Earlier this year, I started my dream bicycle tour through South America. Even though I had spent several years planning and preparing, things didn’t quite go according to plan, and I ended up cutting my trip short and going home much earlier than originally anticipated. In this video, I share some of the highlights (and lowlights) and my overall reflection on the trip.
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13 Comments
Amazing adventure but also scary. Glad you are now safe and sound back home. Your partner sounds like a keeper.
Glad you learned some lessons. I appreciate this video, helping me cure some of my crazy exploration ideas
Thank you for sharing Kyle. Would you shed more light on the tire and rim problems. Would tubeless have been better? What did the local shops have vs. what did you have? Looks like you had 27.5" wheels with tubes correct? What would you have done differently about gear, specifically the wheels and tires? Thank You
Although it wasn't the adventure you had envision it still sounds like a great adventure. You did what many only dream about so congratulations on giving it a go and making the best of it.
Although there is no place like home, there is nothing like travelling to places that are, literally, worlds apart.
Appreciate you telling your story. Yeah sadly long term bicycle touring does not always go as planned. Having done two major multiyear tours covering 43 countries and 17 US States, we can say this and you have to be flexible. While hindsight is 20/20, you should not have been cycling on 27.5" wheels outside of the US. We've blown out our sidewalls on our rear rims and were back on the road in a day because we ride on 26" wheels and this is a very common size anywhere in the world. Hopefully, you'll get that itch and hit the road again one day. Take care and happy cycling Kyle! ~Ron & Petra
Home is where you put your head down
Buying new wheels looked the easiest option to me.
It can be demotivating when things don’t go as planned and unfortunately so many things went wrong for you 😢 you mentioned spending years planning and preparing for this adventure but it seems to me that you were not as prepared for what you planned, specially the mental aspect and dealing with adversity, because things will eventually go wrong in such a long ride. Anyway after 6 months on the road I was homesick too, but the difference between you and me was the approach, I based my ride completely on the time on the road and not the distance or destination ended up crossing Central America and Colombia and ended up enjoying a lot parts of my journey on had some not so enjoyable experiences too. Cheers from Norway 🇳🇴
WOW, what an adventure! So glad you are home safe and sound. That was a huge move to go down there alone. Great vid!
Wow, some parts of your adventure were certainly tortuous and scary, Kyle! Yikes!
Question: Were your rims of inferior quality? I was surprised by how they were damaged, yet new. And, I'm guessing they're 29" rims? Darren Alff (formerly the "Bicycle Touring Pro" on YouTube) once shared that 26" rims and tires are more popular and more widely available in other countries. Sorry you had to find this out the hard way, Kyle! Safe riding!
thank you for your honest mood report
there are so many world travelers on the internet with travel videos that often a glorified impression is created of how easy such a trip would be for everyone and the reality can be much harder and more unpleasant and your video shows that too and is a good counterexample
I'm relieved that you made it home safely Kyle. It's nice to know you are doing well otherwise. See you on the roads of San Diego bike brother.