Selecting a Bicycle

Selecting a Bike Type

Outings and training will often focus on the High Adventure we have planned for the year

Paved High Adventure

• Adventure will take place on paved roads

• Example Adventures

  • Olympic Discovery Trail

  • San Juan Islands

  • Costal tour

• Bike Selection

  • Road Bikes are best

    • Geometry, gearing and aerodynamics beat out other bikes for speed

  • Gravel Bikes are OK

    • Just not as fast as a road bike

  • Hybrids will work too, but will be slower

  • Other bikes will be too slow

Gravel High Adventure

• High Adventure will place on Gravel Trails

• This may include some pavement and some dirt

• Example Adventures

  • Palouse to Cascades Trail

  • Olympic Discovery Trail also using the Olympic Adventure Trail 

  • Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR)

• Bike Selection 

  • Depends on specifics of the trail

    • Talk to our Bike Team first

    • In many cases Gravel Bikes rule

      • Tire size requirements is dependent on the trail - generally 40mm or larger

    • Mountain bikes are generally acceptable

Offroad High Adventure

• High Adventure will place on Trails designed for Mountain Bikes

• Some of the trail will include technical features adding to the adventure

• Example Adventures

  • Cross Washington Mountain Bike Route (XWA)

  • Some will consider the Palouse Trail east of the Columbia a Mountain Bike Only Trail

• Bike Selection 

  • Mountain Bikes are preferred

    • Talk to our team about what suspension is needed

    • Usually hardtails are preferred

    • Suspension will really improve ride over rough terrian and makes the bike more fun to ride

  • A Gravel Bike might work, but you should talk to our Bike Team first to avoid great sadness

    • Gravel Bikes can tackle many single track trails

    • As trails become more technical, a Gravel Bike will become more and more difficult to handle and will really beat up the rider

    • On certain trails, a Gravel Bike just won't work

  • Fat Bikes

    • Generally not worth it

    • Good for soft sand, really loose gravel and snow

Road Touring High Adventure

• Classic Road Touring involves carrying heavy gear over many miles

• Bikes need to be able to handle loads

  • Robust enough to endure all that extra stress

  • Stable enough to carry heavy loads

  • Geared to move more weight

• Bike Selection 

  • Road Touring Bike

    • Made to carry heavy loads on smooth roads

    • Tire Size: 35mm

  • Mountain Bike Style Touring Bike

    • More upright riding position with longer handlebars

    • Wider tires

    • Allows you to carry heavy loads over rougher terrain

    • You sacrifice speed on the road for more comfortable riding on off pavement

    • If front suspension is used, it should be locked out when riding on roads

    • Tire size: 

      • 2.25" if running front suspension 

      • 2.6 or 2.8 if running a rigid fork

  • Other Bikes

    • Any bike can be transformed into a touring bike

    • It won't handle as well as a touring bike when loaded down

    • It won't last as long as a touring bike if used to carry heavy loads

Bikes NOT to Get

Certain Bikes just won't work for High Adventures or most of our bike outings.  If you have one of these in the garage, one you can borrow or one that just became available for a deal too good to pass up, know that they won't work for our Scouting trips.  If you have questions, come talk to our Bike Team.  They are creative and open minded, but also have real world experience and knows what it's like to go on an outing with the wrong bike.

• BMX Bikes

  • These just aren't fast enough for any type of riding we generally do

  • Even on casual downhills, smaller bikes will have to fight to keep up

• Fat Tire Bikes

  • Great for soft sand and snow

  • These are really slow on roads and trails

  • You will really feel those tires when going uphill or trying to accelerate 

  • Tire size of 2.25" is good for most mountain bikes with front suspension

    • More than this will slow you down on roads and trails

• Anything heavier than 32 pounds

  • It's just too heavy for the trip

  • Heavier economy bikes will likely also come with less than ideal components

• Electric Bikes

  • Use is banned by Scouting America

• Economy Bike Brands

  • Some these bikes might be fine

    • Some are great starter bikes

    • You get a LOT for your money

  • These tend to be heavier and have mechanical issues

    • Chain may be the first thing to go

  • The big problems is - some of these will fail in the middle of High Adventure

    • Especially if you get a used bike that already has some miles on it or has gotten wet

    • A broken bike in the middle of nowhere will really ruin your day - and everyone else's

  • Brands including:

    • Huffy

    • Ozark Trail

    • Schwinn

Bike Sizing

A bike has to be sized correctly for the rider.  This is vital for safety and efficiency.  Trying to ride a bike that is too big or too small isn't going to work well on a High Adventure.

How to Size a Bike

• Go to REI and have them size you

  • Try out a few bikes at REI to get an idea of what works for you

  • You don't need to by the bike there

• You can also work sizes recommended by the manufacture based on your height and/or pants size

  • This will get you pretty close

• When shopping for a used bike, you can stand over the bike

  • If you can't stand over the top tube of the bike with your feet flat, that bike wont' work for you

  • Find the tallest bike you can comfortably stand over 

Wheels and Tires

Wheel size plays a roll in bike performance and sizing.  In most cases, a road or gravel bike will have 29" tires.  One of the big things to note is that a bike with 27.5" tires may fit shorter Scouts and Adults than a bike with 29" tires. 

Most Bikes have the option of 2 main tires sizes

• 27.5"

  • 650b

    • Road and Gravel Bike tires

    • Sometimes used to run wider tires when frame allow for more clearance for 650b than 700c

    • Sometimes used for shorter riders

  • 27.5"

    • Mountain Bike tires

• 29er

  • More common Road size

  • 700c

  • 29"

    • Generally wider than 700c

Pros and Cons of Different Tire Sizes

• Acceleration

  • 27.5": Faster

  • 29er: Slower

• Traction

  • 27.5": Good

  • 29er: Better

• Attack angle

  • 27.5": Good

  • 29er: Better

• Weight

  • 27.5": Lighter

  • 29er: Heavier

• Maneuverability

  • 27.5": Better

  • 29er: Good

• Fit

  • 27.5": Favors shorter riders

  • 29er: Favors taller riders

Gears

A bicycle usually has multiple gears.  These allow you to adjust for different speeds and different road conditions, such as hills.

A lot goes into gearing for specific purposes.  We won't get into is that much here, but a suitable bike for our outings should have at least 18 gear ratios.

Count the number of sprockets in the front and rear gears.  Multiply them together.  This is the number of gear ratios that bike has.

Examples

• 3 gears in front and 9 in back

  • 3 x 9 = 27

• 2 gears in front and 10 in back

  • 2 x 10 = 20

• 1 gear in front and 1 in back

  • 1 x 1 = 1

  • This bike is not suitable for most of our outings

Used Bikes

You can get a really nice used bike for less than $300, but realistically budget for $500-$800.  You just have to know what to look for and what to avoid. 

Talk to our High Adventure Team and see what the annual adventure will be.  Outings and training will focus on using a range of bikes.

Get sized and start reviewing bike offerings.  Do a little research before running out to get a steal of a deal.

Don't be afraid to ask our Bike Team for advice or help.  We might even find a great deal for you or save you from a big mistake.  

Used Bikes Need to be Inspected

• Ideally inspect the bike before purchase

• At the very least, have our Bike Team take a look at it before an outing

  • Not uncommon to get a used bike with bad brakes or other issues