Thank you for your interest in Lightweight Bicycle Touring, a new guide book that is your source for information on how to plan and execute a cross country bike ride without carrying heavy gear.

Have you ever considered riding several days across the country on a bicycle? Does the idea of touring on a bike under your own power appeal to you? It is possible to bicycle longer distances, and a long bicycling tour can be done by people at any age.

I have successfully ridden across the United States, coast to coast, carrying only 12 pounds of gear on my bike. I was accompanied by a friend who was 68 years old. If we can ride this far, you can too!

This guide book is a result of my coast to coast cross country bicycle ride, along with years of lightweight and ultralight backpacking experience. I will share with you how to lighten up and improve your chance of success and your enjoyment level for any bicycle tour. Topics include:

• Time of year to ride
• Training for a tour
• Starting a tour
• Detailed gear information
• Example gear weights
• Clothes washing
• Chain maintenance
• Directions and distances
• Route planning and changing
• Our journal through Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California

The guide book contains over 240 pages of helpful tips, how-to advice, gear information, and our trip journal. The printed book includes over 130 black and white photos, and the electronic digital ebook contains over 130 full color photos.

This book is written as an encouragement and help to anyone considering a long distance bike ride. I have encountered far too many riders carrying heavy loads; and these heavy loads can make a ride much more difficult and increase the chance of failure.

It is entirely possible to leave those 50, 60, or 80 pound loads behind and have a more enjoyable bicycle tour by travelling light. This how-to book offers practical suggestions and advice for lightweight or ultralight bicycle touring. I can honestly say that it is possible to reduce your gear weight to around 12 pounds, because I have done that, and then ridden across the country successfully.

Major sections of this book include my thoughts and experiences as a friend and I planned a coast to coast ride. The pre-trip thoughts will be helpful to others as they plan a cycling trip. Information compiled after our successful ride offers great details about our gear and all items selected and carried. Advice is also provided about practical aspects of the ride, and many of those topics were prompted by questions from others following our online journal.

Finally, my trip journal, with daily entries, is included as the last portion of this book. Readers can see exactly what the daily experience of a long distance ride might entail.

Whatever your dreams, I encourage you to start riding them. Whether it be 2600 miles on highways from coast to coast or 200 miles on a bike and pedestrian rails to trails project, bicycle touring can be enjoyed by nearly anyone.

Happy trails...

Shawn Wakefield