Long Distance Hiking vs. Cycling

[RedneckRye]

I've begun toying with the idea of trying out long distance bicycle touring, possibly even cross country. Anyone with experience doing both care to point out any similarities and differences? Also, anyone have any suggestions for other info sources?
Thanks. RYE.

[Sly]

Me no bikey...

Hey Rye, back from the great wide open....

[Tinker]

If you hike on a regular basis, long distance bike riding is not going to be a problem. The big difference is where you get sore! Your butt takes on the bicycle what your feet take on the trail. If you have bad knees, however, it's my experience that biking might be as hard on them as hiking is.
Storage space is more critical on a bike than it is when hiking, while weight is not nearly as detrimental to bike touring as it is to hiking. (Your bike may not agree, nor will you, when you reach a steep uphill). Sunscreen is more critical when cycling than while hiking. Roads are pretty much wide open to the sun.

How much riding do you do now, and where do you ride?

[Natchez]

I have done some long rides from Chattanooga TN to FL I also race at a CAT 4 level which is low. I love backpacking and cycling but cycling to me is much more physical demanding. However, when we "toured" we averaged almost 20 miles an hour and rode over 100 miles a day. When i back pack most of my mileage is well short lol.

The both are fun

[mrc237]

I just got back from hiking the C/O Canal Path where there is plenty of tour biking. Saw only one other b-per. Camped a few times with bikers and liked the distances they covered each day. The path is repetitive so biking it works real well as there are plenty of places to stop refresh, resupply and move on. Got out my old Cannondale and started riding around town. It'll take awhile to get to 12 mph never mind 20 but I think 12 works fine for me. I think its a good alternative to Bp-ing esp. the extra stuff one can haul. I may take a crack at the C/O - Allegeny Trails from DC to Pittsburg.

[sourwood]

I have done quite a bit of both and love both activities. On the bike you have to deal with traffic which can be intimidating to some. Of course, if you choose your route carefully, you can avoid a lot of that. With bike touring I find you have more flexibility as it is easier to cover long distances. It is easier on the bike to reach towns more often and it is much easier to get about towns. On bike trips you tend to meet more "local" people in the areas through which you travel. You do need to be able to deal with bike repair issues and need to carry a certain amount of bike parts and tools with you. Bad weather on a bike can be bad. You get wetter and colder in the rain, colder in the wind, and riding into a strong head wind can be a very frustrating experience. If traveling on dirt roads in New Mexico, try to avoid getting caught in a rainstorm. Trying to push a bike through that sticky mud is something you will long remember. Both modes of transportation and seeing the world are great ones. A cross country bike trip is a great experience and lets you see lots of different things.Adventure Cycling is an organization which has mapped many bicycle routes across the country. Their Great Divide route offers a great backcountry bicycling experience. Their web site is: adventurecycling.org

Julie

[MOWGLI]

I think Peaks has done some long distance biking. Send him a PM.

[Peaks]

I think Peaks has done some long distance biking. Send him a PM.

Sure, I've done "some." I biked from Anacortes WA to Bar Harbor ME in 2004. A great trip, but different from thru-hiking.

One big difference is that on a bike you can eat! You are almost always going through small towns where you can stop and get something to eat. You have the appetite of a thru-hiker, but you can also find things to eat.

Adventure Cycling Association has a 30,000 mile network of long distance routes mapped out for biking. They typically route you through small towns and away from major urban areas. It's kinda like the AT Data Book with maps. Check them out on the web. (we did the Northern Tier with some optional links like going across the UP of Michigan and Lake Erie connector).

Just like backpacking, I tried to keep the weight of gear to a minimum. Even though it's not on your back, you still need to pull it all up the hills. I used much of the same gear like tent, sleeping bag, pad, stove, cook pot, rain gear, etc.

At least on the Northern Tier there were not a whole lot of other long distance bikers around me. We were the only bikers much of the time. And we found it hard for non-bikers to relate to us when we stopped in towns.

Just like the AT, some of our best memories are of the people we met in small towns.

If anyone is interested, I'm doing my slide show at the Highland Center in Crawford Notch over Columbus Day weekend. One night it's going to be about my AT thru-hike. The other night it's going to be about my bike trip.

After finishing the AT, people look for their next great adventure. For many, it's another long distance hike. For some, like Metro and myself, it's a coast to coast bike trip.

