Recently, I had the opportunity to get together with fellow coast to coast cyclists on the Pedal Across Wisconsin Northwoods bicycle tour. It was great to get together with old friends again and to make new friends.
This also gave me the chance to check what other touring cyclists are using. I find that I can learn a lot from other seasoned riders. They log thousands of miles in the saddle and they know what works and what doesn’t.
They don’t agree on everything. For example, their bikes ranged from superlight smart bicycles with wireless derailleurs to steal frame bicycles that could be decoupled for easy packing into a checked airlines bag without paying any additional charges. However, what caught my eye was that there was a concensus in gear among the riders. Almost every rider was using a mirror. Although I’ve always ridden with a mirror, I think that I was in the minority when I cycled coast to coast in 2015. Today, however, it appears that among seasoned touring cyclists that a mirror has become a touring essential.
Ken Whittaker