Flighthub’s Guide For Your First Bike Trip

Photo by Steve Morgan, 2012.

FlightHub’s guide to planning a 3-5 day biking trip for newbs.

So you’ve finally decided to get on two wheels and see how far your body can take you before absolutely passing out from exhaustion. Congratulations! As proof that we believe anyone (even newbies) can take on a bike trip, FlightHub Review has compiled a full-proof guide to conquering the open road on your own with nothing but two wheels and sheer determination.

Decide how long you want to go

Deciding how long your trip will be is a huge factor that decides the tone and level of planning you’ll need to take for your trip. For n00bs, a three to five day trip is ideal if this is the first time heading out on the open road.

Taking into account factors you never thought of before, such as weight, is something to be extremely aware of. For shorter trips, cyclists are more than likely to find road stops and restaurants to refuel and eat throughout the course of the day. For longer hauls, food planning takes up a serious amount of time, energy and resources.

Get yourself a road bike

If you’re not picky about what kind of type you’re bringing, then finding a run-of-the-mill road bike will do the trick for this kind of trip. Making sure that your bike can support the weight of the modifications is by far your biggest concern. FlightHub recommends for a short trip to add panniers rather than a trailer to your bike as you don’t need to pack that much stuff. If you plan on camping out while on the road this may affect your decision, as your gear would probably best fit in a trailer. The extra wheel and drag that the trailer will add to your overall weight is also important to consider.

If you’re set on buying a bike then FlightHub recommends looking into brands like Kona, Norco, or Brodie, who all specialize in touring bikes.

Learn how to care for your bike

Much like needing to learn how to crawl before you can run, FlightHub recommends visiting your local bike shop or coop and asking for some general maintenance tips prior to your trip. You should have a good sense of how to tinker with your bike because once you’re on the road you’re on your own. Learning the basics like tire change, tightening your breaks or fixing your gears are all handy and basic bike mechanics you should know how to do. Purchasing a tire kit is also ideal in case you need to fix or patch up a tire while on the road. If you can, FlightHub encourages you to coordinate with your trip buddies and all get the same kinds of tires and inner tubes, that way if something happens everyone has the same spare parts.

In addition to patch kits, bringing a bike pump, Allen Keys, spare tires and tubes are all recommended on this trip.

Clothes, Snacks and Water

Bringing clothes that you can layer, are fast dry, and not cotton are your best options for this trip. Remember that they key to managing the weather is through layering, so having these removable options is necessary. If you’ve decided that you’re stopping for food along the way, make sure to bring snacks that’ll fuel your energy between these stops and bring plenty of water! Remember that hydration is very important while on the road and muscle damage can happen if you’re not drinking enough.