Touring with someone less fit
stevenmew
Posts: 14
Hi,
The missus and I are planning on touring through German in summer and I'm wondering about one thing, namely that she's a lot less fit than I am. I don't mind not doing epic distances every day but being made to ride as slowly as she does will eventually kill me (I try my best to stay patient but know thyself and all that!) Does anyone have any tips or experience on how best to do a tour like this? My only thoughts thus far have been that I take a lot of the heavy baggage but of course only so much will fit on the bike and that I set out and do an hour's intense stuff in the morning so that my legs are suitably tired for the rest of the day and we can then poodle along at the same speed.
I realise I sound like a bit of an dick but I'm just trying to make it more enjoyable for my wife, I swear!
Thanks for any suggestions
The missus and I are planning on touring through German in summer and I'm wondering about one thing, namely that she's a lot less fit than I am. I don't mind not doing epic distances every day but being made to ride as slowly as she does will eventually kill me (I try my best to stay patient but know thyself and all that!) Does anyone have any tips or experience on how best to do a tour like this? My only thoughts thus far have been that I take a lot of the heavy baggage but of course only so much will fit on the bike and that I set out and do an hour's intense stuff in the morning so that my legs are suitably tired for the rest of the day and we can then poodle along at the same speed.
I realise I sound like a bit of an dick but I'm just trying to make it more enjoyable for my wife, I swear!
Thanks for any suggestions
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(1) Hire a tandem
(2) Do it on a Borris or Yo bike and blog it
(3) Buy a MTB and run 2.4 26" DH tyres on it
(4) Pretend she is not your wife and you are trying to pull (this one is a sure fire way to get your body to do anything that might impress a girl, including going slowly so no other bloke can make a move)
(5) use the time to practice riding in a pack by placing your front wheel 2mm away from her rear derailleur for the entire ride
(6) get smashed out your face every night so the next day you feel like the living dead and can only do 7mph average0 -
You can probably hire an E-bike in Germany...
That said, if you keep it flat, you'll be fine. There are many thousands of km of segregated cycle paths in Germany, many follow the bed of a river, which is bound to be flat. I enjoyed riding along the Rhine and the Mosel in the outskirts of Koblenz with my wifeleft the forum March 20230 -
My solution was to carry most of the kit, the child on a tagalong and front deraileur stuck in the big chainring. A few hours of hills in a big gear and loaded will slow you down. It did with me.
On a more practical level it's something you've got to live with. For me that means 8mph is my average touring speed. There's no way round what my other half can do, so I accept it. I find things other than riding fast to enjoy. It becomes relaxing once you find your slower way.0 -
Riding slowly I can do - yes, you may get a little frustrated from time to time - our last Tour was in Sardinia - I just found an incline to go a blast up and back. We didn't carry bags for that one so we were both on light(er) weight road bikes - so not a lot I could do in carrying additional weight.
The last tour with bags was just a 2 day trip to Paris - again, at a slow pace - funnily enough I didn't find the road pace an issue - the frustation I had (shared by others) is that one of the riders kept applying brakes going down the hills when there was plenty of space for freewheeling and getting some speed! More confidence required there...0 -
Carry as much as the luggage as you can and be patient. If your bike can't carry all the luggage think about getting a bike trailer.0
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Thanks for the suggestions, I particularly like either getting smashed every night so I'm permanently hungover and can't ride!
A trailer is something I hadn't thought about, that would allow me to take everything and her to have a completely unladen bike. Worth a consideration. Just a bummer that I forked out on Ortlieb bags for us both!
Also despite my continual hints, she's against Ebikes and wants to prove herself. Fair play, I respect that.0 -
stevenmew wrote:A trailer is something I hadn't thought about, that would allow me to take everything and her to have a completely unladen bike. Worth a consideration. Just a bummer that I forked out on Ortlieb bags for us both!
Also despite my continual hints, she's against Ebikes and wants to prove herself. Fair play, I respect that.
My wife was exactly the same when we went touring. She wanted to feel like she was doing her part. Basically, I just made sure I had all the heavy stuff and tbh, when you're on a fully laden touring bike, your mindset does shift a bit. It was great fun and the difference in ability wasn't a problem. Just plan interesting routes, places to stop and don't over do the distance.0 -
Ride fixed. Lets me enjoy my wife's 20kph road bike average. Something around 60 inches, I suppose, for touring.0
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You just gotta accept that the tour is for her and you are there to help her do it as a guide, company and encouragement. Its not for you. If you want to enjoy riding your way, go do it another time without her.
I have this all the time with my son. I enjoy riding with him, because I always enjoy being on a bike but mostly because I am happy that he shares my passion for cycling and chuffed that I am helping him do it. Its getting easier because he is getting stronger as he ages. But if I really want to push myself I have to go on my own - no problem with that, I love riding solo too.
Just dont do what one guy did on a Skedaddle holiday I went on. He kept riding off ahead, would wait at the top of a hill for his wife and as soon as she got there he would instantly be off into the distance again. It was really demoralising for her...
Best thing I can think of for you is to plan to get to your destination early enough that you could go out for a quick spin for another hour or so before dinner?0 -
If your wife is a novice then the best thing you can do before you go is train her to hold your wheel. That way at least you can take the wind and she can go easier on your wheel. Nothing worse then taking the wind, feeling like you are helping your fellow riders then looking behind to see them 20 yards back, taking their own wind.0
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Regardless of flatulance the OP enquired last summer, unless it's a really long tour they have probably worked it out by now.0
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When we go to the loire this summer I will be towing 2 toddlers (18kg each) trailer (12kg) locks (4kg) plus luggage, water and food (20kg). By the time you add on me and the bike (85kg) that's a workout even on the flat... hope two 160mm disc brakes are enough to stop 157kg :-)0
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As someone else has already suggested, get a tandem. That's what my wife and I did shortly after we first met about 37 years ago, and we we've toured quite extensively on that tandem and its successors ever since. We do go on individual bikes when touring in mountains such as the Alps or Pyrenees, mainly because my downhill comfort level is considerably faster than hers, and she says that she's not descending long mountain passes on the back of a tandem that's going far faster than she finds comfortable.
When we're touring on individual bikes, I carry the majority of the gear to equalize our speeds. She has a small Carradice and small handlebar bag, I have a large Carradice, large handlebar bag, and two large front panniers.
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