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Outings Committee Presentation

“EXPLORE, ENJOY AND PROTECT THE PLANET”

Innings educational meetings… Newsletter… Take action… Conservation… Membership…

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�Happy New Year, and welcome everyone to the first 2020 installment of our virtual webinars presented by the Miami Group Sierra Club.

The Sierra Club is committed to a safety-first culture and as result, we suspended our outings events when the pandemic broke. But we truly enjoy sharing our knowledge and experience with others and empowering them to get out there and experience the backcountry. We have chosen this virtual platform to keep doing that, so that once we are on the other side of this pandemic, more of our friends will be able to safely and confidently enjoy the outdoors.

�Hopefully we’ll see the end of the pandemic soon and can recommence our in-person activities. In the meantime stay safe. We ask that you join us in keeping all those suffering medically, suffering economically and suffering from social injustice in our thoughts, and more importantly… in our actions.

While the last few people are signing in, I’d like to let you know that a PDF copy of this presentation has been posted on the Sierra Club website. At the end of this presentation, we’ll place a link to it in the chat box.

�You’ll find a whole host of other things on the Sierra Club website as well -- educational meetings, our newsletter, ways that you can take action, and of course our Outings events once those are restarted!

�

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Navigating Zoom

Please stay muted throughout the presentation
Keeping your camera on will help keep everyone engaged
This session will be recorded but your picture will not appear
We encourage your questions and your contributions! Please type them in the Chat box
We do not recommend Full Screen View
Interact by responding to polls

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If you’re following us on Facebook Live this won’t apply, but bear with us while we cover a couple of quick points for our Zoom participants.

You will not be able to unmute yourself during this presentation, but we still want to hear from you. Your questions are encouraged! Please use the chat button to open a new box where you can type out your questions. You can also use the chat box if you have a technical issue that you need help with. We’ll be monitoring the chat box throughout. We will also have a live Q & A after the presentation… about an hour from now.

Although you do have the option to turn off your camera by clicking “stop video”, we would like to ask everyone to keep their cameras on during the meeting, since this will help keep everyone engaged. If you are uncomfortable with that, you can can click the video button in the bottom left-hand corner to control your camera.

This session will be recorded but your picture will not appear.

We encourage your questions as well as your contributions! Please type them in the Chat box.

Also, we recommend that you do not use “full screen” view so that you have easier access to the chat box

We will be launching a couple of polls as we go through the content of this webinar. Your answers are confidential; we only see the % of people who chose each answer.

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Why Walk When You Can Ride?

An Introduction to Bicycle Touring

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Your Presenters

Barry Randall AKA Aardvark

Sierra Club Miami Group Outings Chair. Camping, biking and hiking for 50 years

Denise Tingle AKA Pippi Longstocking

Sierra Club Miami Group Hiking Chair. Camping, biking and hiking for 45 years

Our Experts

Don Hornberger

Jay Freeman

Jeff Allen

Kathy Freeman

Barry

Let me begin by introducing the presenters for this webinar. We are all experienced campers, hikers, backpackers and of course cyclists.

Denise: My name is Denise Tingle and I have been camping/hiking/backpacking for 45+ years. I am the Hiking Committee Chair for the Miami Group Sierra Club along with an instructor for the Backpacking School, leading cycling rides and backpacking trips. My passion is backpacking and cycling and love being in the outdoors!

Barry: My name is Barry Randall, and I've been camping and backpacking for the past 50+ years. I'm currently chairperson for the Miami Group Sierra Club Outings, where we plan and lead a variety of outdoor adventures, including backpacking, for all skill levels.

We have several experienced bike touring friends that helped put this presentation together tonight. They will be available this evening during the Q&A to help answer any questions.

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What is Bike Touring?

Bicycle touring (aka “cycle touring, bike touring, bike travel, bicycle travel, cyclo-camping and bike-packing”) is riding a bicycle for days, weeks, or months on end, as you travel across entire cities, states and countries under your own power

Typically an overnight activity, a bicycle tour can be a multi-day event where

Your gear, food and clothing is carried for you in a vehicle that meets you at various checkpoints along your route
Or, a solo or group adventure where all necessary clothing, equipment, food and tools are carried on your bicycle

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Is bike touring something I should try?�(check all that apply)��Poll # 1

I love the outdoors.
I don’t mind breaking a sweat with outdoor exercise.
I really like meeting and interacting with locals.
I can do my own basic bike repairs (repair a flat, etc).
I enjoy history.
I like a physical and mental challenge.

