Lets say you're going on a several month trip to see several places/ people around the country. While you might plan to hike it, there are several reasons a bike might be a better choice:

-More capacity for gear

- Looks more "normal."

- much greater mileage. ( perhaps 4-5 time the distance covered.)

Any thoughts on this?

Teacher

Route planning challenges. Re-supply challenges. Where-to-stay-the-night challenges. Hygiene challenges.

a friend did t a bikeamerica tour, washington state to boston. a little regimented, but solves all the support issues. Favorite segment: a weekend bout of gastro-enteritis, followed by a 100-mile-Monday in SD, uphill, with headwind and rain.

The major advantage is speed and calories saved per mile by using a bicycle. Unless you're in a race, you can take your time and just hunker down during bad wx to save energy. Headwind? Stop, have a cup of tea and rest while you wait for the wind to shift -- no rush.

Motorcycle- see more country. Suffer less. Carry stuff.
Still good adventure.

Yeah or you could take a van so there would always be a roof over your head, but since the OP question was about riding a bike versus walking, the advantages of a motorcycle (and a van) are irrelevant.

You do that on the Great Plains and you'll be waiting till Fall.

"...do that on the Great Plains and you'll be waiting till Fall..."

Or lots of other places. I have never been to the Great Plains (yet), but I have been in plenty of places where the wind never stops...

I've been thinking about doing this myself. I usually ride short distances in the city but I've been giving real thought to doing some multi day touring.

One thing I've been told by several enthusiasts so far is to learn how to fix your bike. Bad things happen and they usually happen at bad times. If you can't change a chain, roughly straighten a wheel, or fix a flat on the road you'll eventually be in for a miserable trip. Bikes need surprisingly few tools (though you'll likely need a few specialty ones) and tubes, folding tires, and chains weigh very little.

I got around the problem a bit by simplifying my bike. No gears. Single speed. I won't win any races but I've removed almost all of the mechanical parts aside from the brakes, the axles and the cranks. I can get the rear wheel off for repairs way easier and I get more exercise because I actually have to work to get up hills.

When I'm touring I'm out there to be out there...if it takes me longer that's a GOOD thing

A couple of pros: safety - you can get out of a bad place more quickly on a bike than on foot, and you are closer in terms of travel time to the next place where food and water can be found; and so on.

Cons: security - need to lock up the bike when its not with you. Travel limitations - unless you're an experienced mountain biker with the right bike, there are some inviting trails you're gonna have to pass up.

On the subject of fixing your bike -- I've had a bike hanging in my garage for years, long enough for the grease to dry up and the rubber to crack. It's a good frame and crankset, but the bike needs to be torn down and rebuilt.

Along comes the REI Comprehensive Bike Maintenance Course and for the cost of taking this course I get to take it all apart and learn how to build a bike by doing it myself. Along the way I'll replace the tubes and tires, brake pads, clean and relube the whole thing and make sure I really have a useable tool kit under the seat.

Back to the original subject. . . yeah some places the head wind can be tough 10 mph into a hot 40 mph wind and you don't go far.

Anybody ever thought about a folding bike? I'm looking at one tonight to use as a commuter and canoe bike. Having a bike under your desk at work could come in damn handy if you had to get out fast and public transit and traffic made it impossible to do anything else but walk.

Mountain bike secured to vehicle where your BOB is secured.

I have seen lots of RV'ers pull out a folding bike, flip it open, and pedal away merrily. So I guess it could work in your "under the desk" scenario. Those I have seen had pretty small diameter wheels, limited gearing, and very limited cargo carrying capablilty (or so it looked to me), so I don't think that they would work in the "walkabout" thing. As a canoe bike, I suspect that you'd better have really good trails when you try to use one...

I did month-long bike tours around the east coast over summers for several years, alternating between youth hostels and camping. Hostels are great; you get a kitchen, running water, shower, etc. Your on your own during the day, as they are usually closed.

It is a wonderful way to travel. It requires a certain degree of training; riding 50-100 miles a day for a month is not easy (take the weekends off), but my experience was people I met everywhere were incredibly friendly. It's also much easier to get around towns, do laundry, etc. (I think cyclists are viewed as one step up from campers. )

You do need to know how to fix and maintain your bike, which most dedicated cyclists already know how to do. And fortunately, touring requires you stay on paved roads and there are almost always other friendly cyclists around to lend a helping hand, provide a spare CO2 cartridge, etc.

But in the US, most hostels have strict age limits, which I think is a very good idea. European hostels are a little more relaxed, and that last hostel I stay in was in Ireland 5 years ago. (Had an awesome time but now I'd feel silly staying in a hostel with a bunch of kids.)

My canoe plans are to ride up stream by highway pulling the canoe (I know it sounds strange but it's been done http://www.bikeforest.com/canoe/index.php I'm also looking at folding canoes) to an urban destination and paddling back...or paddle down stream and ride back.

You can get full size folding bikes. One of the bikes on my 'check it out' list is a Dahon with 26" wheels. It's more likely I'll get something that doesn't cost so much. Even if it's a poor touring bike it would still be a good commuter. All but the cheapest folding bikes are built pretty tough...they need to be to stay together.

