Offroad touring advice needed (retro-style)

Has anyone done any long-distance offroading – rides over multiple days – and if so how did you go?

Tent or bivy (or B&B)?
On your back or on the bike?

I'm planning to do Plymouth to Minehead, then back over the hills to Quantocks and home. I was planning to follow the route detailed in the book by Tim Woodcock.

Should I be planning to keep this pure and retro, or perhaps bring the benefits of my bouncy-ended Giant to bear on the occasion?

Any and all advice spectacularly welcome – lest I end up being a practice session for Dartmoor Rescue

I think ededwards has done a bit of this.

there are only two real options for multi day tours, Panniers or trailer, trailers are the favored route for riding off road, have a look at

http://www.adventurecycling.org/

http://www.ctc.org.uk/

If you are doign it retro it will have to be panniers, any less than a week and you can get away with rear panniers plus excess on the top of the rack, (I will post some more info when I am at home)

I've done a fair bit. Backpacks feel OK at first, but riding all day is uncomfortable, especially if you are rising out of the saddle. The extra weight on your back and saddle really tells.

I've never tried a trailer, but a good rack and panniers is fine. You won't be able to ride such technical stuff as the back wheel will be firmly planted on the ground.

The main thing is to try and really cut back on unnecessary stuff. With a tent you should be able easily to get under 15kg.

Thanks guys – hadn't really thought about one of those bob trailers, but they make a lot of sense (don't know how I'd fair with the Exmoor singletracks though).

It's looking like either hostels and B&Bs

or go ultralight with a bivy or one of these new silly-light Terra Nova tents and a lightweight sleeping bag strapped to a rack with some clothes etc in a small rucksack/large camelbak.

Looks like the route's doable over 3 days – so that's only two nights and there's got to be enough pubs en route for foodies so I shouldn't need to worry about that.

It also depends on how 'technical' the route is. If theres lots of narrow singletrack, logs etc across the track, then panniers are a hinderance , and dont do a lot for bike handling. I know the Crane cousins when they rode up killimanjaro ( a bit different, i know!) they found daysacs the way to go, so you could still jump the bike over obtacles and move it around. However, if its more open, as I think your ride will be, a 30 liter daysac on the rear rack with a spider should do it. You can then wear the sac for manouvering the bike over obtstacles, hills that you are tackling on foot etc. I'd go for a bivi bag or basha approach for getting your head down, finding a wild camp site on route. You can always cache your bike and tab to the nearest pub for some food and a pint.

mark

Go Light!

Most of my riding back in the day was of this type- before sus too!

Its much easier if you have a few friends with you to spread the load- a rack helps but i never took panniers.

A typical ride would be friday evening on the train to the lakes or North Yorks Moors and back late Sunday night- 60-70 miles a day.

Choose a fast rolling tyre because you will have plenty of tarmac no doubt- Specialized crossroad IIs were our fave back in the day.

Medium size rucksack with a spare pair of undercrackers and socks and a lightweight fleece and a hat for the evenings (one of the lads always took an old pair of overalls for sitting around the fire in and its amazing how warm and light they were and packed down really small!) thats all you need clothes wise. Get a decent lightweight sleeping bag and a roll up mat and an old 2 man tent flysheet to make a shelter (we're talking wild camping with a fire here so no need for a tent), cut your toothbrush in half, get a cheap headtorch, a disposable lighter, some toilet roll and a bottle opener and thats all you need.

We would pitch up just outside a village out of the way, stash our bags, wash in a stream and ride down to a pub and feed and water ourselves (don't forget to get a few bottles as a take out at the end of play). Get back, light the fire and sit around fettling the bikes until the early hours whilst shooting the crap.

Spares wise, just take a tube, a repair kit, multi-tool and a few cables (spread this lot out amongst your buddies)- you'll find that will get you out of the shit (this is where old school rigid steel bikes really shine- nothing much to go wrong.

Other tips- bottle cages and bottles, leave the hydration pack at home- keep the weight on the bike and make sure you take some string, zip ties and gaffer take- three of the most useful things in the world.

Always make sure you leave your camp just as you found it, apart from that just go for it- it's such a liberating thing to do and even the weather won't spoil it if you have the right mindset. Waking up out in the woods is one of lifes great pleasures. If the weather turns nasty- improvise, we once spent a night in the toilets in Dalby Forest- they had just been cleaned and were quite comfortable and had the benefit of lighting. Knowing a little camp craft won't go amiss, lighting a fire when its been raining all day isn't easy.

Planning to do more of this myself next year when things settle down a bit at home- might see you out there someday

Oh- Almost forgot, put your clothes and sleeping bag in two separate heavy duty bin liners to keep them dry for those waist deep river crossings!

Have fun and let us know how you got on dude.