Ground Turkey Taco Stew

Courtesy Trail Recipes

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What make bike touring so great?

Beautiful scenery
Healthy exercise
Old and new friends
Interaction with locals
Historic interest
Roadside attractions

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Similar to backpacking, but with more….

Interaction with locals

Keep an eye out for local festivals and events

Historic interest

Many trails follow historic routes

Roadside attractions

Americana big and small!

Town Celebration

Lewis and Clark Camp

Crazy Horse Monument

“Boat” Henge

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Some of the attraction of bike touring though is a little different from backpacking. While you may encounter these things to some degree in backpacking, they seem much more prevalent in bike touring.

Interaction with locals

Keep an eye out for local festivals and evets. While you can experience the local communities while backpacking (particularly on trails like the AT), bike touring often puts you right in the middle of things. Since many of these trails are along old rail lines, the small towns are right on the path - some towns even open their city parks to camping. We’ve been invited to town festivals, street dances and even a fund-raising dinner for the funeral expenses of a local resident.

Historic interest

Many trails follow historic routes. The Natchez Trace was originally the old overland route for traders returning from Natchez to Nashville. The Katy Trail follows part of the Lewis and Clark expedition route. Many old railroads and canals passed through historic towns.

Roadside attractions

Americana big and small! From national monuments like the Crazy Horse sculpture, to the mysteries of “Boat Henge”, there’s no end to the interesting Americana you’ll encounter.

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Types of Bike Touring

Guided bicycle touring

Pay to be escorted by experienced guides
Route, lodging, meals taken care of for you

Self-Guided bicycle touring

Same as guided, but without the escort

Self-Supported bicycle touring

You plan the route, lodging and meals
Typically means carrying all of your own gear, although can arrange your own support

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Some of Our Rides

Katy Trail

240 mi Clinton to St Louis MO

Natchez Trace

444 mi Nashville to Natchez MS

Mickelson Trail

109 mi Edgemont to Deadwood SD

Cowboy Trail

195 mi Norfolk to Valentine NE

C&O Towpath

185 mi Georgetown to Cumberland MD

The Greenbrier Trail

77 mi North Caldwell to Cass WV

Great Allegheny Passage

150 mi Washington DC to Pittsburg PA

North Bend Rail Trail

72 mi Wolf Summit to Parkerburg WV

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What Kind of Bike

Type of bike may depend on a couple of factors:

How much are you carrying? Supported vs Self-Supported
Trail surface – Paved or Crushed Rock?

Typical touring bike has

Wider tires for weight and rough surfaces
Steel frame to support more weight
Extremely low gears for hills
More upright stance for long rides
Built-in lugs for support racks

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The truth is, almost any type of bicycle can be used for bicycle touring, but the longer the bicycle tour, the more important it becomes to use a proper touring bike.

Best type of bike for your particular adventure may depend on a couple of factors:

How much are you carrying? Supported vs Self-Supported

Trail surface – Paved or Crushed Rock?

On the Natchez Trace (a paved roadway) we shared a lunch stop with a group of fully supported cyclists. Their support vans had come ahead to set up lunch, and when they arrived they were all riding light-weight road bikes. But then they weren’t carrying anything on their bikes but water and a few snacks.

A self-supported rider will be best off with more of a touring bike.

Typical touring bike has

Wider tires for weight and rough surfaces

Steel frame to support more weight. If you’re not sure whether your bike’s frame can support the extra weight, check with your local bike shop.

Extremely low gears for hills

More upright stance for long rides

Built-in lugs for support racks

You can spend as much or as little as you want on a bike. The one pictured, which I’ve used on many trips, is a relatively inexpensive steel frame hybrid that cost less than $400. But you can spend thousands of dollars on a touring bike as well.

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A bicycle
Trailer or a set of panniers (more on this later)
Camping equipment - tent, sleeping bag, etc.
A stove and the appropriate fuel, plus utensils and a cooking pot
Bicycle tools (multi-tool, spare tube, patch kit, pump, chain tool/quick link, misc nuts/bolts, etc.)
Clothing (shorts, shirts, rain gear, shoes, etc.)
Safety gear (first aid kit, helmet and lights)
Technological devices (cell phone, camera, GPS, etc.)
Food and water
Personal and hygiene items

Gear

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Courtesy REI

Multi-Day Bicycle Touring Checklist

Note this list is intentionally extensive, not all riders will need all items

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Packing Options…

How do I carry all this sh*t?

