Dealing With Electronics Whereas Touring By Bike – Bicycle Touring Professional

On my first bike tour in 2001, the one digital gadget I carried with me was a digicam. And never even a digital digicam! It was a 35 mm digicam than ran on one battery and used precise movie. It’s laborious to imagine that was solely seven years in the past.

The world has undoubtedly modified since then, and I now carry an entire host of electronics gadgets with my whereas I’m out on the highway.

Whereas I might get away from utilizing all of those gadgets, I prefer to take them alone as a result of they make me extra comfy whereas I’m out on my bike.

My mobile phone permits me to name my family and friends (which helps me be in contact and retains me motivated). My Palm Pilot permits me to hearken to music, watch motion pictures, ship emails, and surf the Web (permitting me to take a break from the bike journey for some time). And my digital digicam permits me to take lots of (or 1000’s) of pictures, in order that I can come house and share my journey with you and numerous others.

At this time I’ve posted a video concerning the electronics I carry with my on my lengthy distance bicycle journeys and given some recommendations on hold your electronics protected whereas out on the highway. Under the video you will note a breakdown of every digital gadget I carry with me and an in depth account of why I take advantage of that gadget and the way I hold it protected and charged whereas out on the highway.

Through the years I’ve experimented with various completely different digital gadgets and those listed under and featured within the video are osimply those I’m utilizing at this time limit. I anticipate these gadgets to vary as time goes on.

Right here Is A Record Of All The Digital Gadgets I Carry On My Bicycle Excursions:

Digital Digital camera – With the best digital digicam and a reminiscence card giant sufficient to your private wants, you may seize your epic bike tour with little or no fuss. I at present have a Sony Cybershot DSC-W7. It has 7.2 Mega Pixels and data pictures on a Sony Reminiscence Stick. The rationale I purchased this digicam is due to it’s batteries! It makes use of regular AA batteries and never the lithium batteries that you just discover in video and most new digital cameras. The rationale I don’t like lithium batteries to be used on a motorcycle tour is that when the batteries run out, it’s important to cost the battery, and more often than not, when the battery runs out, you’re in the midst of nowhere and also you actually don’t have 4 hours to take a seat round whereas your battery recharges. In my case, when my batteries run out, I merely pull two spare rechargeable AA batteries from my pack and stick them in my digicam and I’m able to go. I take advantage of rechargeable batteries so I don’t must always be shopping for new batteries whereas I’m driving… and this technique has labored splendidly for me through the years. (For those who get rechargeable batteries, you’ll additionally must carry a light-weight battery charger with you.) You’ll want to hold your digicam in some form of protecting case and be further cautious to not get your digicam moist.

Cell Cellphone – A mobile phone is one thing you actually don’t must carry with you, however I’m certain that almost all fashionable bicycle vacationers are carrying a cellphone with them. Deliver it for security or just carry it to be in contact together with your family and friends. For those who plan to carry your mobile phone, don’t neglect the charger. And in case your mobile phone or the charger you at present have are extremely giant, take into account getting a smaller gadget. While you’re touring by bike, the scale and weight of each merchandise you carry is extraordinarily necessary.

MP3 Participant – Your MP3 participant is certainly not a tool that it’s important to have with you in your bike tour. In actual fact, I’ve solely toured twice with musical gadgets and have barely used them whereas out on the highway. The one time I take advantage of them is when I’m on lengthy stretches of highway, there aren’t any automobiles round, and I need to dance on my bike and have enjoyable driving. That is in all probability the one time you’ll ever see me dancing, however having that music on whereas I’m driving actually does make the miles go by faster. I extremely suggest that if you’re planning to carry an iPod or different musical gadget, that you just by no means use it if you end up in an enormous metropolis or at any time if you want to pay attention to your environment. By no means flip the quantity up too loud and all the time use your MP3 participant at the side of a helmet mirror or different gadget that lets you see behind you always. You’ll need to have the ability to see and listen to that automotive arising behind you… so watch out.

GPS – That is undoubtedly not a necessity to your bike journey, however on my previous journeys abroad, my GPS has been a lifesaver. I’d by no means carry it on a tour of the USA until I merely needed to have it as a toy. The GPS I take advantage of is a Garmin eTrex Legend and I’d suggest it extremely. There are far more refined fashions, however I’ve discovered this specific GPS to be greater than sufficient expertise for my makes use of. (Ensure you know work the GPS earlier than you allow in your tour). This gadget runs on AA batteries, so that you as soon as once more must carry alongside a AA battery charger, or be ready to purchase new batteries whereas out on the highway.

USB Stick – Earlier than I go away on my journey, I put all my necessary laptop recordsdata on a USB stick in order that if I must entry the recordsdata whereas I’m out on the highway, I can go to a library and get to the recordsdata in a matter of minutes. I’ve a PNY 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive. I like to recommend that you just get the most important USB stick you may afford, as you may retailer your pictures out of your digital digicam on the gadget and thus, prevent from buying a number of Reminiscence Sticks to your digicam.

Earphones – For those who do carry an MP3 participant (like an iPod or Palm Pilot), you’re are going to wish set of earphones. Nonetheless, I like to recommend not buying the very best earphones you will get, as I’ve ruined quite a few pairs of earphones after I by accident turned my head the improper means whereas driving my bike (forgetting the earphones have been nonetheless in my ears). The earphones then fell out of my ears and dropped down into the spokes of my wheels the place they have been immediately destroyed by the momentum of my very own bike.

AA/AAA Battery Charger – For those who’re something like me and you’ve got various gadgets that run on AA or AA batteries, then you’ll both must buy a battery charger, or you might want to be ready to purchase new batteries as you trip. There are a variety of chargers to select from, however you might want to attempt to discover the smallest and lightest one you may probably discover.

Rear Bike Gentle – I’ve discovered that it’s utterly pointless to trip with and even carry a entrance bike mild. There’ll doubtless be few instances in your tour the place you may be driving at night time and, even for those who do trip at night time, you need to use a headlamp (strapped round your handlebar bag) as you entrance mild. As a result of I really feel {that a} entrance mild is pointless, I solely carry a rear bicycle mild that runs on AA batteries. There are a variety of lights to select from. Discover on that’s small, light-weight, and suits in your bicycle.

Headlamp – I’ve a Petzl Tikkina Headlamp which runs on three AAA batteries and might be not the very best headlamp in your entire world, nevertheless it’s cheap and offers off greater than sufficient mild to learn at night time, arrange camp, cook dinner at nighttime, or sign for assist. I additionally use the headlamp because the entrance mild for my bike if I do occur to seek out myself driving at nighttime.

Worldwide Energy Adapter – If you’re planning a visit abroad, you might must buy and produce alongside a worldwide energy adapter to your varied digital gadgets. If you’re planning a tour abroad, you’ll want to look into the facility outages of every of your gadgets. Many energy adapters act merely as adapters and never as converters. An adapter merely lets you plug a US plug right into a European plug (or vice versa), however the energy provide will stay completely different. If that is so, you might must buy an influence converter along with the adapter. I’m not an electrician and I don’t have an entire lot of expertise with this, so that you’re going to need to do your analysis. I’ve solely blown up one gadget whereas touring in Europe and I can solely assume it was as a result of I wasn’t utilizing a converter… however solely an adapter.

Save