The best way to test and build up your stamina for long distance ride is to get yourself a bicycle trainer. Mount your bicycle on it and start cycling on it. This will also help you build your muscles for endurance ride.
The gluteal muscles you build up on your buttocks will also act like a cushion so they will not hurt as much during long distance rides.
You must also learn not to cycle against the wind and to change your gears correctly for uphill or downhill rides.
To know how well you are doing on your trainer, you can install a bicycle computer on your bicycle so that you know the distance you have cycled, your average speed and the total distance you could cover in a day considering that you will be called away while training or taking breaks for meals or toilet breaks.
There are meters that can also read if you have high pedal cadence as it tells how fast you can pedal. The higher it is the faster you can go which means that you can cover a longer distance without getting tired at the right gear speed.
Consider installing a butterfly handlebar on your bicycle which you will be touring on.
That way you can “exercise” your hands by moving it along the sponge grip so that it will improve blood circulation and relieve you from hurting due to compression of the nerves of your palms.
As for wheel size, cycling on a 700C wheelset will get you further per revolution vs cycling on a 26″. Most touring bikes are installed with 700C wheelset. Though there are also touring bike with 26″ touring bikes in the market.
700C Touring Bike
However, all 700C tyres are manufactured slick so you will have difficulty cycling your bike over rough terrain. So, you have to decide if you need a bicycle with knobby or slick tyres.
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