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HOW
TO SECURE YOUR BICYCLE AND BELONGINGS WHEN GOING INSIDE
A BUILDING:
May 25, 2008
Most
of the time it’s fine to simply leave your bike
locked up outside a store with the panniers still
on it. You might do this when running into a fast-food
restaurant to use the restroom or fill up your water
bottles. You might even do this when running into
a supermarket to grab some food. But this should not... |
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HOW
TO PROTECT YOUR SUNGLASSES & MIRROR
May 25, 2008
When
traveling by bike there are typically a few small
items that you need to treat with extra caution so
as to not damage them. Two such items that come to
mind are your sunglasses and your mirror. For some
cool tips on now to protect and organize these items
while out on tour, check out the following video...
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SELECTING
A MIRROR FOR YOUR BICYCLE TOUR
May 20, 2008
A
mirror is an essential piece of equipment for anyone
traveling by bike. Having the ability to see behind
you is of great importance, as it is something that
could potentially save your life! I’ve met people
in the past who have been hit by a car, attacked from
behind, and pushed off the road by a passing RV. But
the reason I don’t have a story like that is
because I refuse to get on my bike without a mirror.... |
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THE
ANXIETY THAT BUILDS UP BEFORE A BIKE TOUR
April 19, 2008
If
you’re planning a tour and that anxiety has
suddenly shown it’s ugly head, don’t fret!
This is normal… and the feelings will pass.
The important thing to note about the anxiety you
are feeling now is that it will surely go away. How
long it will take to go away, however, is dependent
entirely upon you and the way that you think... |
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BICYCLE
TOURING vs. BICYCLE CAMPING
April 8, 2008
There
are many differences between regular bicycle touring
and the strains of bike-camping. One must do their
homework, be prepared, and know what they are getting
themselves into when planning a bike-camping tour.
Planning and preparation are of utmost importance
for anyone planning to bike-camp... |
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THE
SECRETS OF STEALTH CAMPING
April 4, 2008
It’s
called many things: stealth camping, wild camping,
guerilla camping, rolling off into the woods, etc.
In the end, they all mean the same thing. Stealth
camping is the act of quietly finding a place away
from people where you can camp for the night and then
quickly slip away in the morning without being detected.
The key to stealth camping is to remain hidden at
all times and to leave no trace of your existence
during or after you leave the site... |
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WHY
WOULD ANYONE WANT TO RIDE A RECUMBENT BIKE?
March 25, 2008
Why
would anyone want to ride a recumbent bike, you ask?
Borrowing from Elizabeth Barrett Browning, let me
count the ways... |
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RECOMMENDED
TOURING PANNIERS
March 21, 2008
Lone
Peak is a company located in Salt Lake City,
Utah that has been making "the finest quality
packs since 1979." Their packs are tough, reliable,
functional, and good looking! Lone Peak utilizes
the finest materials available, along with superior
design and construction to manufacture the best packs
available. You can now purchase the Lone Peak products
here... |
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THE
BENEFITS OF ANNOUNCING YOUR TRIP TO THE WORLD
March 4, 2008
For
the past three weeks I’ve been wrestling over
whether or not I was going to go away on a trip this
spring. I don’t have enough time at the moment
to get away on one of my long distance tours, but
I was sure I could get away for a couple weeks and
keep my business on track. I knew I wanted to get
away, but was unsure how I could make it happen... |
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TWO
WEEKS BEFORE YOU LEAVE ON TOUR
March 2, 2008
You’re
two weeks away from the start of your epic long distance
bicycle adventure and you’re both nervous and
excited about the events that are to come. You’re
excited about the possibilities, but nervous about
everything that could go wrong. More
than anything, you’re concerned about your ability
to feel at home out on the road... |
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3
REASONS TO LEAVE YOUR ODOMETER
AT HOME
February 23, 2008
Many
bicycle tourists consider their odometer one of the
most important parts of their bike. They not only
want to know how fast they are going and how many
miles they have ahead of them, but they (most importantly)
want to keep track of the total miles they are racking
up on their tour. Bicycle
odometers are great and have a number of uses, but
I simply can’t stand them on long distance bicycle
tours... |
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JOURNALING
WHILE ON TOUR
February 20, 2008
If
you’re planning a bicycle tour, then this is
an excellent time to start a journal. When
you’re on tour, you’re going to have a
million thoughts running through your head at any
given moment. Many of these thoughts will be about
finding food, water, and lodging… but then there
will be times when you can sit back, enjoy the ride,
and think about your life, the goals you have set
for yourself, and the circumstances... |
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THE
TOP 8 WEBSITES FOR BOOKING A FLIGHT
February 14, 2008
Many
bicycle adventures start with an airplane ride. So
if you’re looking for a great deal on a one-way,
round-trip, or multi-stop flight for your next bike
trip, I’ve put together a list of the eight
best websites for booking a flight online... |
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USING
YOUR BIKE TRIP TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE
February 4, 2008
If
you are planning a tour outside of your home country
– in a place where they don’t speak your
native language, consider learning as much of that
language as you can before you leave home. Not only
will it make the tour that much easier for you, but
you might just have some fun in the process. To
help you get started on your road to foreign language
success, here is what I recommend... |
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WHEN
THE WEATHER GETS BAD AND YOU'RE FORCED INSIDE
February 1, 2008
It’s
the first of February and the snow is falling fast.
