The sport of bicycle touring has certainly grown in recent years.  When I was young, I first recall seeing men on touring bicycles climbing the highways through the mountain areas of Vermont and New Hampshire.  I was intrigued watching these riders climbing the long inclines for miles on end without stopping.  Loving the outdoors and especially the mountains, I knew this was the only way to really enjoy the magnificent views.  That was when I noticed the type of bicycle they were riding was much different then the mountain bike I grew up with~owned.

More recently I met a middle aged man who lived on the east coast.  Each summer he would fly with his touring bicycle to the west coast.  Then he’d spend a month riding across the country coming home.   Needless to say, his bicycle was outfitted with touring bags and other accessories.  As the sport’s popularity has risen, so has the demand for touring bicycles.  In the past, the only place to find a good tour bicycle was at an expensive specialized bike shop which would usually be limited to one brand of bike.  Of course that all came with a high price tag.  Lets face it, the price of many serious tour bicycles simply put them out of reach for younger people just entering the sport.

I recall traveling a couple hours to find the specific Schwinn touring bicycle I was searching for.  Fortunately today, that is not the case.  You can find all the biggest names in road bicycles on the internet.  The additional benefit is many can be found at very reasonable prices also.  The interest in bicycle touring has also given rise to the availability of specialized bicycle parts, accessories and bicycle clothing.  You would be hard pressed to find adult bicycle accessories and clothing at your local discount store.  But this is not the case online.

The first upgrade that long distance touring requires is a way to carry your personal gear, clothing and camping equipment on long trips.  The popularity of touring has provided riders a huge variety of specialized bicycle parts and accessories.  It is quite easy to find replacement or upgrade bicycle parts and bicycling apparel for your long trips.  Serious bikers can easily upgrade just about their entire bicycle by traveling no further then their PC.