{"id":664013,"date":"2026-05-11T14:32:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T14:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/664013\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T14:32:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T14:32:22","slug":"what-to-know-before-you-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/664013\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Know Before You Ride"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated6 min read<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t like to start small. I ran my first marathon before I\u2019d ever signed up for a 5K. And before I decided on my first cross-country cycling trip, I\u2019d never so much as taken an overnight bike camping<\/a> trip, nor ridden my bike farther than 60 miles in a day. I had no idea what to worry about, what to pack<\/a>, or what to expect beyond the general unexpected.<\/p>\n

But the weird thing is, my story is far from unique. Lots of cyclists feel the opposite coast calling and jump right into cross-country cycling before they\u2019ve gotten their bike touring<\/a> \u201csea legs.\u201d And maybe that\u2019s the right way to do it. After all, nothing can really prepare you for that first big bike journey, and all those little revelations along the way are the foundations of a true adventure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That said, I could have maybe done a bit more preparation before I set out on a two-month cross-country cycling trip alone a few years back with little more than a phone card and a $15 tent. Here\u2019s what surprised me on that tour\u2014and what I wish I\u2019d known before I left home.<\/p>\n

Bike Touring Pack Essentials<\/p>\n

High-Capacity Hauler<\/p>\n

\"27L<\/a>ROCKBROS 27L Waterproof Bike PannierCredit: Courtesy<\/p>\n

Keep your stuff protected from rain and puddles.<\/p>\n

Waterproof Pouch<\/p>\n

\"Blocker<\/a>SealLine Blocker Dry Sack<\/p>\n

Racks Hold Your Bags<\/p>\n

\"TetraRack<\/a>Topeak TetraRack R2Credit: Courtesy<\/p>\n

If your bike doesn\u2019t have bosses to attach racks, these ones just strap on. Available in road<\/a> and mountain sizes, both front<\/a> and rear.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Choice<\/p>\n

\"Auto-Pilot<\/a>Road Runner Auto-Pilot Stem Bag<\/p>\n

Keep all your essentials\u2014water, phone, chapstick, camera, snacks\u2014accessible as you ride. <\/p>\n

Versatile Straps<\/p>\n

\"Nylon<\/a>Voile Nylon Buckle Variety Pack<\/p>\n

Now 22% Off<\/p>\n

Credit: Courtesy<\/p>\n

Attach a tent or more bags to your handlebar\u2014or get even more creative.<\/p>\n

9 Tips for a Better Cross-Country Cycling Adventure1. Get a good sleeping bag<\/p>\n

Out of everything I packed<\/a> for my cross-country cycling adventure, my sleeping bag was where I wished I\u2019d spent a little extra money. It was summer when I left the West Coast for my tour, and I was a kid from Kansas.<\/p>\n

I imagined long days at peak humidity<\/a> and sticky, mosquito-embattled nights. I had no idea how bitterly cold<\/a> it could get at night at elevation\u2014and how much time I would spend every morning thawing my water bottles<\/a> over a camp stove.<\/p>\n

In the mountains, my sleeping bag, a flat fold of polyester better suited to preteen slumber parties, was no warmer than sleeping in a paper bag. The minute I reached a town big enough to have an REI, I blew half my touring fund on a nice, lightweight mummy bag I still use to this day. And thanks to that purchase, I\u2019m alive to tell the tale today instead of buried deep in a hypothermic tunnel in the Cascades.<\/p>\n

Bikepacking Sleep Systems<\/p>\n

Cold-temps mummy bag<\/p>\n

\"Trestles<\/a>Marmot Trestles Elite Eco 30<\/p>\n

Now 40% Off<\/p>\n

Our favorite lightweight and packable sleeping bag, rated for chilly nights down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit.<\/p>\n

Insulating Sleeping Pad<\/p>\n

\"Z-Lite<\/a>Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite Sol Sleeping PadCredit: Courtesy<\/p>\n

Lightweight, foam mat that accordian-folds up for easy packing. <\/p>\n

Quilt with Toebox<\/p>\n

\"Down<\/a>Outdoor Vitals Down TopQuilt<\/p>\n

If don\u2019t need a full sleeping bag, a quilt with a toebox will keep you plenty warm, and is lighter to carry.<\/p>\n

Light and Sturdy Tent<\/p>\n

\"Trail<\/a>REI Co-op Trail Hut 4 Tent<\/p>\n

Packs down small enough to take on a bike, plus it fits two people, so you can split the cost with your travel buddy.<\/p>\n

Hammock with Bug Net<\/p>\n

\"Skylite<\/a><\/p>\n

Sleep under the stars without mosquitos bites\u2014best if you know you\u2019ll be camping with lots of trees around to hang it from.<\/p>\n

2. Pack light\u2014even lighter than you think<\/p>\n

Extra clothes and\/or cycling kit<\/a>, full-sized tools<\/a>, that harmonica you never learned to play\u2014chances are, you won\u2019t use half the stuff you thought you\u2019d need.<\/p>\n

The good news with cross-country cycling is you can always send extras home, mail yourself stuff to pick up further down the road (like cold- or warm-weather clothes), or have friends mail you things at post offices marked \u201cGeneral Delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before my first tour, I had no idea post offices even let you do that. I set out with all kinds of odds and ends I didn\u2019t need, and had to hunt for other necessities along the road. But once I\u2019d mastered the art of General Delivery, I had cookies<\/a> and warm socks<\/a> waiting for me in every port.<\/p>\n

Just make sure to find a small-town post office along the route<\/a> and have your loved ones address mail there to your name, \u201ccare of general delivery.\u201d (Smaller towns are less likely to misplace the package.) And make sure you\u2019ll be passing through that town on a day the post office will be open.<\/p>\n

