Bikepacking History and Writing

[JCruz]

Hey gang,

I thought it might be amusing to start a thread to share some of the history and great writing in the tradition of our style of riding.  Touring on dirt roads and tracks was, of course, a crucial part of the history of the bicycle.  I love seeing photos and illustrations of the late 19th century touring riders either on pennyfarthings or the later "safety" bicycles -- so called because, you know, you were less likely to take a header.

Allen and Sachtleben completed a round the world trip on their safeties from 1890-93, which they wrote up for Outing Magazine. 



One interesting segment of their journey is available as Across Asia on a Bicycle.  They were following on the heels of some notable cross-USA and round the world journeys on high wheelers, including that of Thomas Stevens, a Brit who rode from San Fran to New York in 1884, then sailed for Europe and Asia.  (See his Around the World on a Bicycle.)  Or check out this image of Frank Lenz from the cover of The Lost Cyclist:



Lenz set off on a round the world journey around the same time as Allen and Sachtelben, but he didn't make it.

For a setup that will seem completely familiar to folks on this board, check out the 25th Infantry at Fort Missoula.  To test and validate the use of bicycles in the military, they rode 1900 miles to St. Louis in 1897.



These days, bicycle touring is certainly a healthy literary genre.  Most of these works focus on rides on paved surfaces, but some routes are nasty enough to count, I think, as bikepacking.  My absolute favorites are Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Great Bicycle Adventure by Richard and Nicholas Crane, Brit cousins who, in my view, really pioneered riding in fast and light style in crazy places.  Journey is about a ride they took in 1986 from Bangladesh to Western China, the "center of the earth" in the sense of being the geographic location furthest away from an ocean.  They rode their Raleigh road bikes, with all their equipment modified for weight savings. 



Most of the book is available on line:
http://web.archive.org/web/20041211045554/http://www.koopmann.lightup.net/crane/

Check out their gear list:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040919044827/www.koopmann.lightup.net/crane/journey_appendix_1.html

The Great Bicycle Adventure (1987) is a collection of their short write ups, including a ride down Kilimanjaro excerpted from a book on that trek.

Anyway, what are other people's favorite history of bikepacking images and stories?

Joe

[Pivvay]

Thanks these look great! I know Matt Lee should chime in here too.

[bmike-vt]

Not entirely about bikes and touring - but I enjoyed the bike references in 'Raising the Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business: The Story of Clif Bar & Co' Road bikes, limited loads, mountains in Europe... traveling lightly and getting multiple use out of gear, choosing the small roads that may or may not get over the mountains... making do and exploring. All good stuff.

The book inspired me to lighten my road loads and travel lightly - which eventually led me here to look for offroad inspiration. And as a self employed unemployable person - there is also the story of starting and maintaining a company... something also interesting as I am a fan of the Mojo bar...

[Jilleo]

This is one of my favorite stories, precursor to the Iditabike: "Max Hirschberg's 1900 Bicycle Ride to Nome"

"The day I left Dawson, March 2, 1900 was clear and crisp, 30° below zero. I was dressed in a flannel shirt, heavy fleece-lined overalls, a heavy mackinaw coat, a drill parka, two pairs of heavy woolen socks and felt high-top shoes, a fur cap that I pulled down over my ears, a fur nosepiece, plus fur gauntlet gloves.

On the handlebars of the bicycle I strapped a large fur robe. Fastened to the springs, back of the seat, was a canvas sack containing a heavy shirt, socks, underwear, a diary in waterproof covering, pencils and several blocks of sulfur matches. In my pockets I carried a penknife and a watch. My poke held gold dust worth $1,500 and my purse contained silver and gold coins. Next to my skin around my waist I carried a belt with $20 gold pieces that had been stitched into it by my aunt in Youngstown, Ohio, before I had left to go to the Klondike."

Story found here: http://www.icebike.org/History/HistBroken.htm

People were so awesomely tough back in the day.

[bmike-vt]

that is a great link jill! inspiring.
and he came from youngstown, ohio! hope for me as i grew up north of there in the big city on the lake.

[canuckjgc]

Frank Lenz was a tough guy, carried a revolver that he had to use during this trip, have a look here:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1089118/index.htm

[jeremy11]

Biking to Nome in 1900!
How did he do it without MTBR?!

We are really soft today.

I loved making his own pedals, sailing (I've tried this but without a big enough sail, strong enough wind, or enough need)

And, he turned 20 on the trip!

[Pivvay]

How did he do it without MTBR?!
We are really soft today.

lolz  and +1,000,000

[stevage]

Check out their gear list:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040919044827/www.koopmann.lightup.net/crane/journey_appendix_1.html

Just in case anyone missed it:
"Control was from a cut-down Simplex gear shift to a Shimano 600 EX derailleur. In order to save weight, there was no front derailleur or lever, we used heel kick-down for lower gears and finger lift-up for higher."

Awesome Tyre choice is interesting too, 35mm at 90psi! Only one spare tube between two as well...

[John G]

Norway, I believe, but I don't remember from where I got these.

[efuentes]

Thanks guys, Now I have a new favorite thread.

[bmike-vt]

Norway, I believe, but I don't remember from where I got these.

top photo, interesting bike 2nd from the right. suspension with metal rods / cables? and a straight tt right to the rear hub?

