10 Reasons to Take an Overnight Bicycle Trip

Whether you've never been on an overnight bicycle trip and you have no idea where to begin, or you just can't imagine having the time or expertise to cross the entire continent on two wheels right now, you can still jump into your first one- or two-day bike trip without any worries at all.

Plus, the experience will prepare you for longer trips in the future until you build up to the big one.

Grant Petersen of Rivendell Bicycle Works calls short bike tours, where you start riding on one day, stop and stay the night and then ride back the following day (or even the day after), "S24Os," or "sub 24-hour overnights."

A bike overnight can be a getaway to an inn or bed and breakfast—but for outdoor lovers who don't always have the time or money for a big adventure, a bike overnight camping trip is a great option. For riders interested in touring but who may be inexperienced or concerned about what touring requires, bike overnights provide an easy way to test the waters before heading out on an extended adventure.

Bike overnights are different from longer tours in several important ways:

Overnights are easy to do from your front door or a nearby transit stop. If you have a technical problem, (or the weather is lousy) at least you can get back home in a jiffy and learn from your mistake.

Overnights can be done inexpensively (heck, just for the cost of the food you take).

Overnights are also easy to do with friends and family—you can try a bike trip with different riding companions as a bridge to future, longer adventures.

Here are the top 10 reasons to go overnight:

1.They don't take a lot of prep time.
2.They're fun for all ages.
3.They're a good intro to bike touring (some say it's the "gateway drug").
4.?It's a nice way to spend the weekend.
5.?They can be done on a limited budget.
6.You can use almost any kind of bike. (Comfort and low gears for hills are the only necessities.)
7.?It's a great way to stay fit.
8.?They extend the pleasure of your commute.
9.They're good practice for longer tours (and if you forget something big, you're not out for long).
10.?Friends you invite along can't say they don't have the time.

Bike to the campsite of your choice today.