3. Don\u2019t always trust the map<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re trying to travel light, it makes sense to carry very little food<\/a> and plan to stop regularly at supermarkets and convenience stores along the way. But every once in awhile, I\u2019d pull up at the only minimart or restaurant within a 50-mile radius and encounter a sign that read, \u201cClosed on Sundays\u201d or \u201cOut of Business.\u201d<\/p>\n

I learned that one of the first rules of the road<\/a> during cross-country cycling is to always prepare for services to be closed\u2014even when relying on a new touring guide and not one that\u2019s all weathered around the edges like an old-timey treasure map. I gambled so many times that the single store I needed for a restock would be open (and lost) that I learned to carry far more food<\/a> than anyone could eat in 48 hours at all times.<\/p>\n

Related Story4. Hang your food<\/p>\n

Do I really need to elaborate on this one? It only took me two or three hand-to-hand raccoon battles to learn this lesson, but it\u2019s one that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Google \u201cjavelina\u201d and tell me if that\u2019s something you want to wrestle away from the last of your oatmeal<\/a> supply in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n

5. Write down tips from other bike tourists<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re riding a well-worn touring route, you\u2019ll probably encounter other cross-country cyclists headed in the opposite direction. Chances are, they\u2019ll want to stop and share some war stories from the road, and hear what you\u2019ve seen in your travels, too.<\/p>\n

Often they\u2019ve got tips about road detours, places to stay, and pitfalls to avoid. Write this stuff down! Five states later in your cross-country cycling<\/a> adventure, when you get to that town they mentioned, you\u2019re going to want to remember which campsite they warned you about and what the name of that vegetarian<\/a> restaurant was. You\u2019re also going to want to get their contact info and whether or not they\u2019re keeping a blog so you can keep up with the rest of their journey after you part ways.<\/p>\n

Related Story6. Be open to connection<\/p>\n

So many friends and family members warned me that cross-country cycling would be dangerous that I started to wonder if they might be on to something. But ultimately, what I discovered is that the vast majority of people\u2014in both cities and the small-town, rural areas I spent the majority of my time passing through\u2014were trusting, open-hearted, and kind.<\/p>\n

The hospitality I\u2019ve experienced from strangers has since been unparalleled. Families saw me on the roads<\/a> and invited me to stay at their houses; elderly church-goers offered to make me food. Yes, even me\u2014at the time, a tattooed gay kid with short, messy hair in a black hoodie covered with punk patches. I\u2019m so glad I ventured outside my bubble long enough to learn that this country is made up of quirky, amazing characters worth connecting with and swapping stories.<\/p>\n

7. Line up lodging in advance<\/p>\n

Before I left, I wish I\u2019d known about WarmShowers<\/a>\u2014a site that helps set up traveling bike tourists with potential hosts\u2014or some of the other great avenues to finding free or low-cost lodging, like talking to other bike tourists in advance or getting tips from blogs. There are only so many weeks in a row you can sleep<\/a> in a little one-person tent before the idea of having a real bed and a real shower<\/a> and a real person to talk to becomes a luminous mirage on the horizon. By the time I embarked on my second long bike tour, I was looking for ways to sleep indoors as often as I could.<\/p>\n

Related Story8. Take fewer photos of scenery and more of people<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll want to remember all the oddball characters you met along your cross-country cycling journey. You\u2019ll want to remember the landscapes you saw, too, but that stuff is less fleeting than the faces of the folks who let you sleep in their spare room, or played pool with you all night in that country western bar on the edge of town.
<\/p>\n

Sure, it\u2019s awkward to ask to take a virtual stranger\u2019s photo<\/a>, but 10 years after your trip is over, those will be the photos that mean the most. Trust me.<\/p>\n

9. Remember: Small towns are the best<\/p>\n

When I first set out on my cross-country cycling trip, what I\u2019d always labeled small towns were practically bustling metropolises compared to the zero-stoplight outposts I would spend most of my nights in while bike touring<\/a>. But what those tiny villages lacked in city services they often made up for in convenience and hospitality.<\/p>\n

Lots of 200-person towns peppered across the Midwest not only allow free camping in the city park but also provide showers and other resources at the local pool or firehouse. And sometimes, even if a city doesn\u2019t have that kind of program set up, you can negotiate a safe place to pitch your tent for free with the local sheriff\u2014or sleep in the basement of a local church. It\u2019s hard to imagine getting that kind of VIP treatment anywhere else.<\/p>\n

5 Great Touring Bikes<\/p>\n

Best Value<\/p>\n

\"ADV<\/a>Co-Op Cycles ADV 2.2 Bike<\/p>\n

Great price point to get up and get out.<\/p>\n

Timeless Style<\/p>\n

\"Marrakesh<\/a>Salsa Marrakesh AlivioCredit: Courtesy<\/p>\n

Can be converted to a singlespeed.<\/p>\n

A Classic, Updated<\/p>\n

\"Disc<\/a>Surly Disc Trucker<\/p>\n

Now 24% Off<\/p>\n

Carry more gear with pack mounts on the fork. <\/p>\n

Best For Long Hauls<\/p>\n

\"AWOL<\/a><\/p>\n

Integrated lights powered by a Dynamo hub. <\/p>\n

Most Versatile<\/p>\n

\"RLT<\/a><\/p>\n

Massive tire clearance, and compatible with internal droppers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"6 min read I don\u2019t like to start small. I ran my first marathon before I\u2019d ever signed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":664014,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,10236,784,5265,85],"class_list":["post-664013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-core","tag-cycling","tag-service","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=664013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664013\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/664014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=664013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=664013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=664013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}