[Scorpion]

Rye
I thru hiked in 04, and found that many thru hikers were also long distance bike riders. I then rode cross country this year. As Sourwood and Peaks mentioned, I used Adventure Cycling maps, and I rode the Southern Tier from San Diego to St. Augustine. Actually my ride was with an Adventure Cycling group. It was still an unsupported ride, and I rode my TREK 520 touring bike with panniers on it.

For my bike tour I used much of the same gear as backpacking; tent, sleeping bag, clothes, etc. I did carry more gear when biking than backpacking, particularly clothes. Although it's easier to have weight on your bike than on your back, you still have to get it up the hills, and the heavier your bike is the harder it is to get it up the hills.

Peak is right that you will always have more food available than when you thru hike. Thru hiking I lost 50#, but stayed the same weight when biking.

I found biking easier physically, and much easier mentally. As previously mentioned you pass stores daily, and it's nice to have a shower and clean clothes every day. I'm not saying that cross country biking is easy, I just feel it's easier. You still have to bike every day, and the western mountains are challenging.

Take your pick, they're both great experiences.

Scorpion GA-ME 04
Southern Tier 06

[grizzlyadam]

i've always considered myself a hiker and not a biker.

but, while i was hiking the north carolina mountains to sea trail last year, i got really bad shin splints once i reached the section of trail that is on roads (about 450 miles of trail are on back roads from the foothills to the outer banks).

i realized i'd never make it to the ocean on foot, so i hopped on a bike and never looked back. long distance bicycling is great. i was amazed at how much distance i could cover and with such ease. of course, i'd already walked 300 miles before my biking began.

when i finished the MST i continued to bicycle and still do. this summer i've used my bike to do self shuttles on hiking trips plenty of times. for instance: a few times i locked my bike to a tree in the woods near the VA603 crossing at fox creek, then drove to damascus, parked my car, and walked back to my bike on the AT. then, i'd ride my bike back to damascus using roads and the creeper trail. what a fun time it was.

i'd say in the next few years i'll be riding my 1981 schwinn 10-speed across the country. i'm pretty sure the road warrior (as it's affectionately called) is up to the challenge.

[MedicineMan]

seems like all outside activity is a good thing. i was road biking alot to stay in shape until a friend went down and ended up badly but need to get back on the bike...the website you mentioned for long distance biking is excellent.
One question on the CandO....would one have any problems hammocking along that path while biking?
Thanks

[The Will]

A few years back I cycled from the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean) through the Northwest and Yukon Territories, British Columbia and Alberta, terminating in the Calgary area. The trip covered roughly 2,400 miles in two months. The first 800 miles were primarily gravel road that they call "highways" up in northwestern Canada.

Despite this trip I do not consider myself a cyclist--it was simply the selected mode of travel at that time. My previous backcounty experience, especially my thru-hike, were of great benefit...knowing how to dress, how to eat, what expectations I should have for caloric requirements, etc. I enjoyed putting out about the same energy and getting 12mph out of my effort rather than the 2.5-3.0mph of hiking. Others have already mentioned some important things like the necessity to maintain a machine (the bike) as you travel--that is much different from backpacking or even paddling. As

As mentioned, dressing is much the same and you will find there to be a lot in your knowledge of backcountry foot travel that will assists you in a cycling tour but there are some differences.

With cycling, you create your own windchill. When backpacking, it is the rule that you can "walk yourself to warmth" on cold mornings. This was not my experience when cycling. If it were a chilly morning, some times (of course depending on air temp) the activity of cycling was not enough to overcome the windchill created by moving at cycling speeds. Whereas when backpacking, when starting the day I'll put on sufficient cloths to keep me warm at the temperature I will reach AFTER hiking for 15 minutes, when cycling I often was colder when moving. There are a couple of solutions: the obvious is to put on more clothes, but I would also seek out a campsite at the base of a hill that way I could exert a lot and get warm...or at least that was the idea. It was not always sufficient.

Also, I found that my feet were more vulnerable to cold when cycling. When hiking, the muscles of the lower leg and foot are very engaged. When cycling, even after an hour or two (or the whole day, again depending on temps) my feet would be cold because those muscles are not seeing tremendous use. Of course, there are neoprene booties and other things to combat this (I had none because based on my backpacking experience I expected my feet to be warm when I was active).

