set takes up just as much (if not more) space as my normal pot and cup. When pressed flat, the set measures nearly 10.5 inches x 10.5 inches. It’s weight is also nearly equal to that of the pot I use on most of my camping and bicycle touring expeditions. If the set could be folded down to such a size that it fit inside my wallet, then we might have something here. But at the current moment, I see little to no space or weight savings with the Orikaso tablewear set.

Additionally, I find the folding process somewhat difficult. Even after you get used to folding and unfolding the set, the process is somewhat frustrating. The cup, with it’s complex handle, is especially difficult to assemble. After a long day of hiking and/or biking, the last thing I want to do is struggle over the assembly of my plates, cups and bowls. I just want to eat!

Lastly, I have to make note of the fact I’ve never used a separate plate, cup or bowl on any of my outdoor adventures. I usually carry water in a bottle and drink straight out of the bottle… and I cook in a single pot, which I use as my eating bowl, plate, and cup. I understand that not everyone will take this same approach to outdoor eating, but I doubt that few serious outdoorsmen worry about eating off a plate at the end of a long day of exploration.

In summary, I think the Orikaso flatware idea is a good one, but it simply needs to be refined. If the product were lighter and could be folded down to fit inside the palm of my hand, there might really be something here. Otherwise, I see this product as something one buys, uses once, and then never uses again. Either that, or it is the perfect gift for that outdoorsy person in your family who seems to have everything.

My Rating: 3 out of 10

Have you used any of the Orikaso flatware products before? If so, what did you think?

Review Status: I purchased this product for myself. Amazon affiliate links are being used in this article.

181 Free Articles About Bicycle Touring, World Travel And Lifestyle Design

Darren Alff — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:22:03 +0000

2009 was one hell of a year!

At this time last year I was emerging from my apartment in downtown Luzern, Switzerland and celebrating the first of what would become 254 days of bike travel in 16 different European countries.

Since that time, I have covered thousands of miles on my bicycle (and on foot); written nearly two-hundred different articles on the topics of world travel, bicycle touring and lifestyle design; and I’ve been able to support myself while traveling about (despite the so-called “recession”).

By my standards, 2009 has been one fantastic year… and I plan on making 2010 even better!

Before we get too far into the New Year, I thought I would take some time to share with you the 181 articles that were published this year FOR FREE on BicycleTouringPro.com. I’ve bolded the articles I believe you should check out first… so scroll on down and see if there is anything that strikes your fancy.

I hope you enjoy what you find… and please stay tuned, as there’s a lot more in store for Bicycle Touring Pro in the New Year!

Bicycle Touring Pro » Cooking

How Much Does It Cost To Gear Up For A Bicycle Tour?

Touring Bicycle – $1,095 USD

Rear Rack – $40 USD

Front Rack – $85 USD

2 Rear Panniers – $165 USD

2 Front Panniers – $143 USD

2 Water Bottle Cages – $12 USD

2 Insulated Water Bottles – $22 USD

Front & Rear Fenders – $32 USD

Handlebar Bag (+ Map Case) – $40 USD

2 Bungee Cords – $12 USD

Tent & Tent Footprint – $ 261 USD

Sleeping Bag – $189 USD

Sleeping Pad – $80 USD

Bicycle Computer – $50 USD

Rear Bicycle Light – $15 USD

Headlamp – $38 USD

Helmet – $89 USD

Mirror – $15 USD

Bike Lock – $20 USD

Camp Stove & Fuel Bottle – $110 USD

Cook Pot – $70 USD

Knife -$50 USD

Spork – $9 USD

Jersey – $40 USD

Bicycle Shorts – $70 USD

2 Pairs of Cycling Socks – $18 USD

SPD Cycling Shoes – $75 USD

Rain Jacket – $150 USD

Camp Towel – $13 USD

Bicycle Pump – $22 USD

Patch Kit – $3 USD

2 Tire Levers -$6 USD

Spare Tube – $6 USD

Chain Lube – $12 USD

Multi-Tool -$26 USD

GRAND TOTAL: $3,083 USD

Katy Trail Packing List

Bike Gear

Electronics

Camping & Cooking Gear

Clothing & Toiletries

Paperwork

Screwpop 4-in-1 Keychain Tool

My Overall Rating: 4 out of 10

Orikaso Fold Flat Tablewear: A Product Review

Review Status: I purchased this product for myself. Amazon affiliate links are being used in this article.

181 Free Articles About Bicycle Touring, World Travel And Lifestyle Design

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