Nucking Futs

[DanB]

I've had this idea in my head for a long time. I dunno if I'll ever be able to pool the vacation time and the family approval to do it, but I'd love to do a ride from International Falls, MN, to Brownsville, TX. Via touring bike.

Caveat: singlespeed.

Be a damned fun ride. I figure I'd build my own touring frame for this adventure, and get a BOB trailer (or make one).

Google Maps (bike function) reports about 1860 miles and thinks I can do this in about seven days. I'd want to stretch that out a bit.

Thoughts? Fucking nuts? Brilliant idea?

[shizzy]

brilliant. however, on such a trip I wouldnt be so much concerend about bombing the whole way down. I would try to stop at any and every silly roadside attraction.

if my math is correct, thats a average speed of 22MPH for 12 hours each of the 7 days.

[DanB]

if my math is correct, thats a average speed of 22MPH for 12 hours each of the 7 days.

You're correct. I think it would be more realistic to do 18mph for 10 hours each day, for a total of 10 days.

That said, being super-realistic would be more like 15mph for 9 hours each day, for a total of ~14 days.

I wouldn't be able to stop and see all the cool shit along the way unless I was some sort of lottery winner and didn't have a job to get back to.

[batjerk]

I dunno, I think that your speeds are rather ambitious for loaded touring. Especially with only one speed and a trailer. Probably want to calculate more like 12 mph for 8 hours per day.

Though, from what I've read about touring (mostly at kenkifer.com) it's better to pick a distance to cover each day, rather than an average speed. Also suggested is planning for fewer miles than can actually be comfortably covered each day. That way, you'll get the number of miles planned for and avoid frustration. Plus, if you do more than the plan, you can feel accomplished.

Personally, I wouldn't do loaded touring without gears, but that's just me. There're too many hills out there that are just about impossible to climb with a loaded bike that doesn't have fairly short gears.

[poorimpulsecontrol]

speaking as someone who just did part of this route. Don't do it without gears. Don't do it without really small granny gears. There are a lot of hills down the mississippi valley. Some of them are really steep (like in Afton) some of them are long.. all of them are rolling. I did it on a geared Surly Pacer (road bike) with about 40lbs of gear (maybe a little more than that) and had trouble fully loaded up the steeper hills because my lowest granny gear was not low enough when I was loaded down to get up the hills.

If you want to do it SS, you'll run into a lot of pain and less enjoyment.

with a geared bike fully loaded we averaged between 12-15mph. We rode in the saddle about 8 hours a day. When we were riding from Afton to RedWing we only did 36 miles.

Expect to ride less than you will, and to change your plans daily. A friend road from Montana to IL (about 1900miles) by himself, fundraising for his kids Talmud and it took him 15 days. He of course is insane, and the only thing he brought with him was what he was wearing, a jacket, socks, chamois butt'r his Iphone, credit card and his tools. He rode a few 200 mile days.