Your Trip Consultant has noted that you will be bringing your own recumbent bike. Below are some things for you to consider. If you’ve changed your mind and have decided instead to ride a Backroads bike, please let your Trip Consultant know right away.

Shipping Case

If you’re flying with your bike, we highly recommend a soft-sided bike case for ease of storage during your trip. If you don’t have a soft-sided bike case, we will need to know the style and dimensions of the bike case for transportation and storage logistics to confirm we will be able to transport your bike case throughout the trip. Your trip consultant will ensure logistics are confirmed before your trip.

Is Your Recumbent Easily Transported?

Due to the space limitations of our trailers, we can only accommodate recumbents that can be broken down/folded or those with a short wheel base (those with the wheels under the rider’s legs).

Packing for Your Trip

Please remember to bring any parts specific to your bike that you may need as the leaders may not have appropriate tools, tubes, tires, parts, etc. Many bike shops are also willing to pack your bike for a fee or ship it for you if you’re travelling domestically. If you are shipping your bike to a bike shop, it will be your responsibility to pick it up and transport it to trip start.

Is Your Bike Ready for Five or More Days of Riding?

Please keep in mind that the typical day on a Backroads trip may contain 25 to 45 miles, or about 4 to 5 hours, of riding. If you have not ridden distances of this length recently with your bike, we suggest you do so before your trip, so you know its strengths and limitations. If you are unsure whether it is ready mechanically for the trip, we suggest you take it to your local bike shop for a tune-up.

Route Support

Depending on the size of your recumbent (even those with a short wheel base), there may be times when one leader will not be able to accommodate it in the van along the route. In this case it will need to be transported in the trailer, and the trailer is not always with the van during the day. Please understand these issues may limit the number of opportunities you’ll have to call it a day and hop in the van.

Spare Bikes

Your Trip Leaders may not have a spare bike available should you decide mid-trip you no longer want to ride your recumbent or in the event of a malfunction. This is also true should you decide last minute not to bring your bike on the trip.