As much as I want to get out on my bike and stretch
my legs, the streets are covered in snow and ice and
riding now would be nearly impossible. But
just like when I’m on a bicycle tour and the
weather gets bad, I have two choices: I can stay where
I am and wait out the storm… or I can suck it
up, get on my bike, and hit the pavement... |
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10
PIECES OF PAPER YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO LEAVE HOME WITHOUT
January 24, 2008
You’re
making a list and checking it twice. No, you aren’t
Santa Clause; you’re just getting ready to leave
on a bike tour.
If
you’re going over your things and making sure
you’ve got everything you’ll need while
you’re out on the road, be sure you don’t
leave home without the following ten pieces of paper... |
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IN
CASE OF EMERGENCY, WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
January 21, 2008
“What
would happen if you were hit by a car and the driver
of that car stopped to help you, but couldn’t
find the identification necessary to call your family
and let them know what had happened?” It’s
a topic of conversation that is often forgotten, but
of great importance to us bicycle tourists... |
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TOOLS
FOR PLANNING A SELF-SUPPORTED BICYCLE TOUR
January 13, 2008
I'm
beginning to receive more and more emails from people
asking me how they should go about planning for a
long distance bicycle tour. “Where do you start?”
many of them ask. Well,
today I’m going to tell you! I’m going
to show you exactly how I go about planning for my
tours and I’m even going to give you some free
resources that you can use to help you plan for your
next self-supported bicycle tour... |
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LOCKING
UP YOUR BIKE
December 24, 2007
I
can't tell you how many times I've seen fully loaded
touring bikes left at campsites, completely unguarded,
not locked up... just sitting there! Even worse is
when I see a bike with a lock around it, but the lock
is thrown over a three foot high post - a post that
anyone could simply lift the bike over and walk away
with the bike in a matter of seconds... |
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BICYCLE
TOUR CLOTHING ESSENTIALS
December 10, 2007
Today
I'm going to be discussing the clothing to bring on
your long distance bicycle adventure.
There is no correct way to pack for a bike trip, as
much of this depends on personal preference and the
general location and time of year for the tour, but
today I am going to show you the essential pieces
of clothing that I have brought with me on just about
every bike tour I've ever taken... |
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DEALING
WITH EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS
December 3, 2007
Being
prepared for extreme weather is an essential part
of making your long distance bicycle tour a success.
Much of being prepared for extreme weather conditions
is about having the right clothing with you. Deciding
what clothing to bring and what to leave at home is
the tricky part. To determine what type of clothes
you need... |
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SELECTING
A TENT
November 30, 2007
There
are many different ways to conduct a bicycle tour.
You can camp, stay in hotels and hostels, or simply
stay with friends. If you're planning to do any camping
though, you're going to need a good tent. And selecting
the right tent for your long distance bicycle tour
is of top importance... |
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SELECTING
A SLEEPING BAG
November 27, 2007
When
you're selecting a sleeping bag for your long distance
bicycle tour, there are three things to keep in mind... |
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DEALING
WITH ELECTRONICS WHILE ON THE ROAD
November 22, 2007
On
my first bike tour in 2001, the only electronic device
I carried with me was a camera. And not even a digital
camera! But a 35 mm camera than ran on one battery
and used actual film. It's hard to believe that was
only six years ago...
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HOW
TO PACK YOUR PANNIERS
November 19, 2007
I
get a lot of questions from prospective bicycle tourists
in which they ask how to go about packing their panniers
for a tour. This seems like a simple question, but
there is actually a lot that goes into packing your
bike for a tour... |
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TRAVELING
WITH A STOVE - A CAMP STOVE COMPARISON
November 7, 2007
It
was during my third long distance bicycle trip that
I began to fully understand the importance of having
a good stove. Unable to fly with a tank full of propane,
I landed in Raleigh, North Carolina with the intention
of finding the first sporting good store I could and
purchasing myself the propane/butane
mixed fuel I would need for the rest of my trip... |
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HOW
TO PACK YOUR HANDLEBAR BAG
October 28, 2007
I
get a lot of questions from prospective bicycle tourists
in which they ask how to go about packing their bike
for a tour. This seems like a simple question, but
there is actually a lot that goes into packing your
bike for a tour. The answer to this question also
depends on... |
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WELCOME
TO BICYCLETOURINGPRO.COM
October 27, 2007
Hello
everyone! My name is Darren Alff and welcome to BicycleTouringPro.com.
This is a brand new website that I've created to help
connect bicycle tourists from around the world. I
am an experienced bicycle tourist who has ridden across
the United States six separate times and I just returned
from a tour of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic... |