First long distance ride..

[GirishH]

Hello,

How did you get into long distance riding, bikepacking or touring?

I was in Portland, OR and had a few days to kill. And, I was lucky to have a bicycle that "fit" me and had a "crazy" idea. So, I looked up on Google map and headed out hoping to get to the Oregon coast. This was my first 60-miler and I had no idea if I could do it. But, I was in good shape, had full day of daylight and knew that I'd be passing through enough towns to find help if needed. Wow, what a life transforming experience this was. I spent some 3-4 days on the coast and my life has changed since then as I experienced the beauty of savoring "slow" pace. I rode through rain forests that you usually see on Jurassic series, saw a black bear crossing the road and more..:-)

[ReapThaWhirlwind]

This feels bad because I'm sure you didn't know to tilt your seat.

[GirishH]

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean by "tilt your seat".:-( Is that for experiencing less pain. I have no regrets. Have experienced so much love, joy and world since that first cycling trip..:-)

[ReapThaWhirlwind]

Yes, it's pro style to tilt your seat noticeably so that your weight isn't bearing directly down onto the pad, but is alleviated by the tilt, taking pressure off the major nerves and priming circulation (rather than obstructing it). The forward position this provides also gives you mechanical advantages when climbing.

[GirishH]

Sadly, I am learning about biking comfort after too many years on a saddle and too many callouses on my body. I will look into that more and take advantage of it. Thanks again.

[ichitan]

I use a large seat for comfort. I know a lot of others don't.

[Red Rider]

(01-03-2023, 11:45 AM)GirishH Wrote:  Hello,

How did you get into long distance riding, bikepacking or touring?

I was in Portland, OR and had a few days to kill. And, I was lucky to have a bicycle that "fit" me and had a "crazy" idea. So, I looked up on Google map and headed out hoping to get to the Oregon coast. This was my first 60-miler and I had no idea if I could do it. But, I was in good shape, had full day of daylight and knew that I'd be passing through enough towns to find help if needed. Wow, what a life transforming experience this was. I spent some 3-4 days on the coast and my life has changed since then as I experienced the beauty of savoring "slow" pace. I rode through rain forests that you usually see on Jurassic series, saw a black bear crossing the road and more..:-)

At 12 years I rode a 3 speed "English Racer" From Stockton, California to Mokelumne Hill, California to spend time with my aging grandmother. I liked the ride and rode it back a couple of months later.

In 1977-1978 I rode from Springfield, Masssachusetts to Pittsburg, California loosely following I80 and I70 out past Denver. Up near Golden I got treed by a grizzly (Why I mark my face with bear power every morning, I promised I would up in that tree) for a few hours. Forgot to mention That my first Half dozen crossings were done on a Schwinn Varsity with steel baskets front and rear.

I did the ride almost annually up until about 1989.

[Jesper]

XXXXXXX XXXXXXX

[Red Rider]

No one has answered this posting in 2.5 years? Really??

My first serious ride to go some where was at the age of twelve. I rode from Stockton, California up into the Sierra Nevada foothills to Mokelumne Hill, CA to see my grandmother, a distance of some 53 miles. Since then I have ridden about a half million miles or more.

[Criminal]

@Red Rider Sorry I to have to reply to your post, but you are seeing the problem with the site. Many falsehoods and meaningless comments are made as you can see from this post alone.

Probably not many touring cyclists on this site. Just look at the comments. Somehow it devolved into a post about saddle position even though the OP's post is about your "first long distance ride" (open to interpretation, yes; but saddles?); saddles, nor their position or discomfort arising from saddle position was ever mentioned by the OP. And then comments (excluding yours) follow that do nothing to advance the conversation (one comment was baseless from someone who has obviously never formally raced even one mile). The "XXXX'd" comment from @Jesper was probably on target, but because of the previous comments made in this post and other posts that member no longer comes here like before.
I just returned after years and it has not improved and irrational thought processes seem to rule the day (e.g. one lie pushed here: when riding a recumbent you have better visiblity than other cyclists (WRONG!), and that is because non-recumbent riders are looking at their front wheel (WRONG!). Do with what is being posted here is more and more somewhat off the mark or just plain wrong.

In order to properly answer the OP, my first "long distance" ride probably was not long at all, but it is all about perception since at the age of 3 a ride to the "main road" 100 yards away was long, and then the first ride into town 3 miles away was a long ride, which progressed into my first ride to school 15 miles away, work 20 miles away, vacation cottage 30 miles away, and then college 30 miles away. They all count as "first long" rides and they just get longer.

As to touring, I went from those 25-35 miles rides directly into cycling 75 to 150 mile days on the very same bike I went to school on (and the same saddle position too!) eventually completing about a 1200 mile tour over a couple months (not quite like others though; primitive camping-no tent and only about 25 lbs total gear).

[GirishH]

@Red Rider, My apologies—I seem to have played a part in steering this post away from its original intent.

@Criminal, my apologies again.

Wow, those are truly long-distance rides, and what beautiful reasons you have for doing them—especially without all the bells and whistles that today’s long rides often involve.

My first long-distance ride was from Hillsboro, OR to the Tillamook coast. I had a few free days in Oregon, the weather looked good, and I noticed my cousin’s Trek bike had been sitting unused for a long time. That “idle mind is the devil’s workshop” moment took over, and off I went.

After that, I did quite a few long rides within the US, though not many in California, and not cross-country rides like @Red Rider. I’d love to sit down and hear more of your stories someday.

Since 2023, I’ve been bikepacking on and off—first, nine months in South America, and then in India. Since September 2024, I’ve been fat-bikepacking in the Indian Himalayas. I love the connections I make on the road, whether or not I know the language, regardless of how people appear, or what their religious or non-religious beliefs may be.

