How do you tourists do it?

[lungimsam]

I have a hard time on hills with minimal commute loads. I probably have only 4lbs on the rack.

 

I was thinking "How do those touring riders manage?".

 

I can't imagine pedalling with 40lbs. on the bike.

 

How do you do it? You just have to take it slow and easy?

[Anne Paulson]

Low gears. I did a trip this summer, with a full load, that had
something like 180,000 feet of climbing. Average of like 3000 feet a
day. And I probably had more than 40 pounds of stuff; I usually do.

Slow, steady, low gears. That's the trick. And the other trick is
mental: if you know you're going to be climbing this hill for the next
two hours, you just get down to it and go.

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-- Anne Paulson

My hovercraft is full of eels

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

90% of hill climbing is half mental.

[Dave]

What's the other half?!

[Matt Beebe]

Small ring otherwise known as granny gear.    In 26/32 you can climb easier than you could walk (and will be just as slow, but on tour you're not in a hurry :)

[Abcyclehank]

Mentally believing that your legs are indefatigable during the 10% of
hill climbing you "feel" near death.

[Marc Irwin]

My Hunq is about 35 lbs decked out for touring.  I carry about 20 lbs of gear when I am camping.

I have developed a simple, but very scientific method for "attacking" the climbs:

Gear down, be patient and leave your ego at the bottom.

Marc

On Saturday, September 22, 2012 11:36:18 PM UTC-4, lungimsam wrote:

[Bill Gibson]

My "24-inch" gear is on every bike I ride. When I am on a grade or surface that is beyond my category, I dismount and push. That's a good way to leave a cyclist's ego behind. Wear comfortable walking shoes, and sometimes sandals, on tour.

My climbing frame of mind, which works in good headwinds, too, has been shaped by long-distance walks across deserts and plains, where I've learned to savor details close at hand, and admire horizons which recede all day long. I have seen landmarks appear in the morning, and remain visible all day, until late in the afternoon. Someday, I hope to ride mountain passes that take more than a day.

I think one real secret to good commuting and touring is "collecting roads", which Jan Heine writes about. Even more than walking, happy riding often means finding a good cycling road or path, quiet enough, intriguing and daring enough, long enough.

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[lungimsam]

Thanks for the great perspectives, everyone! Lotsa velosophy to keep in mind. Keep it coming.

 

I guess I just am hooked on that feeling of breezing along. The exhilaration.

 

But I guess I have to put that aside on the hills/headwinds that are too much for me, and just enjoy the climb at whatever speed I can manage without overdoing it.

 

Patience, drop the ego, enjoy the climb and views. Lighten up the gearing on the legs. Work on lifting one foot while pressing down with the other, so they don't fight each other.

 

My bike came with a 36/50 crankset.

If I ever have to replace it, I think I will go for the Sugino triple with the 26/36/46 rings. That way I will be able to climb alot easier and keep spinning along.

Right now, I can just barely get by with my crankset and rear cluster on the hills in my area, and the headwinds of late have been tough to ride through.

[Michael Hechmer]

Jim, this is worthy of Casey Stengel!

[Matthew J]

Low gears, accept it will take some time. Try to plan your trip so you don't get the worst stuff near the end of the day.

[dougP]

Others have covered the gearing, patience, mental aspect, etc. My
contribution is loading. While it's not possible to eliminate the
affects of additional weight on a bike, it can be optimized by
spreading it around & keeping it low. You need to experiment with
whatever you carry on your own bike to work it out but some loadings
work better than others. You don't want to be wrestling 40 lbs of
gear on a 30 lb. bike at 4 MPH. Been there, done that.

Oh, and if you think of "attacking" the hill: the hill usually wins!
Plus, it may have other friends for you to climb later.

dougP

[Matthew J]

Good point.  Tubus and Bruce Gordon make good racks that keep luggage low and firmly mounted on the bike.  Climbing with shifting or poorly situated weight can be quite frustrating.

[Kelly]

40lbs is an overnight for me. I travel with a minimum of sixty and max 80 Lbs and have for years.
That would include my recent trip to Alaska and spending a good bit of time climbing on gravel. Others also did the same.

Now before the minamilist start yelling. I'm not saying your way is wrong.. Only wrong for me. Gearing is what makes it good. I carry what "I" need and it weighs what it does. So 40 lbs to me is leaving repair tools and such behind. Doing laundry more often, not having a chair, iPad, extension cord, canned goods, Solar showers etc. 8llb 2 person tent for room, d90 camera and zoom... So 40 lbs to me is going across town to set up a tent and eat at the restaurant.

Anyway ..gearing 24x36 get my old fat arse up hills .. Candy and coffee make the time go by.