I'd also recommend getting some good hours in on your bike before the trip. More important than having a comfortable seat is having a bum that is already broken in and ready for the saddle.

[Roland]

~~~
If anyone is interested, I'm doing my slide show at the Highland Center in Crawford Notch over Columbus Day weekend. One night it's going to be about my AT thru-hike. The other night it's going to be about my bike trip.
~~

Can you post details of this? I don't see it listed on AMC's calendar.

[Peaks]

The essentials for long distance biking are:

1. A good seat
2. Good bike shorts. (and even then you still need to beat your butt into submission)
3. A granny gear.

[Peaks]

Can you post details of this? I don't see it listed on AMC's calendar.

I'll jack them up on this. About all I know is that I'm doing one program Saturday evening, and the other Sunday evening, probably at 8:00 pm each evening. I don't know which one when. Maybe drop a dime.

[mrc237]

would one have any problems hammocking along that path while biking?------Not at all being a former hanger I was always saying to myself "thers a good place to hang". Lots of camping and potable water on C/O

[anneandbenhike]

My husband and I are section hikers and are nearly at the 1000 mile mark. (I am doing the Smokies in October with several friends.) We are also cyclists. We have just started touring and will be doing the Cross North Carolina, Mountains to Sea ride, 458 miles or so in 7 days, beginning this weekend. It is supported (they carry the camping gear, we ride) But, we are using all our lightweight gear...Tarptent, Western Mountaineering sleeping bag, raingear, etc. I like going distances and there is food more frequently! We have hiked long distances and biked long distances and there are different muscles for each! Time in saddle is our mantra for cycling!! Amen, Peaks!! We find that the time riding is good for the overall endurance on our hikes, though.

I will be cycling the Souther Tier (supported) using Adventure Cycling Maps with a group of over age 50 woman staring March 9, 2007, when many will be starting their through hikes!!

[bogey]

seems like all outside activity is a good thing. i was road biking alot to stay in shape until a friend went down and ended up badly but need to get back on the bike...the website you mentioned for long distance biking is excellent.
One question on the CandO....would one have any problems hammocking along that path while biking?
Thanks

Last Fall I hiked about a third of the C & O from HF to downtown DC. turns out it probably would have been better had I gone the other direction. The rules say you can hike and camp there free, but can't camp anywhere EXCEPT the designated sites. Well, I passed the last site at Swains Lock about 1:30 in the afternoon of my second day, and still had about 15 or so miles to finish. Ranger asked what my intention was, so I told her that I'd passed the last camp, so the only alternative was to keep going to the end. It was a very long day, 35 miles, but let's face it, there were no hills and no obstacles.

I also biked portions of the trail that I can reach from DC on a two day break.

I'm always very aware of the hanging accomodations because the park service has really cleared the sites out for tenting. The trees I saw were mostly huge and far apart. BUT, depending on your cringe factor, I believe you could reach into the brush for the trees along the edges of the campsites that are more appropriate for hammocking.

I was hoping to continue the process this year, like maybe from HF to Hancock, but can't get the time off.

On the other hand I could be in Iraq.

[twosticks]

True, you can cover a lot more distance cycling than hiking, but I think over all they are very comparable. I'd second the suggestion of getting a good pair of shorts or two or three, you need the chamois and also applying a layer of vasoline or butt butter to the inside of your legs to protect against chaffing. I'm of the self sustained group and like to carry everything that I'll need. There are many different things you can use to carry your gear. I like the bob trailer the best. Not only did it carry everything i needed, but it tracks directly behind you and i used it as a stand to fix a rear spoke. If you're not much of a mechanic, I would say take a clas or two or buy some books on how to fix what you need fixed.

[Alligator]

True, you can cover a lot more distance cycling than hiking, but I think over all they are very comparable. I'd second the suggestion of getting a good pair of shorts or two or three, you need the chamois and also applying a layer of vasoline or butt butter to the inside of your legs to protect against chaffing. I'm of the self sustained group and like to carry everything that I'll need. There are many different things you can use to carry your gear. I like the bob trailer the best. Not only did it carry everything i needed, but it tracks directly behind you and i used it as a stand to fix a rear spoke. If you're not much of a mechanic, I would say take a clas or two or buy some books on how to fix what you need fixed.

Can you give a rough breakdown of what weight loads would be consider light, medium heavy for a trailer? Sort of like ultralight to packasauras.