BOB Trailer

Backpack

Not recommended

Trailer

Towed behind the bike, popular brand is BOB (Beast of Burden)

Panniers

“Saddle bags” attached to rear or front of bike… or both

Survey of 10,000 readers of bicycletouringpro.com

92% used panniers,
7% used a trailer
1% used a backpack.

Panniers

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There are really only two major options for carrying gear on a self-supported bike tour.

Backpack

Not recommended. Puts all of the weight on your back and is not an option for most people on a long ride.

Trailer

Towed behind the bike, popular brand is BOB (beast of burden?).

Panniers

“Saddle bags” attached to rear or front of bike… or both.

As you can see from the statistics, most people choose panniers, although on our trips it’s been more like 50/50 between trailers and panniers. Whatever you choose, make sure you get out and practice some with a fully loaded bike before your trip. The extra weight will definitely affect the handling of your bike and takes some getting used to.

So how much room to you need? As a backpacker I know how many liters of storage my backpack has, so I sized my panniers to give me the same amount.

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Panniers – Pros and Cons

Pros

They place the weight of the gear off your body and onto the frame of your bicycle.
They allow you to organize your gear into separate, easy-to-access pockets.
They can be waterproof (although not all of them are).
They are easy to transport off the bike (on planes, trains, boats and buses)
They make your bicycle very compact (which makes it easy to navigate in narrow terrain).

The downside to panniers

Can only be used on bicycles where front or rear racks can be mounted.
The price of panniers range greatly depending on quality.
Steering a bicycle with front panniers takes some getting used to.
Learning to pack them correctly takes some training.

Courtesy bicycletouringpro.com

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Some cyclists get along with only rear panniers, and strapping some items like their tent and sleeping pad to the top of the rack. For longer trips front panniers may be needed as well. If you use those, try to balance the weight front to back, as well as side to side on the bike. Keep the weight as low as possible to keep your center of gravity low.

Pros

They place the weight of the gear off your body and onto the frame of your bicycle.
They allow you to organize your gear into separate, easy-to-access pockets.
They can be waterproof (although not all of them are).
They are easy to transport off the bike (on planes, trains, boats and buses)
They make your bicycle very compact (which makes it easy to navigate in narrow terrain).

The downside to panniers

Can only be used on bicycles where front or rear racks can be mounted.
The price of panniers range greatly depending on quality.
Steering a bicycle with front panniers takes some getting used to.
Learning to pack them correctly takes some training.
They are difficult to carry for long distances off the bike.

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Trailer – Pros and Cons

Pros

Can be used with almost any type of bicycle.
Shifts portion of weight from bike frame to trailer.
Are low to the ground, which makes it easier for you to steer your bike.
Are easy to pack because everything is in one large container.
Are usually (but not always) waterproof.
Are usually better than panniers in rough, off-road conditions.

The downside to trailers

It adds 1 or 2 more wheels to your rig…more resistance.
They are NOT easily transported on airplanes, buses, boats or trains.
They require you to carry an extra, smaller spare inner-tube for flats.
You are suddenly much longer than you normally would be on a regular bike.

Courtesy bicycletouringpro.com

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Pros

Can be used with almost any type of bicycle.
Shifts a portion of the weight from the bike frame to the trailer, generally can carry heavier loads.
Are low to the ground, which makes it easier for you to steer your bike.
Are easy to pack because everything is stored in one large container.
Are usually (but not always) waterproof.
Are usually better than panniers in rough, off-road conditions. Does well on narrow single-track negotiating overgrown passages.

The downside to trailers

It adds 1 or 2 more wheels to your rig…more resistance.
They are NOT easily transported on airplanes, buses, boats or trains.
They require you to carry an extra, smaller spare inner-tube for flats.
You are suddenly twice as long as you normally would be on a regular bike. However you’re potentially narrower than a bike with panniers.

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Questions…

We’ll pause a moment here to answer one or two questions.

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Food

Backpacking foods are a good choice for cooking in camp and trailside lunches.
Grocery stores generally available but plan ahead – many of the smaller towns no longer had stores.
Restaurants, breweries, wineries all make a nice break, and get you talking with the locals.

