Lessons Learned

1. Sleeping bags are overrated – just take a flannel bag liner and some warm clothes unless you expect really cold weather.

2. Smaller is better aka. volume is at least important as weight. If I could have fit all my stuff inside the panniers, waterproofing would have been obviated and I wouldn’t have had to deal with the trash bags. This means (1) either no sleeping bag or a small 60 degree bag, (2) a pad that folds smaller, and (3) put the tent and rain fly in the panniers, and just keep the poles outside.

3. Handlebar bags should be waterproof. They should also not be used without the front panniers, as they can cause strange handling characteristics.

4. When touring in very humid areas, don’t alternate pairs of bike shorts – they stay wet even when aired out for an entire day. Better to wear one pair for 2-3 days before switching to a new pair.

5. Even if you don’t ordinarily wear gloves when you ride, take a pair with you on touring. A month of 100-mile days can cause hand problems that would not show up in a normal month.

6. Tours on the East Coast should be planned carefully. Highways are often terrible routes, so bicycle route maps are a must-have. In the Western half of the country, state maps are generally sufficient.

7. If a motorist tells you the hills aren’t too bad, that means nothing. If he says the hills are difficult, that means the hills are ridiculous. Also, non-cyclists usually exaggerate the danger from traffic.

8. It gets easier to stealth camp the farther you are from an interstate.

9. Ibuprofen and stretching can treat minor stress injuries quite well.

10. A bicycle is a great way to see Yellowstone if you are there at a low-traffic time

11. No one east of the Mississippi knows what hiker-biker campsites are.

12. Rain gear is highly overrated – it is useful only in cold rains.

13. Your feet are the hardest part of your body to keep clean. They are also the most vulnerable to mosquitoes.

14. Reliability is the most important attribute of your equipment.

15. Interstates are not bad bike routes in rural areas. The traffic speed isn’t that much faster than other highways, and there is always a wide shoulder. The only tricky part are exit and entrance ramps.

16. Carry more water than you think you need.

17. Fiber is your friend.