Travel writer speaks in Seattle on Tuesday
One of the best bicycle travel writers around, Willie Weir, lives right here in Seattle. The Cascade Bicycle Club is sponsoring his talk “A Tale of Twos: Cycling Thailand and Laos with Willie Weir” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the downtown REI.
If you're unfamiliar with Weir, here are a couple of YouTube videos (7 minutes above and 5 minutes on the jump) he shot. You might enjoy his common-sense approach to bicycle touring as he shows some images from the road and gives out some free travel tips regarding bicycles, tools and touring styles.
First he says that touring bicyclists must first decide the type of trip they're planning — either physical or cultural. He explains that you won't be able to soak up much local color if you're trying to knock out 100 miles a day.
More tips
2. Resist the temptation to buy the newest technology for your touring bike. Go for the tried and true. “The latest and greatest is going to have problems,” he says. And repairs will be difficult because those hi-tech advances won't have made it to remote places you might travel.
3. Consider versatility when choosing a touring bike. Weir rides a mountain bike frame with 26-inch wheels. He says that because of the worldwide mountain bike craze, wherever you go on this planet you'll find 26-inch tires.
4. Don't bring every tool in the shop; they're heavy. Weir says to make sure you bike is in good working condition before you leave, then just carry the essentials.
5. Pack ahead of time and take all that stuff on a bike ride. Weir says that you'll often decide that you're carrying too much stuff, and you'll decide to lighten your load before leaving home.
6. Give before you take; establish a rapport with people before invading their space by taking their pictures. He says too often he sees tourists causing resentment by starting to shoot pictures in villages without really getting to know people.
Learn more
You can learn more about Weir and his bicycling travel experiences at his website, WillieWeir.com. You can listen to interviews he did with travel writer Rick Steves, as well as an interview on KUOW.
He also links to an article about Turkey that he wrote for Adventure Cyclist Magazine that won a bronze award in the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism competition in 2005.
He's also author of “Spokesongs: Bicycle Adventures on Three Continents.”
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