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Shelter

You’ll have lots of options

Traditional public and private camp grounds
City parks that are open to cyclists for camping
Cyclist-only camp grounds provided by the trail org
Hostels, much like you would find on the AT
Bed and Breakfasts, often with garages, etc. to accommodate cyclists
Hotels and motels

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Preparation and Skills

You should know how to:

Install a new tire
Replace a flat tube with a new one
Patch a bike tube with a patch kit
Adjust front and rear brakes
Install new brake pads
Adjust the height and position of both seat post, saddle and handlebars
Install front and rear racks (if using)
Attach trailer (if using)
Clean or remount bike chain
Adjust front and rear derailleurs
install/remove your pedals

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Planning

Establish daily mileage consistent with groups capability
Trail guides are available for most major trails
Check with local resources on current trail conditions
Identify food and water resupply, and camping / lodging stops
Arrange a shuttle or plan for self-shuttling
Make sure your bike is thoroughly checked out, and practice with loaded gear – consider a “shake-down” trip

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Establish daily mileage consistent with groups capability. Obviously this will depend on your groups physical capacity, how much leisure time you build in, plus the type of trail and whether you are carrying a full load of gear.

On the Natchez trail we did 40 to 60 miles per day.
On the Mickelson trail, we did 30 to 40 miles per day

Trail guides are available for most major trails. These are an invaluable resource. Some trails have online communities that will answer questions and help you plan.
Check with local resources on current trail conditions. Sections of the trail may be washed out or detoured. Check with the local Chamber of Commerce or the governing organization, such as the National or State Park Service.
Identify food and water resupply and camping / lodging stops. Also identify bike shops along your route in case major repairs are required. Potable water can be an issue on remote trail sections, so again check with local resources.
Arrange a shuttle or plan for self-shuttling. If using a shuttle service contact them well in advance regarding availability and any pre-payment requirements, and follow up closer to the trip to make sure all plans are in place.
Make sure your bike is thoroughly checked out, and practice with loaded gear. We recommend a shorter “shakedown” trip before a big trip. For example, ride the Little Miami Bike Trail up to Yellow Springs, camp at James Bryant, then return.

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Resources

Organized Bike Tours http://www.gobicycletouring.com/
General Bike Touring Intro www.bicycletouringpro.com
Bike Touring Tips https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/bicycle-touring-basics.html
Top 100 Touring Bikes https://bicycletouringpro.com/top-100-best-touring-bicycles/

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HOW DID WE DO?

We hope this presentation got you interested in trying bicycle touring!

Poll #2

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Find all our Virtual School Topics here: https://miamigroup.org/virtual-backpack-training/

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This concludes the presentation, but hang around for a few more minutes.

How did we do? We hope we have at least got your interest in trying out bicycle touring. We have one more poll for you, that will help us know how we did. Please tell us if this presentation has motivated you to consider something new.

Denise Launch Poll #2

While you are completing this last poll, I’ll mention again that we will post a PDF copy of this presentation on the Sierra Club website. Within a few days, we’ll also post a link on the same page to a recording of this webinar, along with responses to any questions we didn’t answer for you today.

We’ll have a live Q & A at the end of this presentation. We’ll unmute you so that you can ask your questions live.

While you are thinking about your questions, I want to let you know that we will host a few more webinars at least through February. If there is a particular topic you’d be interested in, please use the chat box to let us know that as well. In March, we’re tentatively planning begin the series again so if you missed any of our early sessions, you’ll have the chance to fill in some blanks.

CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE

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Explore…Enjoy…�Protect

Join us!
Become a Sierra Club Member: Member
Make a donation: https://miamigroup.org/donate/
Join our MeetUp https://www.meetup.com/SierraOutings/
Become a volunteer: https://miamigroup.org/volunteer/

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Become an Outings Leader

Share your experience and passion
Make great friends
Enjoy the camaraderie
Outdoor Activities: https://miamigroup.org/outdoor-activities/

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Happily presented by….

Miami Group Sierra Club

https://miamigroup.org/

https://www.meetup.com/SierraOutings/

miami group (cincinnati middletown dayton) sierra club

Roads Rivers and Trails

Independently owned outdoor outfitter

108 Main St., Milford, Ohio

#DreamPlanLive

www.roadsriversandtrails.com

@RRT50

Summit Trek & Travel – For Adventure Travel

To be added to mailing list, email Nancy at:

summittrektravel@yahoo.com

@summit.trek.travel

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QUESTIONS…

We will try to get to all the questions in the chat box.

If you’d like to ask your question live you should be able to unmute, or raise your hand and we’ll unmute you.