I’m so grateful for that first “long” ride in Oregon..

https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/insaneindia/more-lessons-on-humanity-generosity-and-the-cycle-of-connection/

(05-30-2025, 11:26 AM)Criminal Wrote:  @Red Rider Sorry I to have to reply to your post, but you are seeing the problem with the site. Many falsehoods and meaningless comments are made as you can see from this post alone.

Probably not many touring cyclists on this site. Just look at the comments. Somehow it devolved into a post about saddle position even though the OP's post is about your "first long distance ride" (open to interpretation, yes; but saddles?); saddles, nor their position or discomfort arising from saddle position was ever mentioned by the OP. And then comments (excluding yours) follow that do nothing to advance the conversation (one comment was baseless from someone who has obviously never formally raced even one mile). The "XXXX'd" comment from @Jesper was probably on target, but because of the previous comments made in this post and other posts that member no longer comes here like before.
I just returned after years and it has not improved and irrational thought processes seem to rule the day (e.g. one lie pushed here: when riding a recumbent you have better visiblity than other cyclists (WRONG!), and that is because non-recumbent riders are looking at their front wheel (WRONG!). Do with what is being posted here is more and more somewhat off the mark or just plain wrong.

In order to properly answer the OP, my first "long distance" ride probably was not long at all, but it is all about perception since at the age of 3 a ride to the "main road" 100 yards away was long, and then the first ride into town 3 miles away was a long ride, which progressed into my first ride to school 15 miles away, work 20 miles away, vacation cottage 30 miles away, and then college 30 miles away. They all count as "first long" rides and they just get longer.

As to touring, I went from those 25-35 miles rides directly into cycling 75 to 150 mile days on the very same bike I went to school on (and the same saddle position too!) eventually completing about a 1200 mile tour over a couple months (not quite like others though; primitive camping-no tent and only about 25 lbs total gear).

[Flowrider]

I only found out recently that there are female and male saddles. I believe it's because we have different seat bones

[GirishH]

I’m pretty sure capitalism will go to any lengths... :-)

Maybe different handles are next, or maybe they’re already out there!

I really wonder if we spend that much time on our bikes—or anything else, for that matter—that gender-specific gear is actually warranted... :-)

(06-17-2025, 11:19 PM)Flowrider Wrote:  I only found out recently that there are female and male saddles. I believe it's because we have different seat bones

[Flowrider]

Hey @GirishH, just had a thought. What about the idea of a regular post here on BikeRide every couple of days or weekly of your journey through the Himalayas?

Maybe some good and bad stuff that has happened to you.

What has and is working for you.

What you would do differently.

Be good advice for anyone considering a ultra long distance bike ride.

Just a thought

[GirishH]

@Flowrider, You won’t believe it, but you just stole my idea! :-)

I have been thinking the exact same thing as I cleaned up MisterGordo over the past 2 days before he takes me to the Himalayas of Nepal. I could not get the chain off for a proper clean, even-though it has a quick link. Last week during a long, tough ride, I noticed that one of the screws holding the handlebar stem had come loose. Fortunately, MisterGordo was not fully loaded.

https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/insaneindia/

My detailed writings are documented in the blog below but today I’ll start the series on BikeRide, since I took some pictures of my bicycle preparation and cleanup.

During this, I checked all the bolts and removed both the front and back wheels to adjust the brakes. I also made sure the wheel quick releases were secure and wouldn’t come loose on their own.

Unnecessary fears, but plenty of joy too! :-)

(06-19-2025, 09:06 PM)Flowrider Wrote:  Hey @GirishH, just had a thought. What about the idea of a regular post here on BikeRide every couple of days or weekly of your journey through the Himalayas?

Maybe some good and bad stuff that has happened to you.

What has and is working for you.

What you would do differently.

Be good advice for anyone considering a ultra long distance bike ride.

Just a thought

[meamoantonio]

Goodluck on your trip @GirishH looking forward to hearing your swtories from this, btw are you also doing this to get a new Garmin? Hahaha

[GirishH]

@meamoantonio , Garmin Instinct is one reason for my Nepal detour. :-)

Last week, during that 90+ km ride with 9,000 feet of elevation gain when the handlebar stem screw came loose, my Amazfit Bip kept recording the activity till the end—then, inexplicably, it deleted the activity. So, according to the watch, I never did the ride but still shows that I burnt 5500+ kcals..

Now, I am even more desperate for my I Garmin.

The other big reason is to experience the Himalayas and Nepali culture. I’ve been in eastern Indian state of Sikkim for the past two months, and the mountainscape, and culture are so similar to Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan. So I already have a taste of what’s waiting for me in Nepal and it brings me to tears inspite of the sweat I have to sweat out..:-) People in Sikkim tell me Nepal is even wilder and more untouched, especially the rural areas—which is exactly where I hope to spend most of time in Nepal.

If all goes as planned (which it rarely does!), I hope to cross back into the Indian Himalayas on the western Nepal side for an ultra in October. My Garmin will definitely be put to good use there!

By the way, I tried to upload a short clip of the scenery from last week’s ride, but BikeRide wouldn’t let me. I sometimes post clips and photos on Strava—feel free to connect there! That way, I can see your rides and routes too.

https://strava.app.link/G5hoGd7xqUb

(06-23-2025, 01:42 AM)meamoantonio Wrote:  Goodluck on your trip @GirishH looking forward to hearing your swtories from this, btw are you also doing this to get a new Garmin? Hahaha

[Flowrider]

Yeah, likewise, I will keep checking in to see how you're doing. Do you have a link to a BikeRide post of your adventure?