Bike touring is a great way to travel. But it’s not all sunshine and tail winds. There’s a Dark Side to bike touring. There are certain aspects of bike touring make it hard. The wind and the hills can combine to turn a hard day of cycling into an exhausting day. Sometimes dogs can come out to greet you along the way and make the day more exciting. Cars and trucks whizzing by at 60 mph can add stress to the most relaxed cyclist. There is risk involved in everything we do. Don’t let small obstacles like wind, hills, dogs and traffic ruin your next bike adventure.
35 Comments
A pit bull chased me one time , believe me one time is enough , too get your heart pumping like your going too have a heart attack , pumping.Thank ; God ; The good ; Lord had mercy.
I like this video covers almost everything but I think that there is one thing needed for this, Supplies,Safety equipment.. Hydrating liquid, water ect.. food,lighting red on rear enough head lighting, reflective vest head light on your head,mirror to reflect light or sun for emergency reasons, first aid kit,tools,tires and tubing, air pump, make sure you have the necessary tools to work with, and make sure someone knows where you're going and where you're at.. Be safe and don't underestimate traffic because #1 comments when bikers and pedestrians get hit is,I DIDN'T SEE THEM..
If possible avoid staying out of semi mirror way I ride a 29in bike and my head has been very close to being smacked by the mirrors I'm 6ft tall on a 29in bike with extended seat post 😂 this would decapitate you most semi drivers move over but don't expect them to 😮
In Ecuador we have stray dogs every few blocks, they always chase you on the bike. However, the only time I was actually bitten was in a public park by a dog with its owner. He did not bark and I did not realize he was following me as I passed them on the trail. I felt something grabbing my ankle and saw the dog biting me. Owner didn't even realize the dog had followed me. Will take a stray dog any day than a bad educated dog.
In Poland we ride on the right and other countries as well 😊. Only in England you ride on the left
We get stupid drivers in Europe as well, they think that they own the road
Many of my experiences bike touring were where I felt most alive. Things were truly beautiful, peaceful, hilarious, and sometimes terrifying. The whole gamut of human experience from the seat of a bike.
two words: bear spray
Yep keep a knife and a pepper spray with you for dogs. If they are calm no harm done, but if worse comes to worst you have a fighting chance. Also – fuck dogs. Never heard of a cat mauling a toddler to death. Think about it for a moment.
The traffic is something I am not use to. There are no bike lanes except for the long road that has almost no Sharpe curves 3 foot shoulders marked as bike lane. The problem is there more car wrecks on this road than any other road. any advice for wild hogs and bears.
Great job Paul – well made video with good advice. Thank you for sharing
It interesting channel lol I have a bike electric bicycle but I never did a touring.
I've been into touring for a few years now, since being bitten by the bug in 2017. I introduced my girlfriend to touring last year, and our VERY FIRST overnight trip was a short 75 miles in total with 45 the first day. Over the course of that 45 miles, we encountered regular rain, sideways rain, and even a fair amount of hail while on windy back roads. We were SOAKED by the time we hit our stop, but we have nothing but fond memories or that trip, and we still laugh about the circumstances we found ourselves in. We are getting ready for our second multi-day tour together, and we don't let the bad times dissuade us from taking on our next adventure.
He forgot to mention the mass murderers who frequently roam around looking for victims!
👍
Great video. I actually live and ride in the Missouri Ozarks. You are so right about our back roads. They are narrow and little if any shoulders at all . We have a couple in my area that are more I'd say majore hwys with good wide shoulders. Of course they are heavily used and the motorist are traveling at allot higher rate of speeds. I actually prefer the roads that are very windy and have allot of elevation or grade changes. There are no shoulders but the conditions force motorist to slow way down. This actually gives them time to spot you and correct their course if need be. All my close calls have been where the motorist are traveling at higher speeds. Ive only had one dog that latched onto my foot. It was a red heeler and everytime he chased me the owner just laughed at me. I finally started caring a bottle of water with cayenne pepper in it. The next time he tried grabbing my heel I sprayed him right in the snout. He ran off yelping and rubbing his face in the grass. The next time he took chase I grabbed the water bottle and aimed it at him. He stopped in his tracks and I never had to spray him again. All I had to do was reach for my bottle and he would stop chase. Most dogs will stay in the ditch and I dont worry about them. If they come toward me I yell no in a very firm loud voice and most dogs stop chase. All accept those little ankle bitters, you know the ones that think they are allot bigger than they actually are. I just get a good laugh from them. I actually love dogs. Its been my experience if you have an agressive dog its do to the owner most of the time but not always. In all my travels on a bike by far the most dangerous obsticle to a cyclist is a driver with a cell phone in hand texting. I always keep as far to the right as possible because nothing pisses a motorist off quicker than a slow cyclist. Allot of people are to self absorbed to slow down for a few seconds. All we can do is our part as cyclist to not piss people off. Some people will always get mad at us no matter what. Lets face it those same people get pissed off at other motorist even if they are in the wrong. Im still going to ride the hyws and back roads of the Missouri Ozarks. I dont have any bike trails near my house so its what I have. Safe travels to all my fellow cyclist. Thanks for your video.