[Slowerthensnot]

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/Turtle/MountainTurtle.html

Required reading for sure...  love how wide the handle bars are in those pics from Norway

[bmike-vt]

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/Turtle/MountainTurtle.html

Required reading for sure...  love how wide the handle bars are in those pics from Norway

enjoyed the mt turtle for sure... and most of kent p's writing.

spoon brakes in those photos? and narrow tires!
pegs for getting their feet of the pedals as i'm assuming fixed, no?

[12wheels]

Great thread.  Are those Norwegian bikes fixed geared?  Those pegs on the front forks look like foot rests for coasting.

[Blackhound]

Nicholas Crane (one of the Brits in fourth photo down) presents various travel / mapping series in the UK.  Always entertaining and he still travels everywhere by bike on the programmes

[JCruz]

Very cool contributions, all, inspiring and illuminating.  Jill, the Hirschberg story is fantastic, thanks for that.  I figured that mentioning your book in the first post would have been too sycophantic, but it is an important part of the new history of bikepacking.

And John G's Norway photos! Fantastic.  Here are a few more that I like.

Italian light infantry soldiers during WWI:

Fred Birchmore, heading out from Georgia on a round-the-world trip in 1935:

William Fay and Bob Drake ready to ride for several weeks in northern Minnesota, 1930's:

(I'm not really feeling the wire basket carrying plan myself.)

And this is from Outing Magazine's serial on Lenz's journey, where he rides from Kanpur to Agra.  I've done a version of this ride, and his report is both familiar and an era away.

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/Outing/Volume_26/outXXVI06/outXXVI06l.pdf


Joe

[John G]

Last year I was looking at one of those '100 years ago today' blurbs in the local paper and came across this:

September 3, 1908
Major Edward A. Weed, a veteran bicyclist, arrived in this city yesterday from Washington, on a tour from New York to California. Weed has a specially made bicycle, which, including his baggage weighs 82 pounds, and has an 86 gearing.

Which lead to a google search:

January 5, 1901
Major Edward A. Weed.
       Major Edward A. Weed, of Portland, Ore., the oldest international cycle tourist, born in Derby, Conn., June 6, 1841, went to California in 1874, and was connected with the press of Pacific coast as editor and publisher for many years. Was on the staff of the Chicago Tribune before, during and after the World's Fair. Started on a bicycle from Portland, Oct. 15, 1896, riding through Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Crossed the Rio Grande at El Paso and rode in Mexico two years, then steamer to Cuba and New York. Since then has ridden in the New England States, New York and New Jersey. Total on wheel, in twelve American and twenty Mexican States and Cuba, 16,903 miles, and on cars, steamer and horse, 8,390 miles, or a total travel of 25,293 miles. The lowest point reached by wheel was Salton, in the Death Valley of California, 263 feet below sea level, and the highest altitude was at La Cima, in Mexico, 9,985 feet. Major Weed is a veteran of the Civil war, was wounded and a prisoner in Libby Prison, but is in perfect physical condition and enjoys a cold water bath every morning. He has ridden hundreds of trestle bridges, and been in many places where a bicycle had never before been seen. He likes Mexico so well he is delivering illustrated lectures and writing a book on "Mexico, the Wonderland."
       Major Weed rides an Orient, which with baggage weighs sixty pounds. He carries a first-class equipment, consisting of Dunlop buggy tires with steel rims, Twentieth Century gas lamp, New Departure cyclometre, double stroke chime bell and Morrow Coaster brake. He is a traveling agent and representative of the POLICE GAZETTE, and the boys should treat him kindly.

 and ended up with a descendant of the rider posting this photo on another board:

Hey y'all,
Just found this site via the name of the gent you refer to:
Edward A. Weed
I have a researched this guy "quite a bit".
His bicycle rides totaled 57,875 miles.
This between the ages of 55 and 68.
In the US, Mexico, Cuba, and (perhaps) Canada.
From 1896 to 1909.
Yes, all on single speed bikes.
(the later ones even had brakes!  Cool, huh?)
Glad he still brings a smile, and some wonder.
He was a colorful old guy, quite the character.
Email me if you want more info.
And I would appreciate any info about him you may have uncovered.
I'll try to attach a photo here.
Kind regards to all,
Dave Weed,
dcweed@comcast.net
Bellingham WA
Great-grandson of Major Edward A. Weed

[OurManInTheNorth]

Great pic John! I'm desperately trying to remember the title of a book describing the journey of a couple of boys from (somewhere on the west coast USA, I'll say southern Cali) to (somewhere further north on the same coast, oregon/washington?) to visit (I think) the world fair. Sorry this is so vauge it was a while ago and I gave the book to a friend. Really enjoyed it though,  lots of mishaps, mechanicals, native indian encounters, having to work to afford onwards travel etc. Damn will have to go search for the book now!

[protoceratops]

It sounds like you mean this...

http://www.amazon.com/Two-Wheels-North-Bicycling-Coast/dp/0870714856

which was reenacted this summer after a fashion, except with support and stuff.  Not the same, but...

http://wheelsnorth.campyonly.com/

If you don't know, "campyonly" is Eric Norris, one of the "usual suspects" around the SoCal and
NorCal century and DC - brevet scene.  Fond of saying "Shima-NOOOOOOOOOO..."

He was behind the reenactment, which doubled as a fundraiser for the Histiocytosis Association of America. 

http://wheelsnorth.campyonly.com/fundraising.html