Trans Canada TrailTouring and Camping 2008

Through Bicycle Touring I have the opportunity to take a close look at the territory I pass through. The Kettle Valley section of the Trans Canada Trail follows former rail grade. The roads and highways tend to follow the valleys. The railway needed to use more constant grades and many pleasant views resulted from this.

Type of Bicycle

A mountain style bicycle seemed well suited for the Kettle Valley and Columbia and Western rail trail sections, . It had front fork suspension, hydraulic disk brakes and 9 cog rear and 3 chain rings on the front. Typically the trail surface was similar to that of a gravel road. There were some rough sections as well as sections of paved road. I used Continental Travel Contact (26 inch) tires and had no punctures or deflations on the journey.

Carrying Touring and Camping Equipment

I used rear rack mounted panniers ( 2 x 18 litres) and a small handle bar bag. The sleeping bag was carried on the top of the rear pannier rack. The handle bar bar was used for camera, wallet, snacks, etc. where quick access was a benefit.

Luggage and equipment added about 12 kg to the mass of the bicycle.

Strategies for Reducing the Mass of Carried Clothing and Equipment

Purchasing food on a day to day basis helps to reduce the pack weight.

Sharing equipment amongst touring companions is a beneficial strategy. for example: hand tools, spare tubes, cooking stove, stove fuel, water purifier.

Challenges and Disciplines of Touring I used a Ground Effect Tardis cordura bike bag for the air flights. Packing the bike involved removing the wheels, handle bar and rear derailleur. Packaging tape was useful for holding the parts in place minimise damage during transit (amongst other things). The bag comes with fork and dropout spacers (held in place by the axle skewers) to minimise flexing / bending in transit. Disk brake damage was minimised by holding the wheels in place using packaging tape.
The pannier rack needed to be removed and stowed in my duffle bag with the panniers. The empty bike bag and duffle bag weigh ~2.5 kilograms and were only used during air travel. I sent the bags to my destination by bus fright rather than carry the extra mass. Air New Zealand did not charge extra for the oversize luggage (Tardis bag and bicycle). The Air New Zealand baggage allowance was 2 pieces of checked up to 23 kg each. Within Canada, WestJet did not charge extra for the bike in the Tardis bag. Touring an average of 85 kilometres per day required 5 to 6 hours of pedaling. The rest and recovery strategy involved cycling for 15 kilometres and resting, eating and drinking for 10 to 15 minutes. A exertion based strategy of cycle for 45 to 50 minutes between rest breaks would have worked better through the hilly terrain.
Nutrition and Hydration One lesson learned on the first day of touring was to drink more water more regularly. With the temperature in the low 20's C half a litre per hour seemed to work. On hotter days, approximately twice that amount was needed. I started the tour with a single water bottle cage, I now use two. When additional water had to be carried, I used a wine cask bladder - very light when empty. The energy used through cycling needs to be replaced. From past experience I knew that I needed to eat past the level of comfort to avoid energy deficit. Large evening meals were part of the strategy. In spite of my intentions lost about 0.3 kg per day - acceptable for a 10 day tour. Starting the tour with several extra kilos of body weight is a less efficient short term solution.
Bananas were a very convenient source of energy and they seemed to be easy to digest. Cycling jerseys seem to be built to carry 2 bananas. It was quite noticeable that the body diverts energy to digestion . After rest break including a large snack I noticed the lack of available energy for pedaling. The snacks menu evolved through the 10 days of cycling. Granola / meusli bars provided sustained release of energy. Jelly candies provided a quick sugar hit - not really a solution for sustained energy. Muffins, bread rolls and cheese worked well. Chocolate bars were OK on the cooler days but a nuisance if they melted. Easy to carry and easy to prepare pasta meals were available in grocery stores. Tinned goods such as chili beans were a favorite - with rice, the carbohydrate content can be increased.
Bicycles and Greyhound Canada Greyhound (coach transport) requires that bicycles be boxed and sent bus freight (Express) in a trailer that is towed by the coach. Cardboard bike boxes were available at the Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg Greyhound depot's for $10 to $12 each. The freight cost for the bike was less than the cost of passenger fare over the same distance. Packing the bike in one of the supplied cartons involved removing the front wheel, pedals, handle bar and lowering the seat. Typically the depot where the boxed bike is being shipped to needs to receive the bike. When the depot is not open, some smaller depots have a small freight locker which is not large enough to store the bike box - and the bike might be shipped to arrive at a time when the destination depot is open.
I managed to avoid this complication in one instance by convincing the Freight supervisor that the driver had space and was willing to take the boxed bike in the coach luggage area for the last leg of one coach journey. I had to sign for delivery of the bike before it was transferred to the coach. Rail transportation in western Canada tends to be more expensive than advance ticketed air travel. In eastern Canada it appears that Via Rail will carry boxed or bagged bicycles for an extra cost of about $20 where the train has a baggage car. The bike in a Tardis cordura bag would be dimensionally similar to infant strollers that some passengers included as luggage. Trans Canada Trail 2008 trip Log