Ideas to Consider for Prospective New Tourers

[John1054]

Several requests are made to help formulate plans for new tourers. Please consider including the following in your post:-
1) Abilities of yourself (solo or a group);
2) Types of bike(s) and proposed terrain;
3) Length of tour (time and or miles);
4) Accommodation planned (camp/B&B/hostel/hotel etc.);
5) Food (self catering/eating out);
6) Health (any relevant issues that might affect capabilities.

If your request takes the above into account, it will help all of us give best advice, thanks

[simonhill]

Good idea, but...

Is this intended to be a sticky? If so, may I suggest we all throw in our suggestions and then maybe a mod selects the best and makes up a sticky.

If not a sticky, this will soon fall off the end and little will have been achieved.

I would suggest that number one should be where do you want to tour, or something similar.

What experience would be better than ability.

[thirdcrank]

On an administrative note, how about if somebody who thinks they can write this up does so, posts in the ordinary way including being prepared to take the flak, then, if it's any good, somebody may propose it should go in the "Too Good to Lose" section?

[Gattonero]

Several requests are made to help formulate plans for new tourers. Before posting future requests, please consider the following:-
1) Abilities of yourself (solo or a group);
2) Types of bike(s) and proposed terrain;
3) Length of tour (time and or miles);
4) Accommodation planned (camp/B&B/hostel/hotel etc.);
5) Food (self catering/eating out);
6) Health (any relevant issues that might affect capabilities.

If your request takes the above into account, it will help all of us give best advice, thanks

Won't be better to keep things simple?
The novice that is worried about his/her first bike tour, should be incouraged and kept relaxed.

It is my opinion that "first you learn to walk, then you learn to run", so one shouldn't expect to start with a 3 weeks tour across Asia. Or if you want to do, there will be many compromises and lots of time will take before and during the tour.
While the humble cyclo-tourist that is after a few days or maybe a week of riding, should be given a simple plan. My 2 cents:

Where do you want to go?
↓
To see/do what?
↓
Answer to the first question brings the follow
↓
How many miles, and onto which terrain
↓
Are you fit enough/having a health condition?
↓
The one above will narrow the choice for mileage, food and accomodation
↓
Answer to the second question will help choosing what else to carry (i.e. swimming or climbing gear, or casual clothes)

[Ivor Tingting]

I think this is a really good idea and the moderators should be commended for starting the ball rolling creating a basic template of questions for prospective new cycle tourists to answer so the forum can better serve them by offering relevant and helpful advice more quickly. As far as I can see it is a win win all round, for those seeking advice and those giving it hopefully providing succinct and useful information quickly for those who seek it. Hopefully the petty squabbling of past threads will be avoided. Well done.

[durhambiker]

Several requests are made to help formulate plans for new tourers. Before posting future requests, please consider the following:-
1) Abilities of yourself (solo or a group);
2) Types of bike(s) and proposed terrain;
3) Length of tour (time and or miles);
4) Accommodation planned (camp/B&B/hostel/hotel etc.);
5) Food (self catering/eating out);
6) Health (any relevant issues that might affect capabilities.

If your request takes the above into account, it will help all of us give best advice, thanks

.
What strikes me about all the above is that it will put many people off by scaring them...Sometimes,just do it!!...

[Psamathe]

Several requests are made to help formulate plans for new tourers. Before posting future requests, please consider the following:-
1) Abilities of yourself (solo or a group);
2) Types of bike(s) and proposed terrain;
3) Length of tour (time and or miles);
4) Accommodation planned (camp/B&B/hostel/hotel etc.);
5) Food (self catering/eating out);
6) Health (any relevant issues that might affect capabilities.

If your request takes the above into account, it will help all of us give best advice, thanks :D

.
What strikes me about all the above is that it will put many people off by scaring them...Sometimes,just do it!!...

I set off last summer without answers to 4 of those questions - I was just "flexible" and "see how it goes". And I had a great time for 2 months.

Ian

[LittleGreyCat]

More specifically than "health" might be "what is the longest distance you have ridden in a day" and "what is the longest distance you have ridden on two consecutive days".
This should give a reasonable starting point for route planning.
The "two consecutive days" is IMHO very important because you can ace the first day then barely be able to move on the second.

[Psamathe]

More specifically than "health" might be "what is the longest distance you have ridden in a day" and "what is the longest distance you have ridden on two consecutive days".
.....
The "two consecutive days" is IMHO very important because you can ace the first day then barely be able to move on the second.

On my personal spreadsheet recording my rides I have a column recording the mileage for 3 consecutive days (blank if there are not 3 consecutive day rides, otherwise the sum of the 3 days.

Ian

[PH]

What strikes me about all the above is that it will put many people off by scaring them...Sometimes,just do it!!...

+1
Maybe we should come up with a list of ten things not to do and the advise not to ignore more than eight of them on the same trip.

[yutkoxpo]

Honestly, the best advice to give to a newbie tourer would be to ask their questions somewhere else.
Threads get filled with highly detailed bickering and sniping.

It's a real shame because while there certainly are many knowledgeable, experienced and technically minded people here, I can't but help feel that's it's just not a friendly environment. And that's not taking some of the downright nasty, negative posts into account. I know myself I was reading here for about 5 years before I made my first post.

I can understand that attitude in a "competitive" forum, it just strikes me as the antithesis of what a "Touring & Expedition" forum should be like.

Like I say, I think it's a shame.

[mjr]

Several requests are made to help formulate plans for new tourers. Before posting future requests, please consider the following:-

Would that be better as "please consider including the following in your post"?

[mattheus]

Several requests are made to help formulate plans for new tourers. Before posting future requests, please consider the following:-

Would that be better as "please consider including the following in your post"?

Yes. (and I think that better fits the intention of this idea. IMHO!)

[simonhill]

I wonder where this post is going? Will it just be an ever growing sticky that most new posters will ignore.

While useful, any list is by its nature prescriptive and so may or may not be completely appropriate. The main reason for having such a thing is that (often new) posters post rather vague posts with little or no supporting info. A bit of thought would be enough for most to realise that without giving a reasonable amount of information, answering their question is virtually impossible. Essentially they just need to be prompted a bit. (Edited)

All this sticky needs to say, in 3 simple sentences is:

When posting, please give as much background information as possible. This information could include where you want to go, your experience, fitness, budget, current or proposed bike, accommodation choice and anything else you consider relevant. The more information you give, the easier it is to answer your question.

[GPC]

Honestly, the best advice to give to a newbie tourer would be to ask their questions somewhere else.
Threads get filled with highly detailed bickering and sniping.

It's a real shame because while there certainly are many knowledgeable, experienced and technically minded people here, I can't but help feel that's it's just not a friendly environment. And that's not taking some of the downright nasty, negative posts into account. I know myself I was reading here for about 5 years before I made my first post.

I can understand that attitude in a "competitive" forum, it just strikes me as the antithesis of what a "Touring & Expedition" forum should be like.

Like I say, I think it's a shame.

I agree. Last year I asked route advice of this forum. I was planning one of my group tour holidays and during the recce had been shocked at how bad and frankly unfit for touring a section of the NCN was. (I was asking for alternative route suggestions) Among the very unhelpful responses were:
1.Use the bike suitable for the route! (I'd never ridden the route previously, hence the recce and as it formed part of the NCN I assumed it would be ride able in the most basic sense).
2. 'I rode it there and back in a few hours easy peasy etc'. (it really wasn't, in the end I laid on a minibus and trailer to ferry clients 20 miles to avoid that section).

Sometimes folks are really helpful I have had good advice from here today on another matter. But sometimes folks here are plonkers.