All very sound advice except for the keeping right. I fully appreciate the courtesy and the point about being not being dead right however in my experience riding on the roads edge encourages drivers to speed up and try and squeeze through before the oncoming traffic. If I anticipate a scissors I move further into the lane to make the driver wait till there's no oncoming traffic (within reason). I now try to plan my tours without any open main road sections and if that's not possible plan not to be on them when they are not busy.
Keep up the good work!
Years ago, riding from Kentucky to Washington, D. C., through the mountains of West Virginia, we had a long uphill climb (about 8 miles climbing) right before the Virginia border.
When we got to the top, there was a downhill that went on for about 10 miles. We were making good time going down. My buddy's bike had an aluminum fork and we noticed
when we got to D.C. that the fork had cracked at was just ready to break completely. Always take a few minutes to look your bike over from time to time when you're
riding.
Nice video. Always wear a helmet. One thing, sometimes on narrow, curvy country roads; I try to hug the right edge of the road except in places where it might be
hard for a car coming up behind to see me….the I move a little closer to the center. After they see me, I then move closer to the right edge.
Helmet????
8/11/2023
My dad (he was a mail carrier) had an answer for dogs. DOG BISCUITS. He kept some in his mail bag. Every dog he met was his friend in a few minutes.
Bike chasing dogs are like car casing dogs. The fun is in the running. if you stop, they have nothing to chase, and the game is over, then a biscuit or two makes them your buddy. Then they want to run with you not after you.
Ya, there's a mean one every now and then. A switch across the nose really stings, but does little damage. Legally speaking, that dogs owner is in a heap of trouble, if the dog bites you while on a public road too.
Paul, you are Brilliant! Messaged you once before- when's you're ***** TV Show gonna start? You are a natural Sir. Re dogs, done a lot of miles around Europe, mostly offroad (where dogs seem to be the worst) and was badly attacked twice requiring surgery on both occasions. I'm an animal lover full- stop, but I also love my ankles. Since then, carried a plastic syringe with scotch bonnet peppers boiled in water, used it only a few times as a last resort, didn't enjoy using it but kept me safe. Yes, there are lots of adversities but facing these with the right mindset (as you rightly describe) is far more rewarding- physically, emotionally and psychologically than doing most of 'city folk' do-I only wish they could discover these joys. Wishing you so many more happy adventures sir. Best wishes from England.
Well, very awesome advice. Great job.
20:32 i could hear you swear on that truck driver 😀 but i do that but most important is that you didn't get hurt or kiled
I have 2 questions, I want to do a long trip, what do you think of suspension bikes, the second one, what do you think of 1-speed or many bikes????
I like these punchy sit down sessions the best.
Go electric
I'm a 69-year-old biker from Maine who thoroughly enjoys your presentations.
You are an inspiration Paul!
for strong winds and steep inclines I've mounted a 22 x 46 with 26" wheels. dogs don't bother me. trucks will graze you but won't kill you, it's the cars driven by goofy people that bother me but hey, cycling is an extreme sport, take it or leave it. if you believe in god, you can also save a prayer in the morning.
Hey, good video, one thing about staying to the right as far as possible though- here in Philly there’s a thing called the “door zone “ where the car owners who have “mental illness “ issues willingly open their doors to actually try to make sure they hit you if you are in their door zone, I don’t know if they are actually even licensed or not, but they are the reason that I say that CARS ARE WORSE THAN GUNS! Think about it- they can kill pedestrians and easily get away with it since it’s an “accident “ totally unacceptable and dreadfully disgraceful in reality but actually they get away with this horrible behavior- this can give a normal person a mental illness if they have to tolerate this kind of cruelty. Anyway thanks for a good video, Love , peace and respect 🙏
"you may have the right of way but you might be dead right. " found this information and also highly entertaining. appreciation from texas
What kind of seat do you use??
You're an excellent narrator dude. You deserve to hear that.
Why not just stop and cycle when the wind stops. I heard a guy in Australia cycle at night and rest in the day.