13 yr. old Raleigh and 19 yr. old Vanagon
You don't need to spend a lot of money to get into cycling, as I mentioned already. I used an old bike and simple equipment where ever I could.
I bought a bike rack and secured my backpack to it. In the backpack, I kept a very light rain jacket with breathing vents under the arms. I also kept a facecloth in a baggie with which to use when I needed to go pee in the woods.
I use bungee cords to secure the backpack.
It's usually quite cool in the early morning so I always start the day wearing, over my biking clothes, a pretty fleece jacket that I won in a contest at work. When it warms up later on, I tuck it under the bungees on the outside of the backpack. You never know when you might ride too long, right into a cold evening. The rain jacket over that makes you really snug. Fleece is so warm, it seems to reflect your own heat back into you.
One very important item I didn't have then, and will have for my next trip, was/is a bike light. I was too long at the restaurant at St. Peter's Bay, having met a Irish woman and our having dinner together, and, consequently, I was quite late getting back to the vehicle - riding in almost darkness. I could barely see to finish the day's ride, and had difficulty putting the bike onto the car-rack in the dark.
Another must-have item for my next trip is the very important cellphone in case I find myself in distress, although there may be places where you can't get reception such as deep in the mountains of B.C. and the wilds of northern Ontario. You can get small and very light-weight ones now, digital and long range.
I don't wear a cycling shirt, but instead use a man's long-sleeved white dress shirt which is ultra-soft (like the best percale sheets) so as to protect my arms from the rays of the sun. It's cotton so is very soft and cool. Cotton breathes well, and the white reflects the sun. I used a minimum of sunscreen. Then I put an old & roomy Wil-O-Lea t-shirt over the dress shirt and I'm very comfortable.
To keep the mosquitoes at bay, I mostly used Avon's 'Skin So Soft.'
Cycling gloves are very important. Your hands will burn in the sun and from the constant gripping and turning if you don't wear them. Gives you more control, too.
My pants are men's cycling pants. A 10 year old cyclist who did the Lake Ontario shoreline trail with his dad, going from Hamilton to Kingston, said on radio to be sure to buy only pants with no seams. It's so true. Seams dig in after a while and cause considerable discomfort. I'll look for those this year, too.
I still wear my sandals while cycling, although I carry light, comfortable hiking shoes in the backpack in case the bike breaks down and I have to hike out. However, I have only an old-fashion pedal and will change that in case I have to stand up to pedal one day.
In the backpack I have a full-sized garbage bag for a ground sheet for lunch times, (granola bar, water, dried fruit & oranges/apples) and a small plastic bag for any litter, which almost never happens.
Around my waist, I wear a water-bottle belt, with air-vented pockets where I keep my keys and candies.
Sometimes cycling too long results in what I have heard refered to on the west coast as a 'bonk' whereby your muscles suddenly won't work at all, and 'bonk' - you coast until you're going so slowly you topple over. A boost of sugar, or candy, will slowly bring you out of it while you re-coup in the prone position in the long grass or, if you're lucky, in someone's driveway. Relax! The ambulance drivers are very understanding, probably called by some worried home owner. Just ask for a sugar cube if they come out to stare.
I keep my camera bag on the belt, as well. More about picture taking next time.
If I do this trip, I wonder about the advisability of keeping bear-off (spray) in the water bottle pocket instead, and keeping the water bottle directly on the bike.
Time to go. Bonk!!!
KIS
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