What are some good rules of thumb for starting out long-distance biking?

Before you start out on a long distance ride, you must ensure that the bicycle you plan to ride on is of the right fit for you. If you want to have an enjoyable ride, read up about the kind of touring bicycles that are good for long distance ride as you will be required to carry a pannier for tools, spare tubes, food, drinks and other stuff that you may need on the journey.

If you expect that it will rain at places that you will be cycling to, be prepared for it. Make sure that you properly dressed for your ride.

However, if you plan to travel overseas on your bicycle, it maybe a good idea to consider getting a folding bike for ease of moving it on public transport. Find out how you can ship it internationally.
Do you have the stamina for it? Learn how you can build it up. You should also learn how to ride so that you will not tire yourself out sooner than you should. Cycling in bicycle-friendly countries can also reduce the stress of long distance rides.

Learn how to service your bicycle regularly and how to figure out what is wrong with it so that it can be maintained to run efficiently. The very basic that you must know is how to change your tyres and tubes.

For your own safety, make the following checks before you start your ride.
Checklist before going on a bike ride

How many miles should I bicycle per day before I start on a world tour?

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.

Planning to tour on a bike?

What should you cycle on if you plan to ride for a longer distance?

If you plan to stay somewhere overnight enroute, you will need a bicycle that can carry the load of your pannier bags.  Do you have to travel by plane, train or car to get you to your cycling site?

Now that I got you thinking about it, following are some tips you should consider before you start on your journey.


Trekking Bicycle for Long Distance Ride from Nancy Poh

Enjoy the ride and the views.

Heard of fatbike?

Have you heard of bicycles with fat tyres?

These are your regular 26er expect that it runs on 26x4" tyres.  The idea of fat bikes started in USA as it is great for snow laden roads.  So, no more tying cable ties on the tyres for better traction with fat bikes on the scene.

The fat bike looks bulky and you will think that it will slow you down till you try it.  And if you also think that you could not possibly ride it over rough surfaces, then you have to check this video out.



Fat bikes is also good on sandy places, such as, the beaches along the coast and sand dunes in the desert.  You can definitely ride it on rough surfaces, muddy or grassy patches.  Don't worry that it does not have a suspension fork installed.  Let the air out some and you will feel that you are ridding on a 2 wheeler monster truck.

If you are always complaining that the tyres on your regular bike frequently run flat on you, you obviously have weight issues.  Till you loose some load, you will have to consider ridding a fat bike to avoid the hassle of pumping air into your tyres everytime you are on it.

You can also consider using a fat bike for touring.  The broader base of the tyres makes it easier for you to handle your bike as the load of your panniers are not evenly spread out and can cause your bike to skid on you.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go get a fat bike!

There are also models running on 20x4" tyres.