I'd rather take my Rocky Mountain RC-30 touring...it's pefect for it even with only a single gear but since it's a 700c sized bike with a larger frame, there's no way I'd get it into a canoe unless I put a bike rack on the gunwales...might be a tiny bit top heavy Right now it's my main winter bike and I'm starting to get tired of re-fitting the tires, pedals, fenders, and gearing every spring and again every winter. I don't have room for a second bike at my condo which is another bonus for the folding bike.

Hacksaw, have you looked at poling your canoe upstream? I used to do that all the time to avoid having to enlist somebody to drop me off. It is tricky at first but becomes suprisingly easy and fun - like all canoeing once you get used to it.

I thought about it but I couldn't get enough information on how practical that is on the North Saskatchewan. It's pretty deep in places and when the water is high it's deep everywhere.

The bicycle idea came to me one day while I was reading about folding kayaks. Once I found the article about the two guys on the Bow River I got hooked on that idea.

I'm snobishly self sufficient hehehe. I could never let anybody drive me somewhere so I could paddle back. And I'd never leave my car somewhere so I had to go retrieve it later.

Plus with a bike and a folding canoe it makes urban portaging a fun detour instead of a chore.

Typically you pole a canoe upstream close to shore, or wherever the river is shallowest, often going from back eddy to back eddy for a free ride upstream where you can find it.

Quick Addendum...

I've been reading up more on touring on folding bikes today. It's quite the popular pass time in the UK it seems where folding bikes are much more popular. I was worried about parts availability if on a long tour and didn't have enough supplies to make repairs on the road...but I learned a few things that are causing me to change my mind.

Bikes with 20" tires (unless a 'high performance' folding bike) will take standard BMX tires unless they're super knobby...available everywhere. Same with tubes.

They use standard gearing hardware usually made by a major brand name like Shimano so service and even replacement on the road is a possibility. They usually only have one ring gear so there's less to go wrong. Some have geared hubs which are expensive but ultra low maintenance.

Brakes are usually standard so sourcing pads on the fly is also a possibility.

Frames are usually made from Aluminum unless it's a model from the 70's or 80's. This means you can't get a broken frame welded in the middle of nowhere by a local...but if you got some of those good 'miracle' aluminum brazing rods you could make repairs sufficient to get you home and all you'd need is a torch and a few basics...you might even be able to carry it with you in your tool kit. I've used that stuff on Motorcycle sub frames and it was more than strong enough to get people home.

Most of them have 6 or 7 gears (some have more, some have 1). This means that there is usually no true 'granny' gear for getting up steep hills. If you stick to paved roads this shouldn't be an issue unless you're loaded down and/or on some crazy mountain passes. I was surprised to learn that even the slightest folding bikes usually have a capacity of at least 200lbs. The one I'm looking at tonight is supposedly rated for over 240.

Good point. I'll look into it more. It could be a handy technique when I'm paddling within the city so I can get back home without having to carry the thing too far.

The nice thing about folding canoes is that I can take it on the bus

The OP stated bike better than hiking. I maintain motorcycle better than bicycle. Not as good as jeep or RV.

It appears to me that the high plains of Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, North and South Dakota type of conditions aren't being considered. Even on a motorcycle those places are largely to be avoided. If you don't die of dehydration you'll die of boredom.

And as an odd slightly related fact- the Laramie Wyoming valley is not a river valley. It is a wind created valley. And it's still on the job. Maybe if you were going downwind it would be ok..... prairie schooner anyone?

Folding bikes- I know folks who own airplanes who use folding bikes for transportation on arrival. Clever solution.

Can you put a sail on a bicycle? If you could I bet you could makes some awesome time.

BTDT, just sat upright and held my shirt as a sail -- continued for miles with no pedaling required. Very

Only downwind.

They haven't quite solved tacking yet....

Many years ago I spent 7 months touring around Europe on an old mountain bike. It was a great trip and a great way to travel.

Once you take the front and rear wheels off you should be able to fit a bike in a canoe.

I saw this folding bike a while ago but there no mounts for racks so you would need to carry things in a pack, which is uncomfortable, or rig up a trailer.

http://www.militarybikes.com/products.html

Military folding bikes aren't new. I've read that British have sometimes been issued folding bikes...paratroopers too I think?

Montague is one of the main folding bike makers. Pricey but good stuff.

I'd have a trailer for anything but commuting and day trips. Easy to make.

That's too much for my wallet Izzy (nice bike though). My RC-30 was a $700 bike that I picked up at a pawn shop for $275. Unfortunately I've been unable to find folding bikes. Not popular enough to wind up in pawn shops I guess.

Speaking of frames, may I recommend the Surly Long Haul Trucker. Cro-Moly frame and geometry designed for long rides. $.02

Hacksaw, canoe poling is also a great way to slowly go downstream, as in a controlled passage through shallow rapids.

Poling also works great with Bateau's/John Boats in shallow waters.

I can't find any information on how shallow it is at the sides (it is a valley so I think it's pretty deep even near the waters edge) but right now the river in edmonton is averaging around 4 Meters deep.

Fortunately here and for almost 1000km East of here, there is zero white water or rapids. Need to go up stream way into the mountains for that.