Kelly

Ok getting passed by a walker was weird but good conversation. :)

[Pondero]

Perfectly refreshing, Kelly.  Finally, a bicycle tourist who is civilized enough to bring the niceties, and man enough to be able to haul it.

[Kelly]

Most people I know carry 50 plus pounds for longer trips. The more isolated the more they carry. At 6'5" and 230 my stuff is generally bigger and heavier .. Like that extra pair of size 13 shoes that just do fit in pannier.

Not man enough or even really strong rider.. Average at best. Set things up and weight isn't as bad as we are led to believe.

Kelly

[dougP]

"Kelly wrote: Ok getting passed by a walker was weird but good
conversation. :) "

One time I was passed by a guy on roller blades....going uphill!
Later on the same tour I was passed on another uphill by a young lady
on a MTB with knobby tires....and her rear tire was flat (but she was
not carrying anything, and less than half my age; my story & I'm
sticking to it).

Lugging stuff uphill on a bike requires a certain humility.

dougP

[lungimsam]

So you all are going at walking pace on hills with your bikes loaded to tour?

 

Since I really don't ride with anyone, I don't know what is to be expected on climbs, speedwise. 

[Kelly]

Speed wise it's what is comfortable or hurts best. It's individual and personal. Go fast go slow ... Choose where you have the most fun.. Cramps and pain later be damned. My opinion only

On tour I don't like being all sweaty and try to just go.. I also rarely travel more than 50 to 60 miles when fully loaded.
Most grades and even long climbs say 8 to 12 miles are usually dynamic with short runs of steep grades requiring or asking for walking speeds. The feat 3 4 5 percent stuff is just finding your groove as Patrick saiid. It is chasing those expectations that can suck the fun right out of a great ride.

Kelly

[IanA]

Low gears and habit.  After a while a heavy bike just feels "right".  I'd often be around 100lb including the weight of the bike on my two year journey.  But, the first few days was a big adjustment - I couldn't believe how heavy and slow the bike was, but that changed.  Certainly, expect a much lower average speed, but you've got all day so there's no problem.  You can still put in big miles, just takes more hours to do it.

The key is a good sleep and a good feed at the end of the day.  Never scrimp on the creature comforts and don't be cold at night.  A good tent, sleeping bag, mat, stove and a change of warm clothes when needed and you can go forever.

[Steve Palincsar]

Walking pace? Hardly. Walking pace is around 3 mph on flat ground.
Pushing a loaded touring bike up hill, especially in cycling shoes,
you'd be lucky to maintain 2 mph, especially given the way pedals like
to bite your legs. According to Sheldon's gear calculator, at 60 rpm in
a 24 front x 30 rear, around a 21.6" gear, you'd be doing 3.9 mph.

And that is for a super-steep, very long hill where you'd actually be in
such a low gear. Most hill climbing, even with a touring load, doesn't
require a gear that low. In a more frequently used 32" gear you'd be
doing around 6 mph at 60 rpm.

[Kelly]

Well there are charts and real world. I use my 24x36 often, and have. Been on climbs where that was a hard push at 40 rpm. My gearing may be more than you need.. But the gearing you mention is inadequate for many.

Kelly

[Anne Paulson]

I did a long tour this summer, on the ACA Sierra Cascades route. It
was pretty much all climbing, all the time.

6 mph loaded on a long hill? Not so very often. I spent a lot of time
going 3-4 mph. And although I did a lot of climbing, it was rarely
what I'd call steep.

At no point in my trip did I feel that my very low gears were too low.
And I spent a lot of time in granny-land.

On Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 5:29 AM, Steve Palincsar <pali...@his.com> wrote:

>
> And that is for a super-steep, very long hill where you'd actually be in
> such a low gear. Most hill climbing, even with a touring load, doesn't
> require a gear that low. In a more frequently used 32" gear you'd be
> doing around 6 mph at 60 rpm.

[Cyclofiend]

On Sep 22, 2012, at 8:50 PM, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery wrote:

> 90% of hill climbing is half mental.

Long live Yogi Berra.
And... I'd buy a Hiawatha t-shirt with that saying on the back.

[Rex Kerr]

Something happens on day 2 or 3... your body just gives up and decides it'd best comply... you get into this zone where you just spin away... the three hour grueling climb at 4 MPH in 116 degree heat in the direct sun becomes meditation. :-)  I actually find it easier in many ways that the short climb at the end of my commute.  

Of course, gears help... my touring bike has a 24t front and 34t rear, for just over 19 gear inches, or 4.6 mph at 80 RPM.

-Rex

On Sat, Sep 22, 2012 at 8:36 PM, lungimsam <john1...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[dougP]

Yes, 4 to 6 MPH on a climb is not unusual, and I occasionally see the speedo winking "3" at me.  A 20" low gear is quite useful, and mine is well used.  I use all the cogs & rings. 

 

dougP