Trip on a road bike?

Question

i want to do a 750km journey on my road bike including some mountains.

a) is it possible (with respect to the kind of bike i have)?

b) what should i carry? some times i'll have to spend the night outside. how could i minimizw the weight?

Answer 1

A - so what type of bike do you have?

B - will you be solo or riding in a group?

C - how many days or how far will you ride per day?

Edit: There's a lot to discuss regarding solo, unsupported touring check this site out, and there are plenty more:

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/tourin...

Answer 2

Distance isn't a problem, but you may want to consider some changes to your bike (depending what type it is and how it's equipped).  For example, if you have narrow tires consider changing to the widest the rims will take. Also consider gearing ... you may want to substitute a freewheel/cassette with lower gears (and you can change the  chainwheels too to something with a few less teeth. Make sure brakes are in top shape (new pads?). Finally, consider your pedals. Mountain bike style SPD would be more practical than road cleats / clipless design.

A touring bike would make things easier to carry all your gear, but loaded touring isn't really fun. It's better (in my view) light ... you enjoy it more and can do longer distances in a day (typically plan on 75 km, but if flat you can easily do 100 or more).

If your bike can take a rack (and most can even if only seatpost mounted) you can use small paniers. How much you can carry will depend on the bike, but practically think in terms of up to about 20 lbs maximum (and 10 would be better).

Take my word for it, it doesn't sound like much but even 30-40 lbs of gear is a real pain even if your bike will take it (and if you insist you could probably drag a lightweight trailer behind your bike).  I did a two week trip in New Zealand that started with 50 lbs and, after struggling up mountains, I shipped about half of it home after the first week. It's amazing how little you can get by with if you try. A 4 day trip  a few years later was done with only enough stuff to fill a handlebar pack (There were 4 of us and we stayed in inexpensive shared lodging and ate in restaurants).

You should plan on credit card touring if practical.  It's easy to do a mult-day tour if you only have to worry about a change of clothing -- and you can even skip that if you KNOW the weather will be good -- simply wash the prevevious day's clothing at the end of the ride and dry overnight). Add minimal toiletries, a light rain jacket, a light fleece (better than a sweater since it's lighter and warm even when wet) and a pair of "dress" long pants (i.e. something other than bike shorts for night/civilan use). With some thought you can keep weight to under 10 lbs easily.

If you must camp out a roll-up sleeping mat (tie to the top of the carrier), lightweight sleeping bag and a waterproof/breathable cover are lighter than a tent. Don't bring cooking gear unless there won't be any places to buy food ... it's not worth the weight.

Hope that helps.